BannerBallroom Logo
 

Jitterbug

Rhythm

BASIC STEP: (Slow, Slow, Quick, Quick) Begin on Man's Left and Lady's Right foot The final QQ is a backward Rock Step. Some steps work better on a fast dance (Single Lindy), others on a slow dance (Triple Lindy). In fact, the slow jitterbug is different enough that it is often given a different name: Jive.

Style

SINGLE LINDY: "Slow" is a single step (for fast tempo)

DOUBLE LINDY: "Slow" is a double step (dig toe, then full weight OR full weight and then bounce)

TRIPLE LINDY: "Slow" is a very fast triple step (for man, L-R-L, R-L-R, Rock Step; for Lady R-L-R, L-R-L, Rock Step) (For music that's slow enough.) Note: This is also called "Jive" while the others are "Jitterbug"

Steps

CONVERSATION POSITION: facing, Man's left & Lady's right hands joined

OPEN CONVERSATION POSITION: hands as above, but standing side by side facing in nearly the same direction

LADY'S TURN OUT: Lady turns right face on Slow Slow, then both Rock Step apart (from Man's right toward his left, under joined arms)

LADY'S TURN BACK: from left to right, Lady turning left face

TRADE PLACES: Step together right hip to right hip while spreading arms on Slow, turn right 1/2 and back apart on Slow, Rock Step. (We've also heard this called "Pull-Out Pivot")

MAN'S TURN UNDER: from Conversation Position, man walks under joined arms turning left

SAME-HAND EXCHANGE: from Conv. Pos, man wraps himself left face on Slow, releases grip and lets Lady's hand slide across his back to Open Conv. Pos. on Slow, Rock Step

BEHIND-THE-BAKC TO CROSS-HAND GRIP: Man takes right-right grip just before Rock Step. Escape back to Conv. Pos.: Get-Out 1: Lady Turn In while man changes hands over heads Get-Out 2: Man turns left changing hands behind his back

CUDDLE: from facing double-handhold position, man brings his right hand in front of lady's face and around her head while she turns left 1/2 to be wrapped in his arms, lady slightly to man's right, then both do Rock Step back

WALL: from Cuddle, man releases his left hand grip and pushes lady's left shoulder away and she fully unwraps right face on S-S, then both Rock Step apart. Then he pulls her back and she re-wraps, placing her left foot against his right, and continues to fall against him as he rocks sideways on his left leg. Then he stands up again pushing her away. She unwinds again and both Rock Step. Timing: S-S-Q-Q, S-S-S-S-S-Q-Q (?) Lead: Besides pushing her shoulder away, man keeps his right shoulder toward lady and the palm of his left hand in front of his right shoulder facing lady. Often followed by American Spin + Lady's Turn In

AMERICAN SPIN: from Cuddle, Man unwraps Lady right face, but faces her directly with his left palm toward her on Rock Step. Lady then steps strongly forward on her right foot on Slow, pushes off his palm with her right palm to turn full around on her left foot on Slow, then he catches her hand in Conv. Pos. for Rock Step.

HEEL-TOE WALK: from Cuddle, both walk forward two steps heel-toe- heel-toe (Q-Q-Q-Q), then Rock Step forward, then back up two steps toe-heel-toe-heel, Rock Step back Lead: Man keeps Lady in Cuddle position. Squeeze hands to indicate heel-toe rather than normal steps

SHOE SHINE: from Basic, walk forward two steps in promenade (semi- closed) position heel-toe-heel-toe, then turn quickly to face and twist both heels down line, then both toes, then heels, then toes. Timing: Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q. May return to promenade position to repeat. Lead: Man cocks lead wrist back and up during previous basic. Continue repeating until man cocks wrist again, and finish with forward Rock Step.

DRAPE: from facing position with both hands joined, both turn 1/4 left while raising arms, both put own left arms behind their heads, keeping hands temporarily joined. Then loose grips and rock apart sideways letting right arms slide across shoulders and down to right-right grip, the Rock Step apart.

