In my opinion there are four distances the dance partners have in int. Cha Cha Cha / Rumba in facing position:
1) "Closed": e.g. Basic Step
2) "Half Open": e.g. Chasses in "Hand To Hand"
3) "Open": e.g. "Open Basic", end of "Hockey Stick", start of "Open Hiptwist"
4) "Close": [nearly] in contact, e.g. "Reverse Top"
Now my question referring to the Laird Technique: How do we change distance? Does anybody know what the Laird book says? I always find there inconsistancies - e.g.: "Spot Turn To L", Follows: "Close Basic", "Open Basic", ...
How can the same figure have two different ending positions without a note what is changed to get into the one or the other? (I know how I teach it, but this discussion shall be about the technique book.)
Next problem: 'Shaping' of the Spot Turn is stated "commence and finish in open pos. w/o hold" but again, no word about how to dance a "Close Basic" after that.
And there are some more problems within the Laird Technique about these things ...

Hi GDT,
I may be able to shed some light on your questions. But first, the technique of Latin dancing is not the original that Wally wrote. On each reprint the Latin Committee of the IDTA always wanted to simplify the technique. Wally had wrote a book on dancing the committee wanted a book for examinations. Going back to the early days of ballroom the Imperial Society of Teachers' of Dancing (ISTD) and the International Dance Masters Association (IDMA) to name just two - I know that you understand the abbreviated capitals but such a lot of readers don't) Both societies were faced with two technical books. The cloth bound thick book of Henry Jacques and the thin card bound book of Alex Moore. The committees knew that a candidate would not be intimidated as much with the thin book of Moores to the Jacques book. If you have ever to write a technical book - I have - you have to decide on a standardized version for a figure. Let's say we are going to write the Spot Turns. You are now faced with a commencing position, which could be any of the body positions you wrote. So Wally and the committees decided that Open Position without hold would suffice. Now I know and you know and any associate should know that the Spot Turn to Left can be preceded by: 1-6 Time Step (Laird) 1-5 Basic Movement (ISTD) both are danced in Close (or Closed Hold). So, having danced the turn they would return to Closed position. If the Spot Turn to Left was preceded by 1-5 of the Check from Open Counter Promenade Position (known also as the New York) then the Spot turn would then end in Open Position, so a good follow would be the Open Basic. If you had danced a Hockey Stick to end in Open Position the man could dance 1-5 of the Basic Movement the lady dancing a Lock Action over steps 3-5 to regain Closed Hold. If you are not an examiner ask one and they will tell you that it is a very popular precede to the Natural Top. I considered it an honour to proof read the Guy Howard book. Of course I was full of it; why didn't you do? etc. Guy said to me the members do not take kindly to too many changes. Probably a quote from the UKA Latin Book, written by Ken Akrill and in the Preface he wrote ** It is not desirable that a technique book should cover every little detail, every little aspect.** In one of Walter's earlier prints, he wrote something similar to the following:. **The more I delved and researched more and more fundamental principals came to the fore and long before the subject was exhausted I had to cry halt! Anyway, sir. It was nice to read one of your posts again.

I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the questions asked. But I have been told to never let the judges or audience know what is coming next. In other words after a Spot Turn close to a square position with your partner, which will hide that a New York is coming next, or maybe another Spot Turn or whatever. Nothing looks worse than being part way open before the Chasse is even finished. After the Spot Turn or New York I was told to nail it. That means hit the step with a bit of gusto. 8 -o