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Rock Fox

Rhythm

In general, Rock Fox music has four beats per measure while most of the dance figures have multiples of three beats; they only come into phase every 12 beats. This is not a problem, as the best Rock Fox music has a strong fairly even beat, so it is possible to start (or re-start) at any point. The music is fast, usually at least 140 beats per minute and sometimes approaching 200.

Frame

The normal starting position is with partners facing and holding both hands ("Conversation Position"). The man holds his palms vertically in front of his waist with his fingers pointing toward one another and curved slightly. The lady holds her hands like "bunny paws", curving her fingers downward and grasping the man's hands. Because of the speed of the music, and because the hands alone must be used for leads in most cases, it is critical that both partners keep the hands and arms very firm so they can push and pull strongly upon one another. Single-hand grips and a more normal closed position are also used, but arm tension remains important.

Style

In many figures, partners step toward one another (not man forward and lady back as for many other rhythms) on their lead feet (man's left and lady's right) on the first beat, then recover backward on the second beat, then tap their lead feet back and slightly behind the weighted foot on the third beat. This third "step" is only a touch; there is no weight change.

The man follows exactly this pattern for many figures. For the lady, the first two steps may both be forward while turning, etc., but in general by the third beat she will be roughly facing her partner and will tap her lead foot behind her present position. Occasionally one or both partners may take two quick steps per beat, or one double-slow step per two beats. There are also long figures which cannot be broken into two, three, or more sets of three beats but which require more than 3 beats (two steps plus a Tap) to complete; these may be extended to 4 or 6 weight changes plus a Tap. In all such variations, the figure ends with the lead feet free so that the following figure can begin on the man's left and lady's right.

On the last beat (the Tap) of most figures, dancers freeze and poise for an instant. In between, the movement should be smooth and flowing; there is no regular rise and fall as in Waltz, and no bouncing or jerky movement as in Jive. The overall appearance should be crisp and controlled.

Steps

Basic - Both Step forward on lead feet, Recover backward, Touch lead foot behind off-lead foot.

Lady's Turn In or Out (Left to Right or Right to Left) - Lady Steps forward while turning under lead arms on beats 1 and 2, then Taps back on 3. Man does a Basic.

Man's Turn Under - Man Steps forward turning left face under joined lead hands on 1 and 2, Taps backwards on 3; lady may turn slightly right face while doing Basic footwork.

Pull-In Pivot (Sugar Wheel) - Step forward with right hips together and arms spread and turn 1/2 right face, Step apart backwards bringing hands together, Tap backwards.

Change Hands Behind the Back - From left open facing position (lead hands joined), the man steps forward on 1 and 2 turning about 180º left face. The lady walks around the outside turning right face. The hand hold is broken part way through as the man becomes wrapped in the joined arms and the lady drags her hand across the man's back so he'll feel where it is. As her hand comes past the left side of his body, he takes it again with his left hand, or changes to a right/right handshake grip, for the Tap.

Change Hands Above the Back - From a handshake grip, man leads lady to turn left face under their joined arms. As soon as she has begun her turn, he also turns himself left face, bending at the waist to move backwards under their arms. Part way under, he changes the lady's right hand to his own left hand. After finishing his turn, he stands up and both Tap backwards. For most dancers, this requires 4 beats plus a Tap.

Lady's Turn with Hand Change - This figure begins and ends in handshake (right/right) position and is done in four sets of three beats (Step, Step, Tap in each set). The first or second halves may be danced individually. During the first set (it's a pain not to be able to talk about "measures!), the man raises joined right arms and leads the lady to turn left face under them. Meanwhile, he turns left face and changes her right hand into his left hand behind his back. He ends this set with the lady to his left and slightly behind him, his left arm twisted into sort of a backhand grip with his palm facing backwards. On the second set, he maintains this grip while untwisting his arm leading the lady to turn right face to end in front of him in comfortable left open facing position (lead hands joined).

On the second half, similar moves are performed in the opposite direction. The lady turns under the lead arms right face while the man turns right face and changes hands to end with a right/right backhand grip and the lady slightly behind him and to his right. He then leads her in a right face turn under their right arms to end in a normal handshake position.

Tunnel - From a double cross-hand grip (R/R and L/L with right over left) raise arms while the lady walks forward under them on 1 and 2, and finishes a 180º turn on Tap backwards. Meanwhile, the man moves to lady's position around the outside path while turning 180º left face. Repeat as desired with man going fairly straight under the arms while the lady goes outside. On all repetitions, the lady continues to turn right while man turns left.

