Hyperreal

Wow! That was a big beginner’s class!

First time I’ve ever seen the “spare” women having to leave the main dance-floor to queue… I think there was about 20 over… About the same number as last week, but with at least one or two extra rows which must have meant loads more new guys and girls this week!

(I reckon the girls got themselves organised from their new-year resolutions much quicker than the guys which is why we’ve got so much extra growth this week… )

I actually arrived too late for the beginner’s class, though it had started and ran late – presumably due to the vast number of first- or second-time beginners… Will try harder next week to be on time.

So, let’s get the intermediate class out of the way, before I talk about my dancing…

Some tricky moves tonight!

• First move walk-around (through? whatever!) Classic move. Fairly easy as I’ve now done it a few times… (just so-long as there’s room and everyone’s going the same way… )

• man-spin unwrap – beginner move variation. When you’re half way through the man-spin, rather than letting go and spinning round, turn back CW to face. Try to put some drama into it… I found that when you’re trying to do clever things in the middle of a man-spin you had better have stepped back right, or else you’re going to be on your wrong foot – I normally step back left.

• RH push spin – yawn! (This move and the one before it were combined so the LH return led the girl’s hand into your RH for the push spin. Catch R, return…)

• hatch flick nelson duck whatever – v. tricky move to get… Yo-yo/hatchback start with LH hand offered behind. After the twist out, turn 90º ACW, bringing RH into nelson behind back and LH out to block in front of girl who will have also turned 90º ACW. In a smooth movement, keep turning and duck under the girl’s RH held in your RH. Come up and bring your RH back from behind your back to in front of girl (over your L-L connection, which you bring in front of yourself.) Nice position for a pose… From there, lead back face to face, RH high for push-spin, letting go L-L. Catch L…

I’ve wanted to add the first move thingy to my repertoire for a while now, but my timing was always way out, and I never felt I was properly in control during the move… But tonight I decided that everyone would would get an attempt at this move, and we’d see what happened…

Well I spared a few beginners and the like the move, but yep, I did it, sometimes double, sometimes just a single to go with the music or to keep the girls guessing… Felt much more comfortable with it, though still not entirely in control. Sometimes it went more into a first-move penguin-like thing, which isn’t so bad, as I’d also like to get that. There were so many people clearly not in control practicing this move though – lots of collisions from random bodies backing into my partner and me!

I tried the duck move a few times, and almost got it once, but most other times I ended up spinning right round when I did the duck under bit… I think this might be the first real nelson-duck move I’ve done, so I think I can put it aside for the moment…

Oh, I also tried the man-spin un-wrap thing a couple of times too. It worked fine, but having to remember to change my step-back might make it tricky in the future to repeat…

As far as the rest of my dancing went, I was fairly happy… I’ve managed to add a couple of moves I haven’t done in a while back into a sort-of “C” list of my repertoire. Might get promoted to at least the “B” list, if I keep practicing them…

I also found a nice comb from an accordion. (Do you realise how little sense that sentence makes outside of the dance world??? )

So I had some really lovely dances. Apart from one. My fingers are still sore from dancing with a girl with a death grip. And she’s been dancing long enough that she should know better. Doesn’t she notice guys’ frantic attempts to wriggle their fingers out from her grip all the time??? Felt I had to say something, but I don’t know her well enough, so I didn’t. Really wanted to just stop her and say “No!!!!!” but I didn’t. Not sure what to do though next time she asks for a dance…

Anyway, it’s late again, and I should be in bed….

See you soon…. Cheers!