The “washing machine” described below is a simplified version of the signature dance move of professional dancers Matt and Crystal Auclair. Over the years, Matt and his wife have incorporated this rotating East Coast swing motion into many of the dance routines they perform for competitions and demonstrations across the country. The dancer starts the “Washer” in the open position while supporting his partner with a two-handed strap. On the count of 1 and 2, turn it counterclockwise two turns in an “Illusion Love Wrap”. On the 3 and 4 count, he unwraps her into the position of a mine “pretzel” hand of the left hand over the right. On the next count of 1 and 2, use the “pretzel” wire you just set up with your partner to gently rotate it toward the “Washer.”
The dancer can also use other open-position movements in addition to the two-turn “Sweetheart Wrap Illusion” to build his “pretzel.” For example, you can use your two-handed starter guide to move her in (and out of) a traditional one-turn “Love Wrap”; you can take it into a “Two-Hand Turn and Bend”, or you can just turn it half a turn clockwise in front of it; however, because these alternate entries on the “pretzel” wire incorporate less movement, they are less visually appealing.
SETTING UP THE “PRETZEL” LINE: To lead your partner into an “Illusion Love Wrap”, the dancer begins in the open position with a two-handed strap. On the count of 5 to 6, he brings her to her breaking stride by moving her forward on the count of “6” as he raises his left hand and turns his right hand in front of him to the right. On the count of 1 and 2, while standing in place, the dancer continues to rotate his raised left arm over his partner’s head while leading her counterclockwise, one and a half times turns into a ” heart wrap “. After her partner turns half a turn, she drops her left hand, lets her right hand “trace her waist” as she continues to turn, and then raises her left hand again when she returns to hers a second time. right arm. The dancer creates the illusion of continuous hand contact with his partner by dropping his left hand and then raising it again.
On the count of 3 and 4, he raises both hands above his head and then unwraps it back into the open position by turning it clockwise half a turn to look at him again, which changes the position of his hand in a resultant left over right. , lead “pretzel”. The dancer now uses this “pretzel” wire to move his partner to the “Washer” described below.
TURNING AND TURNING ROTATIONS OF THE “WASHING MACHINE”: In the following 1 and 2 counts, the dancer while holding his partner with a “pretzel” strap of the left hand over the right, raises his right arm vertically to the position “up” and then twist counterclockwise half a turn under your partner’s left forearm; that is, through the “up-yours” window, so that now his back is to her and his arms are crossed in front of him. In this pose, your right hand is on your left shoulder holding your partner’s left hand; his left hand is on his right shoulder holding his right hand; and, your left forearm crosses your chest diagonally into your right forearm.
On the count of 3 and 4, the dancer lifts his left hand from his right shoulder; Bring your partner’s right forearm above your head and then lower your left hand in front of your left shoulder. In other words, the dancer “turns” his left hand UP; he arches it toward his left shoulder on a windshield wiper like a sweep, and then “flips” it DOWN in front of his left shoulder. In this pose, you hold both of your partner’s hands placed next to your left shoulder.
On the next count of 1 and 2, the dancer performs a counterclockwise half turn to look at his partner again. On the count of 3 and 4, he raises (or “flips”) his right hand (UP) from his left shoulder while simultaneously prying his right wrist against his partner’s right wrist, which rotates it clockwise. clockwise one turn. As she turns to face him, her right forearm followed immediately by her left forearm passes over her head as the dancer lowers (or “flips”) his hands from above her head (BELOW) in front of her right shoulder. At the end of each repetition, the dancers always end up facing each other with the dancer holding his partner with his modified “pretzel”; that is, in the “up yours” hand position. Typically, you perform at least two reps of this movement, either twisting in place or taking a continuous step counterclockwise around your partner, which becomes your base in place for the movement.
THE START: Now that the dancer stands back in the “above you” position with the right arm raised, notice that all he has to do to return to the “pretzel” position of the left hand on the right is to lower the right arm. Once you achieve this hand repositioning, you can simply rotate your partner counterclockwise one turn to return to your starting position with two hands in the open position.
Copyright © 2010 by Skip Culver. Member of the West County Swing Dance Club and author of the manual: “Imperial Swing Dancing” (visit: http://www.ImperialSwing.com).