TAP-THE-BACK: after Drape, man steps forward on left foot and turns right to tap lady's back while lady steps forward on right foot and turns left to bring her back within range. Then repeat, but alternating roles. Tap any even number of times. Escape: after lady has tapped man's back, man turns her under their joined arms a full turn left face ("Windmill" - Slow-Slow) while changing hands to Conversation Grip at top of arc, then both Rock Step

DROP POP: from facing position with both hands joined, man moves his right hand between their faces and over his own head while turning 1/2 left face to wrap himself in a Cuddle slightly to lady's right (Slow-Slow). Then drop through arms to squat and pop up again slightly to the right (Quick-Quick), maintaining joined hands. Then, holding hands over lady's head, untwist her 1/2 right to face (Slow), lower arms to waist level and spin lady a full turn left face (Slow), catch hands to Conversation Position and do a Rock Step. Note: Some of us are skeptical that anyone but Anita can do these last two spins this fast!

WALK AWAY: From closed, turn away from partner (man left face, lady right face) and walk away in 4 slow steps in a 3/4 circle to face, sort of in Conversation Position but 10 feet or so apart. Then in 8 quick beats, alternate between jumping up and slightly back with both feet, and clapping: jump-clap-jump-clap-jump-clap-jump-clap. Then Strut together in 4 slow steps to resume Closed or Conversation position. Both the Walk Away and the Strut parts begin on the man's left and lady's right foot. Lead: Man suddenly lets go with his left hand, pushes the lady away with his right hand, and turns his left foot strongly outward on the first step of the Walk Away. Be sure to keep left hand low and let go quickly to avoid confusion with a lead for a Lady's Turn Out. Styling: Have FUN with the Strut! Don't just saunter together dejectedly (wish I could remember Andy's words on this part!). It's okay to flail arms, turn a full circle on some steps, etc., as long as you get back together in 4 slow steps.

CAROUSEL SPIN: From Two-hand Conversation Position (facing with both hands joined), Cuddle in 2 slow steps. Then, instead of the Rock Step, while wrapped tightly together both spin rapidly right face about a full turn in 3 quick steps (L-R-L for man, opposite for lady). On 4th step, man releases left handhold and lady unwinds to Open Position (with man's right and lady's left hands joined). She pivots on her right foot. Then both Rock Step. Lead: How does the lady know not to do the Rock Step after the Cuddle? The man puts his partner far to his right hip and holds on tightly while he begins to turn. The lady begins moving backwards on the spin, and a back step on her right foot is about the same as for a normal Rock Step, so it doesn't matter much (as long as she catches on before the second step of the spin). Get-out: From Open, man adjusts to put his shoulder squarely toward the lady and put his hand up for a Wall, or adjusts to face her for an American Spin, or leads her to change hands behind his back, or anything else, but he should plan this before starting the whole move.

KICK STEP: In Semi-closed position, both Back Up (reverse line of dance) with 4 quick steps, then Kick forward and Close (bring kicked foot back next to other foot and change weight), then Kick and Close with the other foot, then turn to face and Kick and Close twice more, then Rock Step. The total is 12 quick beats plus a Rock Step. Back Up steps and Kicks alternate feet starting with the man's left and woman's right. When facing, the person kicking with his/her RIGHT leg kicks between their partner's legs. That is, the lady kicks first to her right of the man's left leg while he kicks to the left of both her legs. On the second facing kick, man kicks to his right of the lady's right leg while she kicks to her left of both. (Got it?!?! For the sake of your partner's shins, don't screw this one up!!)

SHOULDER SLIDE: From Two-hand Conversation Position, Drape and slide down to a right-right grip (slow-slow), then Rock Step. Keeping hands joined, the lady turns a full circle left face while the man turns about 1/2 right to face his back toward the lady and places the lady's right hand behind his neck (all this on first slow step). On the second slow, man extends his left arm while the lady slides her hand across his shoulders and down his left arm to take Left Open Position (side by side with man's left & lady's right hands joined). Then both Rock Step apart. Lead: Man sweeps lady's right hand in a huge circle starting low and turns his back on her. Timing: This only works well on a fairly slow dance (double or triple Lindy).

