If you have pop it here. Someone might be able to help you

I do have a question!

Some stepsheets say RIGHT TWINKLE starts with your RF, but some say start with your LF towards the right....

So which is which? Would appreciate any help out there :-)

Sorry about the delay... I was hoping someone would jump in first..but..

Right, first things first .. the Twinkle is a Ballroom term and thats where the similarity ends.

The Twinkle is performed only by the Lady whereas withing line Dance there is no division. Also within Ballroom the count is six, whereas in Line dance its only three.

If you take the last three counts of the Ballroom Twinkle you have a 'close' affinity to the Linedance version... but only close.
In answer to you question: In BOTH cases you can lead with either the right or left foot. In most cases within Linedance (all within Ballroom) the lead foot crosses OVER the trailing foot.

Simply put - within Ballroom the body is facing the diagonal when performing the count - straightening with the second - and facing (opposite) diagonal with the third (dependent on following combination). Whereas within Linedance - anything goes.

These corruptions of Ballroom terms spread to the very basic Mambo step and other. The Bosa Nova is NOT a dance anywhere except in Linedancing... and they cant even get the rhythmn or tempo right for that.

I know a heck of a lot of people dont really mind (or even care) about such things - but a large number of Linedancers bemoan that they are not taken seriously by other genre's or the media... one wonders why!!

I think, in order to avoid the confusion, we should write out step sheets in the following ways:

1) Twinkle to the right on left-right-left

2) Twinkle to the left on right-left-right

Any better suggestion?

I agree Leo...

... now all one has to do is try and 'educate' a few thousand Instructors/Choreographers. I dont separate the two as the vast majority of Instructors are also Choreographers - though I strongly suspect they were Instructors first.

After the twinkles, let us discuss the sailors. May I ask - which one is right and which is left? How do you describe the right and left sailors? As in twinkles, some step sheets described the left sailor with the starting foot as left even though the direction is towards the right! And vice-versa. Now, the big question is "WHICH IS WHICH?".

Can somebody throw some light onto this query?

The CORRECT steps taken within a ‘Sailor Step’ or ‘Sailor Shuffle’ are as follows.
We will assume that the lead foot in this instance is the right.

1. Step the right foot behind and to the left of the left foot.
& (a) Step the left foot NEXT to the right.
2. Step the right foot SLIGHTLY to the right.

As in most things a more ‘relaxed’ combination can often look like this:

1. Step the right foot behind and to the left of the left foot.
& (a) Step left foot to left side.
2. Step right foot to right side.

(note: on & (a) and 2 there is no definite lead foot position)

There is also a ‘Slow Sailor’ which uses THREE full counts instead of the normal syncopated 1&2.

Yep.......my understanding of a right sailor step is leading with the right & a left sailor step is leading with the left.

Destiny's

Yep.......my understanding of a right sailor step is leading with the right & a left sailor step is leading with the left.

Right on...

Sorry, Tigger.
You have not answered my question. You just described the sailors.
Based on the explanations by the other two respondents, I take RIGHT SAILOR as one with the right foot as the lead irrespective of direction. The same applies to the LEFT SAILOR. Direction, therefore, does not come into play in sailor shuffles.
Thanks, guys/gals.

Hi,

Linedancing though like no other dance genre can get confusing on some of the simplest pieces of information.

Sometimes even trained (sic) Instructors confuse a 'Twinkle' with a 'Sailor' - hence my full description ..so that, at least during this thread we are all singing from the same hymn sheet.

Technically there is no such animal as either a RIGHT or a LEFT Sailor.

From a personal and (to me) common sense view. When describing certain step combinations I have found it a lot easier to understand when the direction is indicated by the movement of the lead foot on the last count. For example - a Coaster (Step/Shuffle)... some Choreographers tend to put Forward Coaster Step when the final step is the lead foot is moving backward. They seem to think that because the FIRST step is forward its a 'forward' Coaster. Like a Sailor Step, I reckon that to save any possible confusion (even to the Choreographers) for the Choreographer just to put 'Coaster' or 'Sailor' on the section headers.

Now that the twinkles and sailors are settled, can we move on?

What is the name of this combination of steps?
1&2 Cross-step right behind left, recover onto left, step right to right side

Some step sheets name it as a Reverse Cross Mambo. Is it correct? From my observation, a lot of line dancers do it as a Sailor Shuffle!!!

Some step sheets name it as a Reverse Cross Mambo. Is it correct?
Another case where a Ballroom/Latin move has been manipulated to suit Linedancing. Nothing wrong in that, providing Linedancers dont assume they are doing anything but Linedancing.
This has been spoken about before but to 'nutshell' it. A number of choreographers tend to use a Latin/Ballroom move in ‘name’ only... with the steps bearing a partial resemblance to the 'real thing'… to add (possibly) authenticity to the dance.
The ‘Reverse Cross Mambo’ whilst being ‘technically’ incorrect is permissible within the Linedancing genre.
I personally wouldn’t have a problem with it – though I would say: ‘Behind-Step-Side' is closer to the combination.

From my observation, a lot of line dancers do it as a Sailor Shuffle!!!
They possibly may. That being the case they have either not been instructed correctly or (maybe) taken a more comfortable option. If it were a dance within a Competition they would – if I were judging – lose points.

Just an observation: shouldn't these questions (because they are not directed at a specific dance) be more fitted to appear within the ' Help - how do I do that?' section of 'DANCE SURGERY'...

This has been spoken about before but to 'nutshell' it. ( Tigger )

Oops, sorry. I do not know about it because I am new here.

Just an observation: shouldn't these questions (because they are not directed at a specific dance) be more fitted to appear within the ' Help - how do I do that?' section of 'DANCE SURGERY'...[b]

Sorry again. I just continue where Jennifer left off! Maybe, our next destination should be the DANCE SURGERY!