On October 29th, 2016 I attended the Dance Boston Costume Ball at Cardinal Cushing School in Hanover, Massachusetts. Saturday dances always include a 45 minute dance lesson that starts at 7.15pm. On October 29th, it was the Hussle dance lesson. If you have ever taken a Basic Hussle dance class you will agree with me it leaves a lot to be desired. It is mainly walk, walk back-rock turn and repeat this. To someone who does not understand dancing you look like you are going round and round in circles.
So it was quite exiting when the dance instructors Anne Marie and John Paul said they will be teaching spins. I thought to myself, “Finally something to spice this dance up”. So the ladies were taught how to spice this dance up by lifting the right leg up when you take a step over past your left leg by our lady instructor. The lady instructor taught the ladies how to spin to a count of eight beats of music but because you are spinning at the 2nd and 4th beat you end up spinning four half turns. This looks wonderful and easy in slow motion.
The actual test was when you actually take to the floor to dance. I counted myself lucky to get to practice the Hussle with my favorite dance instructor. He knows that Hussle is not a dance I like but I mentioned that I wanted to practice the spins. My instructor is very light on the dance floor and is a very gentle on his dance leads. He leads the spins with one finger. I must mention here that I have danced with my instructor for over four years, so I am quite used to his leads. I knew that the leader starts a move and only he can stop it. The follower moves and “reads” the lead (one of the most important ballroom dance law). Every dance instructor emphasizes this law to every student. I made a mistake of stopping halfway through the spins and was thrown out of the dance hold by the momentum and almost ended up on the floor. When I came to a stop my instructor softly said, “You tried to stop it, didn’t you?” I nodded and gave him the look of “I have to get it right” so I started to dance again. When he introduced the spins again I spun until he stopped it.
This experience gave me a completely new perspective to ballroom dancing. What I didn’t realize is that even though he leads the spins with only one finger the energy through that finger has the power of a truck in motion. What is amazing is that he holds the spinning partner upright and himself upright and stops the spinning with that same one index finger.