PRETZEL: [This explanation probably won't do the job - - please ask somebody to show you.] (1) After Same Hand Exchange, lady grabs man's right hand behind his back with her left hand, under their other joined arms. (2) Keeping both pairs of hands joined until the middle of part (5), man raises his left arm and leads the lady to walk forward under it, then raises his right arm while she backs under it. Continue to bring his right hand and her left up between their faces. During this part, the man stays in nearly the same place facing the same direction while the lady walks to the other side of the man and turns about 1/3 to her right. Ends with lady looking at man's right shoulder. (3) While turning left face, man continues bringing his right hand past his face to the left and his right arm over his own head. Then he raises his left arm and the lady backs under it, and both bring their still-joined hands down to a Cuddle Position. During this step, the lady continues to face in nearly the same direction while walking forward behind the man and then backing up in front of him. (4) Unwind from the Cuddle to Two-hand Conversation Position, lady turning left. [Easy, huh!] (5) First, do a Dish Rag Twirl: Move joined hands to the man's right and upward and around and down on the left. However, man looses right hand grip at top of arc (while they are back to back). Then man uses his left arm to lead the lady in a second left-face spin. End with a Rock Step. Lead: After Same Hand Exchange, man puts his free right hand behind his back and turns his back slightly toward lady so she can see this lead and take his hand easily. Slow Timing: This method provides check/rest points along the way. Do each of the above parts in two slow beats, then Rock Step. On part (4), it's nice to rock backwards and kick free feet forward instead of doing a normal Rock Step. Fast Timing: Move through all the parts smoothly and continuously in about three beats. [Well, maybe that's a little exaggeration, but we saw a demonstration that it's possible for acrobats like Andy and Heather to do all this VERY quickly. Part (3) Timing: This part seems hardest to get through in just two beats. We didn't come close, but Andy and Heather did it before our very eyes, and assured us that even WE could do it with practice. Andy also offered a couple of tips: Rather than making the lady do all the moving, it helps if the man turns left face to shorten the lady's path. Also, lean away from one another so there's more room for elbows to squeeze through quickly without injury to shoulder joints or other nearby body parts.

TUNNEL: Exchange Hands behind back to Cross Hand Grip (facing, holding right-right and left-left, with right arms on top), and Rock Step back. Then on slow-slow, lady walks forward and under both pairs of arms and turns about 1/2 right while man walks ahead and turns left, then both Rock Step. Next, the man walks forward under both pairs of arms, turning left while the lady turns right. Note that the two roles are similar, but the turn direction is opposite. Continue any even number of times. During each part, partners nearly exchange places and facing directions. It may help to think of one dancer (the lady on the first part, man on the second) following the lower arm to the other side.

FLIRT: During the last of an even number of Tunnels, at the top of the arc man takes both of lady's hands in his left hand, his palm up and hers down, then Rock Step. Next, on slow-slow he brings both her hands smoothly over his head, one of her arms on each side, then he lets go while she slides her hands on down to take Closed Position. Then Rock Step and get ready for the next move.

MAN DUCK & SPIN: From Handshake grip (right-right, facing), lady turns under the joined arms left face (counter-clockwise) immediately followed by the man. As he begins to turn, the man bends at the waist until his upper body is horizontal and makes a full 360 turn. He feels somewhat like he is backing under the joined hands. During most of the turn, he keeps his hand on the small of his back, and changes the lady's right hand from his right to his left hand in the middle. Toward the end of his turn, he straightens and rocks apart to Conversation position. Timing: Even for an athlete like Andy, this takes a little more than two beats (Slow-Slow) before the Rock Step apart. He suggests the timing SSQQ,QQ (Slow-Slow-Quick-Quick, Rock Step) if possible. However, at first, and even permanently if you don't want to take chances, giving yourself one extra beat (SSSS,RS) is okay. In Jitterbug, you don't start each new step on a measure anyway. But note that if you want to spin in three beats, you have to do SSQQ rather than SSS so you end on the correct foot. Lead: The man leads the lady into the Turn Out and then continues to duck and do his part; her part is about the same so she doesn't need advance warning.

