Hi Gloria,
A "Runaround" is a generic term used primarily by American Style dancers to indicate almost any kind of fast circling movement done on the spot in a closed or shadow dance hold.
I suppose a Fleckerl and a Running Wing are technically types of Runaround, but they are very specific, so much so that I don't think you'd hear anyone refer to them but by their proper names. The closest International counterpart to what is typically called Runaround is a Standing Spin; These two are sometimes used interchangeably.
I typically teach basic generic Runarounds in American style starting in closed hold with a specific rhythm (eg 123 in Viennese, 1&23 in Waltz, QQQQ in Foxtrot). I let a student play with these for months or longer before introducing variations of dance position (e.g. alternate/airplane hold) or the "fast-as-you-can" arhythmic version. The reason for this is once you start running as fast as you can in alternate hold, there's a tendency to let all technique fly out the window. Those who haven't first established a good technical foundation rarely produce successful, comfortable Runarounds.
My suggestion to you is to work with your teacher on a basic Standing Spin in standard closed hold, to a simple rhythm. It won't fly at maximum speed, but it will give you an opportunity to work out the technical details. As you get better, you will be better equipped to handle whatever a social dancer may throw your way.
When I watch social dancers do bad runarounds, I see the same mistakes every time. They're practically hip to hip, and they take the smallest, wimpiest steps imaginable. I call it "skeetering". So the two specific things I suggest working on: (1) Centering to your partner, and (2) leg strength and division.
Position-wise, a Runaround movement works very much like promenade position. Your feet and legs need to travel one direction while your body faces another. So you will need to apply the same twist to your body that you use in promenade. For natural turns, it's a twist to the right; For reverse, twist to the left. This keeps your center and your frame turned to your partner.
I think the "skeetering" problem is more a result of what people think a Runaround ought to be. They see the fast movement and attempt to emulate it by taking the smallest, fastest steps they possibly can. In reality, the pros actually use medium steps with quite a strong foot action (the opposite of skeetering, which is extremely weak), and they keep their knees flexed with their thighs ahead of the body, as they might with any strong driving movement.
Think about this: Regardless of foot speed, you want to move your body through space as fast as possible. How do you do it? Run from one side of the room to the other as fast as you can on your toes but with flexed knees. What kind of steps do you take? Are they big or small? If you run across the room with the smallest, fastest possible steps, does your body move as fast? How about if you take the biggest possible steps? You will probably find that your fastest body speed results not from huge or tiny steps, but something in between. Most importantly, you will probably find that what you're doing is bigger, stronger and slower than what you had imagined you should be doing on a Runaround. And that's my point.
Here's another dead giveaway that your legs and feet aren't pulling your weight: You feel like you're being pulled right out of your shoes. If your upper body precedes your lower body, your legs have to work a lot harder to keep up. Actually, they shouldn't be just barely keeping up, they should be driving the movement. This is not to say that your partner may not be yanking on you in some unnecessarily uncomfortable way, but if your legs and feet do their job, you can turn what was scary into something no worse than mildly uncomfortable. And with a good partner, it can be fun and exhilarating.
Regards,
Jonathan Atkinson
www.ballroomdancers.com
