Jonathan Tullett

A quick update this week, and this is the likely format from now on.

Mark’s class:
We concentrated on solo work, footwork to do when you’re separate from your partner. The routine for this was;
Double cross over, right turn, slide, 2 x spiral kick.

Put into a full routine, so it flows, we have:
Mambo, cross body open, lady’s right turn on the 5, with the hand being released, then the double cross, right turn, slide, 2x spiral kick.

What’s interesting this week is the guys picked it up easily, yet as we rotated, 3/4 of the women made comments about having no idea what they should be doing! I said they should say something to Mark, but they all said, and I quote, ‘no chance’. So I asked for a repeat; no point in people being in a class and not getting to grips with what’s being taught.

Sandra’s class:
Started with footwork practice, always useful – especially regarding the solo work we’d just been learning with Mark – and it allows the people who just come to this class to warm up and get into the flow :)

A good flowing routine this week, very enjoyable to learn:
Mambo, one for her, cross body inside pivot turn, right hand turn (m), right hand turn (f), mambo, cross body outside turn with a turn on the 6, right hand turn (m) w/hand switch behind the back, break, into an accent (f), then inside pivot turn, mambo.

So another excellent week, and I left feeling refreshed and very happy. I’m sad to be missing the next two weeks due to a work trip to Austin, but perhaps I’ll attend a class or two there.

Having missed last week’s lesson due to over-exertion at the weekend, I took a cheeky private on Monday evening. The purpose of this was two-fold: to consolidate what I’ve learned in the last few weeks, and to get an understanding of where my lead was weak (a critisism I received from one of the other students last class.)

That lesson went very well, and after a review of various moves, went onto pieces which I’d struggled with before Christmas. Happily, those have clicked too.

Fresh from that positive session, I attended the group classes, taught by Mark and Sandra from London Salsa, last Tuesday.

Mark’s class, Bridging The Gap, was first. There was a low turn out this week – perhaps 10 people in total – which was great. I can’t for the life of me remember the routine we did; will update later, if I can recall.

By the time Sandra’s class started, the hall was packed! There there about 25 people in hers, with even more than that in the beginners. A number had come up from the beginners class, and as such, the standard of dancing was variable.

The routine we learned was:
basic, cross body, 360, RH turn (f) going into a 180 turn turn (m), hand place on the shoulder, then a break, into a variation on the cross body, then a head comb, ending on a basic.

The lead on the break into the cross body didn’t feel natural for a while, though by the end of the night, it was down to pat.

For some reason, I was in a fantastic mood for the class (more so than usual!) and had an abundance of energy, so decided to stay on and do some social dancing after; practice the routines some more, try out some new stuff. I got home around 11pm. Work hurt the next day :)