LADY UNDER LEGS: From Two-hand Conversation position, lady squats to the floor on a Rock Step, man swings his left leg over her head and turns 180 right face while still holding both her hands. (Or his right leg and turning the opposite direction if both partners agree, but stick to a single direction at first, as neither partner needs any more complication when learning this one!) The man then pulls the lady between his legs, she jumps in the air and unwinds (right face in the above example), and both do a Rock Step. Ladies Help!: Except for the case of a huge, muscular man and a short, feather-weight lady, the lady has an important role. She must help the man pull her through and pull her up in the air. Most important, do not try this in sneakers or other non-skid shoes! As she begins to move forward between the man's legs, she leans back somewhat to make her head lower but STAYS ON HER SHOES. As soon as she's safely through the man's legs, she thrusts her torso quickly forward to slow her feet and put more of her weight over them. This way, when she quickly straigtens her legs she'll jump into the air rather than kicking her legs out in front of her. Men Help Too!: Don't hurt your back through being overzealous, but do give a good strong pull. It helps to arch your back and stand on your toes as you pull her through. Until you and your partner are sure of this move, keep hold of both hands while doing the final Rock Step in case the lady is off balance when she first lands. Timing: RS,SSQQ,SS,RS. Lady squats on the first Rock Step, the man swings his leg over and makes sure both bodies and handholds are correct during the SSQQ, pulls the lady through on the next Slow, she turns and lands on the next Slow, and both Rock Step back with both hands joined or dropping one hand to take normal Conversation position. Lead: On the SS before the first RS, the man pulls both the lady's hands sharply downward, and to make sure she doesn't miss the signal and get kicked in the right ear, nods his head downward and gives her a threatening glance.

FLOOR SPIN: From Handshake position (right-right), move up to take one another's wrists (this works well after a Drape, sliding down only to the wrists). While maintaining this grip, lady turns under the joined arms 360 left face. Actually, her turn is a little less than a full circle and the man turns slightly to his left so that they are looking in nearly opposite directions with their right shoulders pointed at one another. Both take a strong step forward circling around each other clockwise to build momentum, lady on her right foot and man on his left. The man continues to turn while the lady lies gradually down on the floor on her left hip and thigh as she unwinds. She continues to turn a full circle clockwise while she tucks in her legs (so as not to kick the man), rocks slightly onto the small of her back, onto her right hip, and up onto her feet as she straightens her legs. Technique: The lady can pretty much get herself back up onto her feet PROVIDED the man continues to give her momentum by turning and maintains tension on their arms. Timing: Wind the lady left face on SS, then RS, then she steps on S, then falls, spins, stands up, and catches her balance on SQQ. (At least I think that's it . . . somebody who knows how to do this please send us and/or Barbara a comment.) You can probably also do another Rock Step after the whole thing if you need it before starting something else. Lead: Taking a right wrist grip is a good clue, and winding the lady left face while maintaining this grip makes it almost certain that a small patch of nearby floor is going to get a little bit cleaner.

LADY OVER ARM: From a Cuddle position, walk forward two and Rock Step (SSQQ), then walk back two (SS). Instead of the following normal Rock Step, man drops both hands, bends his knees and reaches in front of the lady and around her to put his right hand behind her waist, and puts his left hand behind her left knee. The man then straightens and pulls her knee forward while she throws her upper body backward and kicks her legs up, continuing to turn around the man's right arm to land on her feet. (Yup, as easy as that! . . .) Spare the Man's Arm: Ladies, please fight your natural temptation to hold on for dear life. Also, keep your body fairly rigid and on a plane perpendicular to the man's arm so you don't hit him with your legs or head as you turn. The man must spare his own back: during the setup, remember to bend at the knees, not at the waist. Get it Over With Quickly: Think about it; professional tumblers standing still can jump in the air and do a back flip by themselves. The lady doesn't need a whole lot of upward lift from the man's arm, so she shouldn't be hanging on it for long. But she DOES need help getting circular momentum - - the man can help most by pulling strongly on her knee and continuing to push as he helps her around. Also, while the man positions his arms, the lady should bend forward at the waist so she can flip her upper body backwards as she jumps. Timing her jump and his pull so they both coincide with the first Slow beat (this is a "dance", remember?) following the setup is critical. Lead: Man squeezes lady's hands on the first Rock Step, and lets go of both on the second. Timing: The setup is SSQQ,SS,(QQ). Following that, as long as the flip starts on the next Slow, you may take as long as you like to gloat after completing this move successfully.

