Sorry if the subject line is a bit vague, but I didn't want to make it really long like I was originally thinking (e.g., "Open Steps' Resemblance to Syllabus Steps"). While looking through my book _Popular Variations_ by Alex Moore I noticed quite a few non-syllabus steps in there. I'm starting to get exposed to open steps in my groups classes now, so I'm trying to learn more about them. The first thing I want to start with is recognizing them. To do so, I find it convenient to determine what syllabus figure(s) the open figure resembles, if any. I know this isn't a perfect description and I don't expect it to be, but if it helps me look at an open figure and say "oh, that's a such-and-such" then it's serving my purpose. I was wondering if anyone could help me out with this. Here's the list I started creating to give you an idea of what I'm doing here.

* Big Top -- sim. to normal opposite of quickstep Rumba Cross (sort of a Rumba or Cha Cha Reverse Top type action)
* Chair -- in PP, man RF fwd (lady LF) and check by relaxing knee slightly
* (Natural) Hairpin -- sim. foxtrot Curved Feather
* X Line -- from PP, man flexes R knee (lady L knee) and slides LF (lady RF) out to side
* Promenade Chasse -- Chasse from PP ended in PP
* Hinge (Line) -- man overturns slightly to L opening lady to CPP and she steps back in FA
* Natural Hinge -- as Hinge Line but with step and slight overturn to R, lady in PP
* Telespin -- resembles Open Telemark / Closed Telemark combination
* Same Foot Lunge -- man foot change, an steps side RF, lady back RF slightly in PP (not sure who does foot change on exit)

So that's the sort of thing I'm looking for. I know there are plenty more open steps with names, but this is all I tried to do so far from the book. If my brief descriptions are really off, please correct them. If you can add figures and descriptions, I'd really appreciate it. I'm a little more interested in standard open figures than latin, but hey, if you've got names for open latin figures and can give a brief description, please do.

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

This is a pretty good list!
I just want to put in my 2 cents about the same foot lunge. Usually, it's the lady who does the foot change. For example, in waltz she would step &123, where I would just twist to the left to let her step on &.

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--Eric

Eric, I guess you mean that the lady does the foot change on the exit? I think that's what the book describes, too, but I wasn't certain because I thought that as a general rule it's the man doing the foot changes while the lady keeps her normal timing. I'm sure that's not always the case though and it looks like this is one of those exceptions. Thanks for the note. I tried describing a few more from the standard variations book, so here they are:

* Eros Line -- involves lady lifting her leg (I had trouble figuring this one out, but the leg lift seems to be a defining characteristic)
* Jete -- man RF fwd in PP, slight spring to LF (turning to closed), land T of LF, lower, flex L knee
* Double Reverse Wing -- man dances Double Reverse Spin while lady dances heel turn of Double Reverse Spin then last two steps of Wing
* Travelling Contra Check -- first step as normal Contra Check, then close feet and step out in PP sim. to Open Impetus (we did this in class last night so this description should be fine )

Hopefully some more people will read this topic and provide additional feedback, particularly corrections if my descriptions are too far off and their descriptions of other figures. Since I'm not well versed in open level figures, I'd appreciate any help in this topic so that I can start keeping an eye out for these figures and when/if I learn them, I'll have a little bit of an idea of how they work. Thanks in advance.

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

Oops! I just realized that I omitted the following step. In the case of the SF lunge, I use that timing for a telemark exit. I'm sure you could come up with other ways to switch feet...

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--Eric

Your Big Top description seems the farthest off, but that's partly because it's not really comparable to anything, as are some of these other variations. A Fleckerl is most like a Reverse Top, but the Big Top is similar to neither, other than the fact that it turns to the left.

The most unique thing about a Big Top is that the man and lady have the same number of steps (3), but the second step is taken on a different count. With a count of "1, 2 & 3", both man and lady step on "1" and "3", but count "2" belongs to the lady and count "&" belongs to the man.

Count "1" is simply a [deep] step across in PP, and step "3" is a reverse pivot in closed position. So it's the "2&" that really supplies the magic of the Big Top. And here's how it works:

Without changing the position of his feet, the man begins to turn to the left, leading the lady to take a small step around his RF, still in PP. This is the "2" count. I guess this is sort of wing-like, but not really... in a wing he would be beginning to close his feet. In the Big Top, his LF remains pointing back in PP.

