Hi to All,
Quite a number of posting have been written on the importance of dancing 4 or 8 bar sequences in English style dancing. Andrew in his lecture at Blackpool, of this year, entitled 'The Art of Waltz' gave a routine to practice: Underturned Nat Spin Turn (2bars) 4 to 6 Reverse Turn (1 bar) Reverse Turn (2 bars) Whisk (1 bar) Chasse from Promenade Position (1 bar) The routine is 7 bars, then repeat.

Hi Iluv2
I'm not quite sure what your point is, but Sinkinson has used this sequence before. I recall it starting with a natural turn, making 8 bars.

Hi Phil,
I find it strange that if top coaches are teaching students to dance in 8 bar phasing then why use a 7 bar routine to practice his teachings. During the lecture he covered: Swing; Turn; Foot Closure; Foot Rise, besides other technical aspects. Also how to count in 1/2 beats to develop musically, etcetera. Phil, to start the routine with a Nat Turn (2 bars) he would have followed that with a RF Closed Change Step (1 bar), then the Rev Turn, making it a 7 bar routine.

Luv2dance. are you sure he didn't start with a Closed Change .The whisk would have been on seven, the Chasse on eight. To repeat would be a problem unless a Lock Step after the Progressive Chasse was added.
Why didn't you ask. After all you were there to learn. I would have done and did after a lecture. It was a Four Step in the Tango. I said this will bring us out on the wrong beat. He said no because i will waste two beats with a head flick or just stand still for two beats. Back to the Waltz.If i continue with that sequence i would be one bar out every time, then it would be two then three and so on. I haven't worked it out yet but i think if you go through eight times you will be back on phrase

This is just a short, repeatable, routine that incorporates all the elements covered in his lecture. It is intended for practice and working on those elements, nothing else. The use of 4 or 8 bar phrasing in choreography would come later, using a longer routine and more exciting figures.

To be repeatable the routine needs to finish with the original starting foot free to move next. Dancing 3 beat bars in pairs would normally achieve that but here we have a chasse to allow work on the half beats. The extra step now leaves us on the wrong foot, so we either need another syncopated figure or the routine must contain an odd number of bars.

You could extend the routine into 12 bars by adding a natural hesitation (2 bars) (giving the required foot change), reverse turn (2 bars) and LF closed change (1 bar)