BLENDER: From Conversation position, the man wraps himself left face, putting his back to the lady. The lady puts her left hand on his left shoulder and pushes. He spins once and a half on his right foot while she spins twice on her left foot (both spinning right) to catch hands in Conversation position. Man's Handicap: The lady spins backwards from the natural direction. That is, in an American spin for example, she spins away from the hand she pushes off with. In the Blender, she pushes the man with her left hand put doesn't push OFF of him. Rather, she follows through to continue spinning clockwise. Even though the push helps the man and hurts the lady, and even though she has 33% further to spin, it's still easier for the her than for the man; ladies are genetically good at spinning, or get more practice, or something. Timing: The initial wrap plus the spin take about three beats (SSS). Note that on three beats there are only two weight changes so that both dancers end on the normal foot: the man wraps on his left foot and spins on his right, and conversely for the lady. After the spin, a Rock Step is nice (QQ). Lead: To the lady, the man's initial wrap starts out feeling much like a Behind The Back, but he continues to hold onto her hand. Andy said a hand squeeze can be a lead, but also acknowledged that this is the lead for most other moves also, so maybe isn't very effective. Besides, maybe it just means he likes her and wants to continue dancing a while! Tip: Don't get discouraged. While it doesn't look extremely fancy and isn't particularly dangerous, it's hard to perfect. Even experienced partners only make that hand catch about 70% of the time. For beginners, even spinning that far without falling over is tough, so a good catch 2% of the time is a bonus!

JUMP SPIN: From Conversation position, the man bows down on a Rock Step, then straightens and steps forward strongly to wrap his right hand around the lady's waist on the next beat, then maintains a loose handhold with his left hand while pulling her clockwise with his right arm on the next beat. Meanwhile, she jumps in the air to do a full 360 right face turn to land in front of him. Then both Rock Step. Timing: QQ,SS,QQ, both of the Quick-Quicks being Rock Steps. Handhold: To avoid mangled fingers and sprained wrists, maintain only a loose grip during the spin so the lady's hand can turn inside the man's. Don't completely release the handhold however; the lady needs it for balance. Lead: The bowing down on the first Rock Step is primarily so the man can show the lady his bald spot, but it may also be taken as a lead.

STALL: (This is THE Stall, a new step, as opposed to the routine "stall moves" the guy does while trying to remember something from the list above.) While doing a Slide The Door, with the lady on the man's right side holding his right hand with her left, instead of doing the Rock Step, she turns 1/4 right to face away from him and leans dramatically out like one of those things on the front of an old whaling ship. Then as she straightens back up she continues turning another full turn spinning behind the man's back, then catches his left hand in her right for a Rock Step apart. (Not done yet, though I'm not sure all of this was really part of what Andy said was the Stall.) After the man pulls her back to his right, the lady spins up to 4 times (actually 3 3/4) right face and falls into his right arm. On a long spin, the lady moves fairly far and the man will have to wald (or walk, if he can spell) along with her to his right to position himself to catch her when she quits spinning. Then he probably sets her back up, resumes moving his feet, and gets her back into Conversation position, but who knows . . . this has gone on quite a while already. Timing: Beginning with the lady on the man's right, QQ for the man and S for the lady, then SSQQ to the man's left, then (Slow n times) depending on the number of spins. Lead: (Of course) squeeze hands when the lady is on the left. But just to be sure she doesn't think you are merely giving her extra support on the Rock Step apart, also say "Stall" as she moves past to your right.

WALL VARIATION: (Last and Easiest) When doing a lead for the Wall (see and earlier week), if the man turns his right shoulder to the lady after she spins out (as normal) but holds his left palm several inches in front of his right shoulder rather than touching it, she rewraps and falls slightly in front of him rather than against him. He breaks her fall gradually with his left hand on her left shoulder, letting her come as close to the floor as his back will allow, and then pushes her back up. Cute, huh!