On the "&" count, the man continues turning to the left, stepping back on his RF around the lady. The lady continues to turn, now on her RF, closing LF to RF without weight in preparation for the reverse pivot. The man will lead the lady to turn slightly more than he, returning her to closed position.

Note the very quick exchange of inside and outside of rotation, which is one of the cool things about the Big Top. On count 2, the man is on the inside, his RF being the center point of a circle around which the lady dances. 1/2 count later, on the "&", the lady is on the inside of turn. Her RF is the center point of a circle around which the man dances. This rotation is very tight, causing a quick little snappy turn on 2&.

With the base small and the top being held big in PP, the tight, quick rotation and feeling of centrifugal force pulling the top outward, you can see where the Big Top got its name.

I'll talk more about some of your other variation descriptions a little later.

Sincerly,
Jonathan Atkinson

Thanks for the detailed description, Jonathan. The description I looked at in the waltz didn't specify the difference in the second step for man and lady. That may have confused me a bit. I know my brief descriptions of the open figures are not going to be great. What I was trying to do with them was get something that would allow me to recognize the figure when I saw it. I'm not really going to try to learn any of these things without being taught them (which may or may not happen), but I do appreciate getting additional details that the book doesn't have. I'll save the topic once it basically dies out and no one's posting in it anymore.

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

Hairpin - can be a Curved Feather with checked ending. It can also be syncopated 1&23, with the first step being taken man back on LF, lady forward RF OP. The "&" count is either a heel pull for the man, or a side & slightly forward TH. Counts 2 and 3 are like the non-syncopated version. This is a beautiful step with very full shapes, but it got done to death a few years back, so you don't see it quite as often anymore.

Hinge - The hinge I know is nearly identical to a Left Whisk, except that the man leaves his RF pointing side as he leads lady into her part of the left whisk. Can be taken back on RF following a reverse figure, or from PP. A Tele-Hinge begins with a heel turn (2 steps), and then promptly into the hinge line.

Natural Hinge - can be many things, but the premise is that it's a right-turning version of a hinge. It's therefore in theory more like a fallaway whisk than anything else, where again the man leads the lady to whisk while he leaves his left foot pointing to side. I also know of a version where instead of whisking, the lady hovers on toes, and the lowering doesn't occur until the following step (or later).

Telespin - Not really as much like a Telemark as one might imagine... actually slightly closer to a Double Reverse Spin. Too much detail to describe here, but check the archives. We had quite a discussion about it here a while back.

Same Foot Lunge - foot change to place lady's left front on man's center. Man steps side and lady steps back, both on RF and both in the same direction, into a lunge. Big shape changes often accompany. There are a thousand different entrances and exits for the same foot lunge. Who is actually doing the foot fake is sort of a matter of point of view, although in theory it should always be the man. Common entrance is a Natural Turn from CP or PP, or pivots. Common exit is quick closed telemark or weave. A very simple exit would be a wing. And there are plenty more where that came from.

More to come...

Thanks again for the notes (and yes, you'll probably be getting this after each post ). I think the Hairpin is in one of my other books so I can look there for a little more. I don't remember seeing a syncopated version, but I'm sure there are plenty of variations the book doesn't have. Hinge and Natural Hinge -- you'd certainly know better than I what they're like. I'll try comparing their descripitons to the Left Whisk and Fallaway Whisk and see if they fit kind of like you said. I remember the Telespin topic and I think I have it saved already, but I'll check and make sure. The Same Foot Lunge is usually pretty easy to recognize. I was shown it once in a workshop, but it was somewhat above me at the time so I didn't retain a whole lot about the figure. I think you're right that in general it's supposed to be the leader doing the foot change and not the follower. At least that's what I remember hearing. I'm sure I'll have some more remarks after your next post.

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

hi

here's some more i know

double natural spin - sim. to double reverse wing but turning to R

over spin - after double reverse spin, man dance a forward slip pivot to L, lady as man's reverse pivot.

bond shell - after double reverse spin, lady does a small side step RF turning L (&), then both wt on RF dance a ronde (12) end cross LF behind, man end wt on LF, lady RF, end with a slip pivot (3)

teleswivel - telespin opening with outside swivel ending

pls give comment if i make something wrong.

terence