Tunnel - Propeller Variation - Move arms separately in a wide overhead arc, top arms on beat 1 and bottom arms on beat 2.

Half Pretzel - From conversation position, man turns 180º left face while stepping slightly ahead on 1 and 2, then Taps backwards on 3. Lady similarly turns 180º right face to end beside man with right shoulders adjacent and looking at one another. Keep hands joined throughout, with lady turning under man's left and her right arms; other arms end joined behind lady's back.

Undo this by reversing the turns to return to conversation position and Tap behind. The mirror image version also works.

Sliding Back-to-Back Doors - Following a normal Half Pretzel (during which the lady has turned under the lead arms), the man raises these lead arms and steps sideways (Cross, Side) to his right under them on 1 and 2. The lady also steps sideways to her right (Side, Cross), to end back to back but with each partner slightly to the other's left side. Lead hands are lowered and grips released so that both pairs of hands touch palm-to-palm. Finally, both dancers Tap backwards with lead feet. The sliding action may be repeated to the left with two side Steps and a Tap, then back to the right, and so forth.

The normal get-out is led when the dancers are offset to their own left side by the man changing his right hand from a palm-to-palm to a loose overhand grip with his fingers pointing downward. As the partners slide to their right on the next two beats, he raises the off-lead arms and turns the lady right face under them, and both Tap. On the following two beats, he turns himself left face under the joined lead arms to end facing his partner for a Tap.

Varsouvienne - The man raises both hands to about head level during the end of the previous figure, then leads the lady to turn 180º left face on beats 1 and 2 by releasing her left hand with his right and moving her right hand from his left to his right. He then takes her left hand with his left and both Tap back.

Varsouvienne Slide - In Varsouvienne position, both side step to the other side, the Tap.

Varsouvienne Turn - From left Varsouvienne (lady in front of man and to his left), both dancers step nearly in place twice while turning 180º left face to change to right Varsouvienne facing the opposite direction. Then both Tap. A right may be changed to a left Varsouvienne with a similar right face turn.

Varsouvienne Flip - From left Varsouvienne, the man releases his right hand and uses his left to lead the lady to turn 360º right face as she steps to her right. The man side steps to his left without changing his facing direction and re-establishes the right-right hand hold.

Cuddle (Wrap) - Man raises joined lead hands and moves them to the right in front of the lady's face and around her head counter-clockwise leading her to turn 180º left face on 1 and 2, then lowers these arms around partner for a Tap. The lady will be in front of the man and offset slightly to his right side.

Left Cuddle - Similarly, the man may move his right hand clockwise around his partner's head, ending with the lady slightly to his left.

Cuddle Slide - From any cuddle position, keep both joined hands on lady's hips leading her to take two small side steps to her left (Cross, Side) while the man takes two small side steps right to end with the lady at his left for a Tap. [Note that this doesn't change a right cuddle to a left cuddle in that the lady's top arm is still on top of and outside of her other arm; this is different from wrapping in the other direction in the first place.]

Cuddle Turn - From any cuddle position with the lady at the man's right, man keeps both pairs of joined hands on partner's hips while both individually turn right 180º in place to put the lady on the man's left side. Step almost in place while turning for the first two beats, then Tap backwards. This may be reversed by a left turn when the lady begins on the man's left.

Either this or the Cuddle Slide may be accompanied by an overall turn relative to the room to create the illusion of something more complicated happening.

Basket to Basket - From left cuddle position (after the lady has been wrapped right face and is offset to the man's left), man raises both pairs of hands leading his partner to unwrap and rewrap left face in two steps, lowering his arms at the end for a Tap. The lady will now be slightly to the man's right side.

Drop/Pop - The man leads himself into a cuddle position by moving his right and the lady's left hands counter-clockwise around his head on beats 1 and 2, then does a Tap. On beat 4 he loosens his arms (but maintains hand holds) so he can drop suddenly to a squatting position. On beat 5, he stands up outside the arms, turning slightly left face while the lady unwraps right face to return to conversation position, then both Tap.

American Spin - Usually following a Cuddle, the man releases his left hand and unwinds the lady right face on 1 and 2, then both Tap back while he raises his left hand palm out in front of his chest as a lead. On beat 4, the lady steps strongly forward on her right foot and puts her right palm against the man's left. On beat 5, the man maintains a rock-solid left hand while the lady pushes off to spin 360º right face. By beat 6, the man has extended his left hand with the palm facing to his right, and grabs the lady's right hand as it flies past; both Tap back. The man may also spin 360º left face on beat 5, but must wait to begin his spin until the lady has pushed off.

