Dance

1. Quick step

Quarter Turn to Right

The Quarter Turn to Right is a simple right-turning 4-step figure that progresses down line of dance, to the counts "Slow, quick quick slow". It is often used as the first movement of the dance, and is typically danced in conjunction with the [step]Progressive Chassé||328[/step].

The figure begins with man facing (and lady backing) diagonal wall. His first three steps are similar to a Natural Turn -- Right foot forward, left foot side, and closing right foot to left foot, turning 1/4 to right to end backing diagonal center. His last step is side and slightly back on his left foot. The lady's part is nearly the natural opposite, except that her last step is described as diagonally forward, due to the slight body turn as the step is taken.

When danced in alternating succession, the Quarter Turn to Right and Progressive Chassé form a sort of zig zag pattern that progresses down line of dance. These two figures alone are enough to form a complete dance for an absolute newcomer, although the sequence must be modified slightly navigating around corners. This can be done either by (1) underturning the Quarter Turn and overturning the Progressive Chassé, or (2) dancing a [step]Checked Chasse||711[/step] in lieu of the normal [step]Progressive Chassé||328[/step].

As written in the man's and lady's charts, the first step of the Quarter Turn is taken with man and lady dancing inline. It is also common to take the first step of this figure with man stepping forward outside partner on lady's right side. This will be necessary when following any figure ended in this way, such as Progressive Chassé or Forward Lock. Click on the tabs above for a complete list of preceding and following figures.


From <http://www.ballroomdancers.com/Dances/info.asp?sid=323>

Walts

 References:
Youtube video
How to Do a Waltz Ladies Underarm Turn | Ballroom Dance
Aaron and Kristina.
From <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjFR9E5CHaM>




Notes


Turning angle
You will see that the end product will be an OCTAGON, an eight sided figure, each inside angle being 135 degrees. Of course we dont ever dance like that but I personally found it good training to understand this 3/8 business.
1/8=45degree


From <http://www.dancesport.uk.com/tid-bits/issue015.htm>


From <http://www.dancesport.uk.com/tid-bits/issue015.htm>
1. Outside and Inside of the Turn: The person who is stepping forward is on the outside of the turn. If you are stepping back you are on the inside of the turn
2. On the Outside of the turn, the person who is stepping forward will split the turn throughout the bar of music, 1/4 between 1 and 2, and 1/8 between 2 and 3. The person who is stepping back on the inside of the turn, will make 3/8 turn between 1 and 2, body will turn less and it will feel like your legs are split apart like Donald Duck. Then on 3, as you close your feet, the body will complete turn. Another way of saying this will be that if you are stepping back, get out of the way or open the door and let the person moving forward "move in"
3. Remember Men! you will make Reverse turn facing Diag to Center starting with left foot forward, end Facing Diag to Wall at the end of 2 bars of music. Make a Left foot closed Change (no turn). Now go Right foot forward Diag wall and make a Natural Turn, end facing Diag to Center after 2 bars of music. Make a right foot closed change and start with reverse turn again. At Corner no change step, just make 2 Natural Turns and u will be OK. ladies! Just Follow
the definition of the classic ballroom pivot:
• A single pivot is a 180 degree rotation of the bodies of both partners around common axis.
• During the rotation, the ball of the standing foot swivels on the floor to a maximum of a ½ turn
Now, let’s look at the components of a ballroom pivot:
1. A strong clear heel-toe step of the forward moving partner, establishes the location of the common axis and the momentum for the pivot.
2. The stepping foot is along the path of the other foot for a contra body movement position.
3. The contra body movement position supports a clear right side lead, and the ½ turn swivel of standing foot enables partners to exactly exchange positions while moving down line of dance.
4. With this change in position, the partner that initially set the axis and initiated the momentum of the turn, now receives the position and momentum  from the other partner,  to complete the next ½ turn.
5. Finally, it is important to understand that balance, rotation and responsibility make the difference to success:
6. Turn from the base, with a light and static connection at the top.Propelling the turn from the top will cause you to loose balance.
7. In stepping forward, keep your foot straight forward with your knee and thigh also straight forward.A slightly turned in foot is typically OK because it keeps your weight centered, and your knee and thigh will still face straight forward. An even slightly turned out foot will make you more likely to overturn, loose couple balance or change the direction of the line that the pivots follow. The foot that steps back, also needs to be straight.
8. Ensure that your weight is fully on the standing foot before you turn. This supports balance and precision for an exact 180 rotation on the ball of the foot.
9. Make sure that your ribs are compact and not puffed out, your chin is parallel to the floor, your pelvis is straight and held right under your shoulders, and your knees are soft. This all just good form, but in pivots, you cannot get away with cutting corners.
10. Your legs need to be held in a locked position, with your thighs together, firm and connected to your partner.This establishes a solid common base for your couple, and is important to make the pivot possible.
11. Take the momentum from your base and think of moving your sides from one side lead position to another. This supports a clean vertical rotation, exactly around the common axis, by exactly 180 degrees.
12. Keep the heel of the back foot off the ground at all times to prevent a harsh stop to your movements.
13. If all of this is done correctly, the pivot should look and feel effortless. Undue body tension, will draw weight to the tense area of the body and will unbalance you.
14. Practicing will show you the amount of power you need to drive the right momentum. Too much power and you will not be able to do a clean position change to 180 degrees. Too little power and you will not get to 180 degrees.
15. Both partners have completely equally responsibly in dancing. Pivots show this point very clearly. Some people claim that it must be their partner’s fault for problems with pivots, because they are able to do them perfectly on their own. The fact is that on your own, you can often compensate for small errors. It is harder to hide errors with a partner. If things are not going well, check the detail of everything you are doing first, then figure out what you need to do together