Party Number 2

I'm exhausted. Seriously. So I would say I'm going to keep this short but I know I'm going to write a lot instead. Maybe I should get a cup of coffee. Anyway had a fantastic night dancing. I had no energy left by 23:30 but then just carried on anyway. I think that when I hardly had any energy left I wasn't really dancing as well as I can but I had some of my best dances I've had yet while being at Ceroc which were just ace. The last song of the evening was super fast and turned out to be really good fun to frantically dance to finishing off a really good evening for me.

I met quite a few of the forumites tonight which was interesting to put some faces to the names (or even learn what their names are as well :)). There were probably about half a dozen women there that had never been to a Ceroc event before; I imagine the party must of been tough going for them (though it's more forgiving of beginner women than beginner men). I hope the night was enjoyable for them. They often make a point in class about women asking men up to dance but they didn't at the party so often these beginner women will sit waiting to be asked and in a fairly high ratio women-to-men event then often men will never get the chance to approach them.

So my third month dancing and my second party has passed. If I'm going to try and make a goal for the next one (along with just general improvement and having fun) it would be to work on my First Move stuff mainly just leading it better and improving my style.

Love the moves we learnt tonight as one of them is a nice filler move that works really well and, I think, looks good too; I'd certainly like to learn more of this sort of move and will definately keep using it in future.

Short party routine. It's a shame ducasi hadn't arrived by the lesson (I don't think he had anyway) otherwise it would have been interesting to see how our descriptions of the moves varied :).

• Arm Jive Step. Step in to the left of your partner (rather than turn) then rotate 180° to face your partner and extend arms out to move back. Repeat until bored (or twice); at which stage raise your left hand to indicate and twist the follower clockwise. Return.


• Man Spin Turn Around. Start like a Man Spin but as you move in don't turn and put your right arm behind the woman and on her left hip (well really her hand that is on that hip). Walk clockwise with her doing the same and then (after two turns but in freestyle I'd often do it until I thought there might be something inline with music happening) pull with your right arm sending her into a quick twirl and bringing her into her own arm to move into a Basket. We then twirled her with the right, extended arm to the left and than span her but, hey, it's the Basket go crazy. Loved this move to, I expect, an excessive use boredom by my partners.


• Dip. Tough one this and I don't even think I tried it in freestyle. As the woman is spinning put your right hand on her lower back as she is part way through the spin and your left arm on her upper back when she is finishing her spin. Hopefully she'll pick up the signal and wrap her arm around your neck ready for the dip. It's a really fast execution time though and very few women ever seemed to be prepared for it so I didn't want to dip them. Exited with a spin from the right hand at her waist for what it is worth.

Tags: Ceroc