Wall - This usually begins like an American Spin following a Cuddle and an Unwrap, but the unwrap is done sideways toward the man's right. As an additional lead, he puts his left hand in front of and close to his right shoulder with the palm facing to his right. Then both Tap. The lady then re-wraps left face on 4 and 5 to face the same direction as the man. On her second step she puts her left foot directly next to and outside of the man's right foot and puts her right palm against the man's left. On beat 3, both partners keeping their bodies rigid, she leans against the man's right side while he flexes his left knee to tip sideways as far as desired. This pose may be sustained for additional beats, depending on the music and the need for a short rest.

The normal get-out is for the man to stand up again, pushing the lady away with his body and his left hand and leading her to unwind right face during two beats. They then Tap apart on the third. Following this, it is comfortable for the man to face his partner squarely and signal a normal American Spin.

Suspended Wall - This is similar to a Wall, but the man signals by holding his left hand with the palm facing right several inches in front of his body. The lady then wraps left face to end very slightly in front of the man. She leans as normal, but is supported entirely by the man's left hand. Depending on the partner's relative sizes and the man's strength, he can lower her dramatically by moving his left hand further left than the tilt of his body. For a weak man with bad back, it's much better to stick to the normal Wall.

Drape - From conversation position, on beat 1 the man leads himself and his partner to turn slightly left face while stepping ahead to end right hip to right hip. At the same time, he raises his arms and places his right hand and lady's left behind her neck and his left hand and lady's right behind his own neck. On beat 2, both release hand holds and step apart strongly sideways (man using a crossing step onto his right foot) letting arms slide to a right-right grip in time for the Tap on beat 3.

Shoulder Slide (Miami Special) - From a handshake position (as after a Drape or a Change Hands to right/right), the man steps twice almost in place while turning left face while the lady steps ahead around him turning slightly right face. Meanwhile, the man leads the lady's right hand behind his own neck, releases his grasp, and lets it slide down his left arm. By the third beat, he takes her right hand with his left and both turn to face one another for a Tap.

Flirt - During a Tunnel while all hands are overhead, the man places both the lady's hands in his own left hand with his palm facing upward, then both complete the Tunnel and Tap as normal. On the following beat, both step forward while the man leads the lady's hands over his head and behind his neck. On the 2nd beat, he releases her hands as they step apart, takes her right hand in his left hand after it slides down his arm and puts his right hand around her shoulder to take a normal closed frame for the tap.

On slow enough music, this is a dandy transition from open position in Rock Fox to closed position for Quick Step.

Double Flirt - From a crossed arms position (as after a Tunnel), on 3 beats the man raises his and partner's right hands over her head and down behind her neck to her waist. Of course, during this process, the hand hold will have to be released and re-established, with each holding the other's wrist. On the next 3 beats, he moves both left hands behind his own neck. Toward the end he quickly moves his left hand to grasp the lady's right upper arm, leaving her left hand on his right shoulder. During the six beats, both move their feet as in two Basics (Step, Step, Tap, Step, Step, Tap).

Pivot to a Pinball (after Double Flirt) - The man begins a Pivot by rocking back on his left foot (rather than forward as in a normal Basic), then recovering forward, while the partners revolve right face around a common center. The pivot may be continued 4 or 6 or any even number of beats, with no Tap in between. The man then releases the lady's right arm with his left hand but maintains the right-right wrist grip [sic] while leading her to unwind right face two full revolutions [sic] in four beats. She ends in front of him and slightly to his right facing him on a slight angle and both Tap back. On the next four beats he rewraps her left face two revolutions but this time keeps her tucked to his right side. He then releases the right hand grip and she continues spinning left face about 1º revolutions while moving to his right side. He catches her with his left arm in an "L" position and both Tap. Throughout the Pinball, the man stays roughly in place while matching the lady's steps (4 Steps, Tap, 6 Steps, Tap).

Of course, a Pivot may be begun and finished in various other ways. If the dancers are apart at the beginning, the man takes only a small back step pulling the lady to closed position. The insides of the dancer's right knees should remain in contact during the pivot.

Side-to-Side (Slide the Door) - After the Tap of a Lady's Turn Out (Right to Left), the man pulls the lady's right hand downward and strongly toward him while he begins to move left. The lady moves in front of the man, both taking two steps without changing facing directions. If they take wide steps and cross on the second beat, the lady will be all the way to the man's right when they take off-lead hands and Tap to the outside. A similar lead will cause the lady to move back to the man's left, and so forth, repeating as desired in groups of 3 beats.

