ISTD and IDTA syllabus
Hi every body
As far as we know, ISTD and IDTA syllabus are two International standards. But, IDTA syllabus is different from the ISTD one. We are familiar with ISTD manuals. We tried to find out some IDTA syllabus in standard dances, there are not in ISTD books, listed below:
1. Waltz: Drag Hesitation, Fallaway Natural Turn, Runing Spin Turn, and Forward Lock.
2. Foxtrot: Quick Natural Weave, Quick Open Reverse (only in Quickstep in TSTD), Curred Three Step, Extended Reverse Weave.
3. Quickstep: Tipple Chasse to L, Runing Spin Turn,
4. Tango: Drop Oversway, Mini Five Step.
We are not sure, correct or not or any more?
We don't know the above syllabus. For them, it can see in some refferences, for sample, Drag Hesitation in Ballroom Dancing by Alex Moore, Runing Spin Turn in Waltz variation, performed by Jonathan & Melissa Atkinson of Ballroomdancers.com. That's all for us. For other listed IDTA syllabus, can someone please help us some details?

My IDTA books are at home, so I can't check them right now. However, I'll do what I can. If you need details, let me know (an e-mail might be best) and I'll try to remember to check my books to give a better reply. First though, the ISTD syllabus does include the Drag Hesistation in waltz; it's an additional figure and in the back of the book. The Drop Oversway in tango is listed as a modification of the regular Oversway, so it's in the ISTD book, too.

Waltz: Offhand, I can't remember what the Fallaway Natural Turn is. The Forward Lock should be obvious -- it's the opposite of a Back Lock and done the same way as a Forward Lock in quickstep. Both locks are generally bad choices in waltz though; the totally linear movement is not characteristic of the waltz. I've played around a bit with the Running Spin Turn, but haven't really gotten it down so this may not be the greatest explanation, but here it is anyway. Start like a regular Natural Spin Turn, 1-3 of a Natural, counted 123. Step 4 is basically as normal, a pivot step with LF on 1. Step 5 is another pivoting step done with RF on 2 and now you should be about backing DC. Step 6 goes back on the LF on the & of 2, step 7 goes back on the RF on 3 preparing to lead the lady to step OP, step 8 goes back on the LF with lady OP on the & of 3. You'd finish off with say 4-6 of a Reverse Turn. So it starts like a spin turn but ends with that little run backward thing which is I guess why it has the name it does.

Foxtrot: I have enough trouble with basic syllabus steps I've learnd that I don't worry much about other figures. I don't remember what the Quick Natural Weave is; I'd guess some sort of change in timing, but still mainly the same figure. Quick Open Reverse is in quickstep, as you said, and it's probably done the same is foxtrot. I'd guess that the Curved Three Step is sort of like a Curved Feather Step -- take a Three Step and curve it 1/4 turn probably. The Extended Reverse Wave (I don't think it's Weave, should be Wave) isn't too hard actually. I've done it before and it's kind of nice. Start it like a normal Reverse Wave for steps 1-6. However, instead of doing the regular ending, do a Back Feather. I forget how far the IDTA book takes it, but you could continue with something like a Back Three Step, Back Feather, Back Three Step, etc. as long as you wanted. So there are two exit points -- either exit after a Back Feather (see Curved Feather to Back Feather in the ISTD book) or end after the Back Three Step thing which would be the options listed for the Reverse Wave in the ISTD book.

Quickstep: Tipple Chasse to L should be essentially a mirror of the Tipple Chasse to R. I've never tried it though and I don't know if I'd recognize it if I saw it. I think I read through the description and it sounded not all that far from a Tipsy. I can't really describe it without the book here though. The Running Spin Turn in quickstep is the same figure as in waltz. I can't remember the exact timing though, SQQSQQQQ would be my guess.

Tango: I thought the Mini Five Step was just some variation of the regular Five Step. I don't remember how it goes though, sorry.

I think you listed all of the IDTA only steps. I checked a combined ISTD/IDTA syllabus on line and for the standard, you've covered it all. The descriptions I gave may not be the best, but I hope they're of some use.

--
James Marshall
marshall@astro.umd.edu
http://www.astro.umd.edu/~marshall

Thanks James Marshall - re: Beat value of Jive basic (posted 10-17-01) & ISTD and IDTA syllabus.

Your replies are so detailed and clear and wait for your next one after checking your book at home. By way, it has a figure in Quicktep, which is so strange with us as follow " Step Hop Pepperpot in PP (S&Q&QQQ) " after Progressive Chasse to PP, may be this figure is commonly used in USA. Please spend your time to help us about this, if any.

Thank for any responses

HaOanhTranThanh

You're welcome. I love talking about ballroom dancing. I'll try to remember to check my IDTA books when I get home today and post something about those figures I didn't remember offhand.

I'm pretty sure I was taught that Step Hop Pepperpot combination in one of my classes. Did you see it on my ballroom web pages? A sort of aside on the timing -- I think the Step Hop part of it is really QQ and not S&. I asked our teacher about it, because to me S& means 1.5, 0.5 and QQ means 1, 1; they're two different things. I think his explanation was that & means half of the previous beat, whatever it is, so he turned S& into QQ by that logic. I don't know how he counts a rhythm that is 1.5, 0.5 though, especially since the book calls that S&. Anyway, I think when you dance the Step Hop it is an even QQ, 1 beat, 1 beat, because to hold back/hesitate on the hop would look funny. Anyway.

