Hi to All,
Does anyone know why the Spiral is not included in the Laird's CCC technique?

I don't know. But it is in the ISTD manual.

Perhaps it wasnt to his taste (not to mine either, though I am not sure why, and it would be interesting to reflect on that point.......

Then again, perhaps he felt that, in writing a technique book, he didn't need to describe every possible figure - just a minimum number of representative ones as required to describe the technique of the individual elements common to all - and he does include the hip twist spiral.

luv2dance. Walley gives a Spiral in the Rumba and not in the Cha Cha.
If you knew Walley at the time the book was written he was dead against syncopation on a step that didn't have a syncopation in the music being played. In other words there is no sycopation within the music on 2 and 3. There is on 4 and 1. Could this be the reason it is was not included in the Cha Cha

Hi, Anna,
Thank you for your input. I don't follow your suggestion about beats 2-3. If Laird was going to write a Spiral based on the Rumba Spiral, I would assume he would have made the Spiral turn commencing on beat 4 of the CCC music. But with beat 4 in the Rumba being a delayed weight transfer, and in the CCC beat 4 being the start of the 1/2 beats for the Chasse, to dance a delayed weight transfer on this first 1/2 beat would not be practical.

This was my thought when I first wrote the message. I would be interested in the comments by other subscribers, Telemark, and some of the other fine technicians we have on this web site.

Anna. Are you by chance any relation to our dear friend, Don, whom we have not heard from this year. If so, tell him I miss his input on this forum.

Laird does chart identical Spiral actions after Close and Open Hip Twists. The turn comes on beat 3 (a forward walk to Spiral Cross) making a complete turn, followed by LF fwd, RF closed to LF & LF to side for 4&1.

A Spiral can also work quite well after 1-5 of a Cross Basic. Make the turn on 2, LF fwd on 3, with RF fwd walk turning on 4.1 ended LF back in Fan position (as in Rumba). The use of Rumba rhythm for that bar, makes an interesting variation in CCC, but isn't to every taste ...

You are correct in that assumption.. most Pros would agree, that inserting a syncop. beat where it was inappropriate may take the specific movement into another context.

Basics are best served if they a danced in the manner they are written.. improvisation is fine and well, if it is in the interest of advancing a theory .

if anna's theory about the syncopation is correct surely he would not have included cuban breaks either.

my own theory is as follows. the first step of the spiral turn must end fwd with reasonable cearance from the other foot. if this were not acheived it would not be possibe to make a clean turn to a spiral cross as the feet would clash. the cha-cha-chasse on the other hand could be taken towards the R side of the man but would need to be fairly compact to maintain contact - and then in making those steps compact the spiral turn would be compromised as above.