Stall (Figurehead) - While doing a Side-to-Side, with the lady on the man's right side holding his right hand with her left, instead of doing a Tap, 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. This position may be maintained for a beat or two.

Lady's Turn from Side-to-Side to Multi-Turn - In a typical get-out after a Stall, the lady straightens back up and continues turning another full turn left face spinning behind the man's back, then catches his left hand in her right for a Tap apart. The man pulls her back to his right, and the lady spins up to 4 times (actually 3 3/4) right face and falls backward against his right arm. On a long spin, the lady moves fairly far and the man will have to walk along with her to his right to position himself to catch her when she quits spinning.

There are two timing alternatives: The lady may spin slowly while the man side steps, both taking one step per beat; in this case if they stop after an even number of beats they will be ready for a Tap with the lead feet after the catch. Or both may use double-time with two steps per beat; in this case the lead feet will automatically be free for the Tap. Matching the timing of the steps will maintain opposite footwork.

Double Eagle - This is a 15-beat figure (Step, Step, Tap five times) ending in Shadow position with the lady in front of the man and right hands joined. The man maintains his facing direction and does roughly Basic footwork throughout. The lady makes a five right-face turns of about * each.

Beginning in conversation position, the man signals the Double Eagle by pointing his right hand and lady's left toward his right foot and using his left hand to pull her to turn right face and step to his right side in two beats. Side by side and facing the same direction, both Tap back. On the next set of 3 beats the man raises his left arm and leads the lady to turn right face under it in two steps. He changes her right hand to his right during this turn. She ends slightly to his right and roughly facing him for a Tap. On the 3rd set the man steps slightly forward twice while the lady takes two large steps ahead and turns right to end behind man with right hands still joined and both left hands pointed to the left. On the 4th set, the lady turns right face under joined right arms while the man takes two small steps back to face again for a Tap as at the end of the 2nd set. Finally, the lady takes slightly smaller steps than on part 3 to end in front of the man while he steps nearly in place. Again, both point free left hands to the left for the final Tap.

Flamingo Step - The lead is similar to that for the Double Eagle with the man pulling the lady to his right side while she turns 180º right face in two steps. However, the man points his arm at his right foot only down to the elbow; he bends his right and the lady's left elbows under their joined lead arms so that their hands point ahead. Both Tap on the 3rd beat. Then both Strut ahead two slows (2 beats each), lifting knees high and stepping with a slight crossing movement. Then both Strut similarly 4 times, one beat per step. There are no Taps during these eight beats (4 steps). At the end, both face for the next figure. It works well to begin a Pivot at this point.

Lady Under Legs - From conversation position, lady squats to the floor, 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 Tap. The lead occurs early on the first beat when the man pulls both the lady's hands sharply downward. Also, to make sure she doesn't miss the signal and get kicked in her right ear, he nods his head downward and gives her a threatening glance. Ideally, this would all happen on four beats of music plus the final Tap. However, at first take plenty of time on each part, especially making sure body position and handholds are correct before pulling through.

Ladies can 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 straightens her legs she'll jump into the air rather than kicking her legs out in front of her.

Men can 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 Tap in case the lady is off balance when she first lands.

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. 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.

This right wrist grip is the lead, or at least a very strong clue as to what's about to happen, 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. Ideally, this all happens on six beats or music, but may take slightly longer at first, or with fast music. Change the grip and wind the lady left face on two beats, then Tap. Then she steps forward on beat 4; falls, spins, stands up on 5; and catches her balance on the Tap. It's good to do another Basic or two after the whole thing to check timing and balance before the next figure.

Lady Over the Arm (including lead/setup) - From a Cuddle position, walk forward two and Tap forward, then walk back two on two more beats. Instead of the doing normal Tap on beat 6, the 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 1st beat (this is a "dance", remember?) after the 6 setup beats is critical. Don't forget to turn to face one another and do a Tap on beat 9. Try to look calm!

Blender - From left open facing position (lead hands joined) , the man wraps himself left face in two steps, putting his back toward the lady, and both Tap. The lady then puts her left hand on his left shoulder and pushes. He spins once and a half on his right foot while she spirals twice on her left foot (both turning right) to catch lead hands in conversation position for a Tap. 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.

Jump Spin - From conversation position, the man bows down on the Tap of a Basic or other previous figure. (This bowing down is primarily so the man can show the lady his bald spot, but it may also be taken as a lead.) He straightens and steps forward strongly to wrap his right hand around the lady's waist on the next beat. He 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 360º right face turn to land in front of him. Then both Tap back. 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.