This is an open level figure/combination as you probably guessed. The Step Hop is pretty much what it sounds like. You'll be starting in PP as leader with a step on the RF (the Step part), then you do a small hop/jump off the RF landing back down on the RF (the Hop part). The Pepperpot seems to be done two ways depending on whether you want to stay in PP or close up. The first three steps are a chasse to the L in PP, LF side Q, RF close &, LF side Q. If you want to stay in PP, you finish with another chasse (action), RF close Q, LF side Q, and continue with your next PP figure. If you want to close up, the last two steps become a lock step, RF lock behind LF Q, LF side/sl.fwd Q preparing to step OP on the next step. According to the notes I have, when you're going to close up, you turn the lady to closed position on the Step Hop so that the whole Pepperpot is then done in closed position. The combination we had in class to practice both types was: Quarter Turn to R / Progressive Chasse to PP / Step Hop Pepperpot in PP (S&Q&QQQ) / Runs in PP (QQQQ) / Step Hop (to closed) Pepperpot (S&Q&QQQ). The first Pepperpot would use the chasse ending since it's staying in PP and the second would use the lock step ending since you're in closed position. As noted above, I'd actually make those S&s QQs, but I wrote the combination the way our teacher said it.

Don't ask me how you lead these steps. They're too advanced for me to do. I have enough trouble with syllabus level steps. I don't really need to worry about dancing the fancy open level stuff. I also don't know how the figure "Pepperpot" got that name. There's probably some reason for it, but I don't know what it is. I hope this helps. I'll try to remember to look up those other IDTA figures when I get home.

--
James Marshall
marshall@astro.umd.edu
http://www.astro.umd.edu/~marshall

I've got my IDTA book in front of me now, so I can check on those other figures you asked about. I don't really know them though, so these descriptions may not be the best, but I'll do what I can to help.

Waltz: Fallaway (FA) Natural Turn -- now that I look at it, the first three steps look pretty similar to steps 2-4 of a tango Fallaway Promenade. Man does RF fwd in CBMP and PP on 1, LF side in PP on 2, RF back RS leading in FA on 3. Man turns about 1/4 R between 1 and 2 while lady only turns 1/8 R between 1 and 3 (man keeps her in PP/FA). On step 4 the man steps LF back in CBMP and FA while the lady steps RF back in CBMP and FA and allows her LF to cross loosely in front of RF while making 3/8 turn L using a spiral type action. Step 5 is RF back for man, LF fwd for lady and step 6 is LF side/sl.fwd for man, RF side/sl.back for lady. The ending prepares to let the man step OP on the following figure. Standard 123123 timing, basically normal rise/fall (but you're up on 3 and 6 instead of continuing to rise on those steps), no sway listed.

Foxtrot: Quick Natural Weave -- mainly a timing variation of the plain Natural Weave, but there's a footwork change, too. A regular Natural Weave is SQQQQQQ, rise on the end of 1, up from 2-7, lower on the end of 7. The Quick Natural Weave is SQ&QSQQ (2, 1/2, 1/2, 1, 2, 1, 1), rise end of 1, up on 2-4, lower end of 4, down on 5, rise end of 5, up on 6-7, lower end of 7. Curved Three Step -- kind of a turned Three Step, but there is a difference. Since the lady basically mirrors the man, I'll just describe the leader's part. Step 1, LF, HT (with CBM), facing LOD, rise end of 1, sway = straight, a S step. Step 2 is RF fwd a small step, R shoulder leading, T, toward alignment of 3, up, L sway, a Q step. Step 3 is LF fwd in CBMP, TH, facing DC against LOD or facing against LOD (made up to 1/2 turn L), up on 3, lower end of 3, L sway, a Q step. For reference, the Extended Reverse Wave is basically what I said, but the book's description is steps 1-6 = 1-6 of the Reverse Wave, steps 7-9 = Back Feather (but a note says it can be danced with the lady in line), steps 10-15 = 4-9 Reverse Wave. There are alternate endings listed though.

Quickstep: Tipple Chasse to L -- it looks like the lady mirrors the man here, too, so I'll just do the leader's part. I guess it is basically a mirrored Tipple Chasse to R, but to me it seems kind of like a Progressive Chasse to R (but to the L instead). Anyway, step 1 is RF fwd in CBMP OP, HT, facing DW, start to turn R, start to rise end of 1, use CBM, a S step. Step 2 is LF to side, T, backing DC, 1/4 turn between 1 and 2, continue to rise on 2, a Q step. Step 3 is RF closes to LF, T, backing LOD, 1/8 turn between 2 and 3, continue to rise on 3, a Q step. Step 4 is LF side, TH, backing LOD, no turn, lower on 4, a S step. Sway is either none or sway to L on 4. The knee of the LF flexes a bit on step 4 then straightens to take the next step; follows are basically a Back Lock or going into the Tipple Chasse to R.

Tango: Mini Five Step -- the steps appear to be basically the same as for a regular Five Step. Differences I see are that the Mini has no steps with CBM while the Five Step uses CBM on 1 and 4. The Mini starts facing DW and has no turn or up to 1/4 turn L (between 1 and 2 I think). The Five Step starts facing DC and says 3/4 turn L. To me, that looks like that's about it.

Hopefully that helps. If you have other questions, feel free to ask and I'll try to help some more if I can.

--
James Marshall
marshall@astro.umd.edu
http://www.astro.umd.edu/~marshall