We have today a nice move to learn how to play with the tension.
For the guys:
After the left turn of the lady (with the right hand up and the left hand down) try to control the hip of the lady with your left hand, so you can block her if she is going to the front.
The most important thing about this step is to learn to make some tension up if you are leading the elastic and after that to relax this tension, so the lady feels like natural to go down.
If your right hand is down you will try to change the grip of your hand to connect better with the hand of the lady.
One possibility: just bring the lady up, turn body to the left and continue dancing.
The second one: you bring the lady back and again to the front, opening a window for the lady with your right elbow to the right and up. Make sure, the lady do the snake and have enough space.
For the ladies:
For the elastic you open your chest and you bring your head a little bit back.
If you are down keep the tension with the arm of the guy, your hand is connected with your shoulder. Wait for the leading.
If you are doing the snake try at the end to bring you r head up with some energy. In this way you won’t have any hair (or less hair ) on your face.
We have two big kinds of turns in zouk: the zouk turn (third step on the spot) and the turn on the line (third step you open). There are for these turns two different leadings. Today we want to show you how to do multiple zouk turns (and not multiple turns on the line).
Guys: In a normal zouk turn you lead 1 and 2 in one direction and the third step in the opposite direction (so the lady is coming back). Now, if you want to lead two turns, you will lead four steps for the lady in one direction and the fifth step you bring the lady back.
Ladies: Today to spot on the partner is really important. The guy is leading now two turns, but he can lead so many turns as he want. Try to come always back to the guy after every turn.
Another thing! Imagine that you want to turn 3 times. Guys: you will lead six steps in one direction and the seventh in the other direction. With 4 turns it would be 8 steps and the nineth in the other direction, etc.
Remember, for the zouk turns the technique is different as for the turn on the line.
Turning on the spot with head movements. Important things for the guys:
You go the hole time backwards and you open with your body to the left.
Use your both hands for the leading but remember, your leading comes from your upper body.
If you want to turn the lady with the head to the side, you will bring your left hand to her left shoulder when she has the head to her right side. Turn the lady and on 2 you will get her again an continue with the head movement.
You can end the move when the lady is with the head to the front. You bring her up.
Important things for the ladies:
Keep the contact with the hands of the guy.
If you are doing anything on the spot with your upper body and you are turning to the left, you will use the left leg as axis.
If the guy turns you with the head to the side, stay with the head to the side as log as the guy has his hand on your shoulder.
While turning take care of your left arm for not to hit your partner.
You can combine this step with the wave and we the elastic too.
The wave.
Guys, you lead a last left turn (or lateral) for the lady and then you have to be closer to the lady in order to block her. You will have contact with the arm and with your upperbody too. The leading of the wave is coming from your upperbody. After that you could open like in the video. For the ladies: Everytime we have a new contact with the guy, we have to press a little bit against the contact to feel the new leading. Try to bend always your upper body to the guy. Here you can see some more details about the wave.
The elastic.
Guys, while leading the elastic you want the lady goes first with the hips, so your right under arm has to be lower as normal. You will be with your upper body to the lady (90°) and do a wave to the side from your hips, so you help the lady with her elastic. The contact with your right under arm will go little by little up. Then you go with both hand in front of the lady and bring the lady back and up. For leading the snake, first lead the shoulders of the lady turning soft her wrists and if she goes to the front, then you pull with your left hand to the left and your right hand goes to the axle of the lady bringing the elbow up.
Ladies. Go with your hips to the front, after that with your chest (your head goes a little bit back). If you are down, wait for the leading of the guy. If you are up and the guy lead your shoulders, relax your neck and let your head go down through the window. The next turn is on the line and the second one is a normal turn with the third step on the spot.
Lead the long left turn on the line. The first three steps the lady is turning and after that you turn. If you do it, try to feel the tension between your right hand and the arm of the lady. That’s the most important thing to lead the next turn of the lady.
If you bring your right hand up on your back, then you don’t need to go too much down.
Watch the video for understand the leading of the turn of the lady.
Don’t look up while turning down.
For the ladies:
Stay with your steps on the line.
Sometimes you have to be careful about the guy If he is turning you will bring your hand up.
Today we want to transfer the weight again but now with a wave from the hips for the lady.
For the guys:
Open the lateral and feel the tension between your arm and the arm of the lady.
At the same time: 1) you lead the lady to the left, 2) you bring your right hand up for her to go with the hips to the left and the head to the right.
After that you have to change the grip of your hand.
While opening again, the first step you just lead the lady to the side and after that your hand goes down.
For the ladies:
Your head follows your shoulder. Your left shoulder up means, your head is falling to the right.
Go with the hips and strecht the left side of your body. At the end your head comes to the left too.
While doing the turn with the head, the first step your head stays to the side, the second one your head goes to the front and on the third step your head goes up.
Now you have a lot of videos for learning zouk, but the videos are not a teacher. You need the feeling of a teacher to help you to improve your dance. There is a thing like the “zouk body” and in order to get this we do a lot of exercises in the regular classes.
We want to speak today about the hips and the chest for the beginners. These are some of the moves you have to practise, if you want to get the zouk body.
Painting an eight with your hips. A very basic move you have to control, if you want, that your basic step on the spot feels good. The first energy goes down and a second energy comes up and open your body to the side.
You need to isolate the move of your chest. Try to move your chest to the front and back without moving the shoulders or the belly. This exercise will help you to improve your wave and your elastic.
Be patient with you while learning this stuff. The body needs some time to learn. At the end, you will feel the move like natural.
A little variation on one step can change the hole dynamic of the move. Today you want to open the lateral and to bring the lady to you but this time guys you will turn.
For the guys:
The line is for the lady, not for you.
Make sure that the lady has enough space and feel comfortable.
Lead the move with your hole body and not just with your arm.
If you let the lady free on 1, you will get her again on 2.
For the ladies:
Keep your steps on the line and don’t forget the connection with the partner.
Don’t transfer the weight to your heels because you will loose your balance.
By the last turn you have to close your legs on 2. Wait for the leading of the guy, don’t fall to the front alone.
) on your face.