TAKING DANCE NOTES

Anyone who is really serious about learning to dance should eventually begin taking notes on patterns or techniques learned in class.  The more you get into dancing, the more patterns floating around in your head and the more necessary it becomes to jot something down.  I know most of you would love for me to write out the patterns for you --- but there's a reason why teachers assign homework!!  Just making an attempt to write something down helps to cement it in your mind and makes it easier to remember.  So here are some hints as to how to take notes!

1.  Use the tracking sheets that I supply.  They give you the names of the patterns and provide space to make little notes to jog your memory.  But you will at some point want to take more elaborate notes as you progress in your dancing.

2.  Do the notes from the Man's point of view --- if he doesn't remember the pattern, ladies, it's not happening!    Any special notes about the Lady's part can be noted as well.

3. Start with the timing --- every dance has its own timing.  DO NOT make up your own count.  Believe me, you are just adding to your own confusion and making it harder on yourself and your partner.  Add the footwork.  I suggest using abbreviations because as you get practice at writing things down you'll notice you use the same things pretty often.  It's like a recipe for dance - we all know the meaning of 1 C vs 2 tsp

4.  Know the big Basic Components!!!  Like a 5h Position Break, an Open Break, a Box.  You need to have these components straight in your mind as you advance through the levels.

Let's try an easy one:   Box Step in Waltz

1              LF (left foot)               forward
2              RF (right foot)            side
3              LF                               tog (bring feet together)
1              RF                              back
2              LF                              side
3              RF                              tog

You might also make a note to turn the pattern counter-clockwise - just note <--

Now that wasn't hard, was it?  So let's try a more complicated pattern in Waltz:

Parallel Hesitations ---  start DW (start facing at a diagonal angle to the wall)

1              LF                                forward, OP (outside partner)
2             ----                                hold position -- Lady does leg lift
3             ----                                continue holding position
1             RF                                forward OP
2             LF                                side, turn 1/4 (90 degrees) to R (clockwise)
3             RF                                tog.  End with back facing DC (at a diagonal angle to center)
1             LF                                 back OP
2-3         ----                                 hold (Lady = leg lift)
1             RF                                back OP
2             LF                                side, turn 1/4 L
3             RF                                tog - end facing DW


If you know your Basic Components you can use those as shortcut parts of the notes --- here's another way to write up the same pattern:

Parallel Hesitations (like ZZ in FT) - start DW

1-2-3                                           fwd hes OP- Lady leg lift (LF)
1-2-3                                           fwd 1/2 box, 1/4 R
1-2-3                                           bk hes OP- Lady leg lift (LF)
1-2-3                                           bk 1/2 box, 1/4 L- end DW


Here's a gift to anyone who knows their components:  Changing Grapevines in Fox Trot

SQQ SQQ      par. twink
S                      bk OP
QQQQ             rev GV
QQ                  end in twink
S                     across in PP
QQQQ            fallaway GV
QQ                  end in Cl or Open

That is a complicated pattern that takes 6 measures to complete......but the notes are easy to jot down if I know my components.  Good Luck!!