Hello everybody. We were taught to use the CBMP at the beginning of our quickstep (pepperpot), where the man has to turn his right hip forward and turn the shoulders slightly back. Now I found in one post that the hip of a man should never be in front of his shoulder. I am quite confused now. What is correct?

BallroomLady. Is this a Pepper Pot starting in PP. Is it after a Travelling Contre Check.

Don, in this case it is the very beginning of our quickstep starting in a closed position

in the CBMP movement the man doesn't turn his hip, he only turns his shoulder to oppose his hip.

Hi latindiva
I think you're referring to CBM

.....and now? should the right shoulder be behind the right hip bone of the man or not? I am still confused

Latindiver. You are absolutely Correct.,when you say in CBMP the man doesn't turn his hip he only turns his shoulders to oppose his hip. You must, like me wonder how anybody can be having lessons and not know this.This is true. A friend of mine only a short while ago asked me to explain CBMP and CBM.as well as NFR. The following week we ran into each other again and she said, I asked my teacher what is CBMP. He didn't know what she was talking about, and yet he was a qualified teacher.

You might be curious to know that some of th world's leading teacher make no distinction in their lessons between CBM and CBMP... they want the same body position in either case!!!

Don, I know it sounds like a beginner question but nevertheless it does not make any sense to me, just to turn the shoulders. Usually while dancing you find yourself in a movement and the advice "turn your shoulders" sounds not very useful to me as in my opinion it should be a complete body action. I found that most dancers never go back to their basics and ask the same questions as they did as beginners with a different view and more experience. But if somebody is not prepared to review the very basics, there is no chance to really improve the dancing.

"Don, I know it sounds like a beginner question but nevertheless it does not make any sense to me, just to turn the shoulders. Usually while dancing you find yourself in a movement and the advice "turn your shoulders" sounds not very useful to me as in my opinion it should be a complete body action."

It depends on the direction of turn.

For a natural turn, you will turn mostly your upper body. For a reverse turn, you will turn mostly the lower part - feet and hips. Eventually the other part catches up of course.