FP couple Turn (T) stps are QT (¼T) see *Rule of Turns*, & T in direction

of Drive ft unless specified otherwise*

CP> Fwd-LT>c +CP>c = Fwd-L ¼ LTrn-Fc coh.

CP> = CP dance line. CP< = CP RLOD

> = dance line, < = reverse dance line

+ = end/blend. +> = end dance line. +<= end Rev dance line.

+/w> = end diag wall dance line. +\w< = diag wall rlod.

+\c< = diag coh rlod.

N

narcissus. CP>w: Pnt sd-L, - , tch-L, - ; Pnt sd-L, - , tch-L, - ;

sd-L, cls-R, sd-L, cls-R; sd-L, - , - , -; Pnt sd-R, - , tch-R, - ;

Pnt sd-R, - , tch-R, - ; sd-R, cls-L, sd-R, cls-L;

sd- R, - , - , - ; sd-L, - , tch-R, - ;

sd-R, - , tch-L, -; sd-L, - , cross swing-R, - ; sd-R, - , cross

swing-L, - ; 2-turning two-steps;;;;.

nat. Natural.

National Board of Review. Group formed in 1976. Promotes RD unity,develops

& publishes standards. Objectives:

1. Study proposed teaching procedures for beg teachers & establish basics

for 5-levels.

2. Promote correct use of cue sheet terms & figs. Provide choreograph

info & assistance.

3. Study & comment on proposed basics description changes. Designate

Board approved descriptions as standards.

4. Members meet at national functions to discuss activities & programs.

5. Board members serve 2-years.

natural (nat). R-turn (clockwise) fig. Natural indicates a R-turn. A turn

without a prefix modifier is a natural. Natural is inferred on figs

without a prefix. Turn is preferred to R-turn or natural turn. L-turns

= reverse turns. NATURAL & REVERSE require higher levels of inter-

pretation than TURN & L-TURN.

natural fallaway. a. R-turn to position where both partners face same

direction [SCP, half-open, open, skaters, vars', etc..] followed by

backward movement. b. R-turn fallaway, see right fallaway & fallaway.

natural fallaway Rk. A ½R-turn to SCP or other position where partners

face same direction & Rk back.

natural hover cross. 2-meas fig, a natural turn & hover cross. SCP/>w

wgt-L: 1. Fwd-RT manu +CP<c, bkL RT +CP/>c, sd-RT +CP/>w;

2. Xif-Lball (Xbeh-R) +Scar/>w, rec-R +CP, sd-L +Bjo/>c, Fwd-R;.

natural hov fallaway. SCP>w wgt-L: Fwd-R 1/8 RT +SCP/<w, Fwd-Lball, rec-R;.

natural spin. R-turn spin fig.

natural top. R-turn top spin. a. CP< wgt-L: Beh-RT (Fwd-L), sd-L RT

thru-R), cls-RT (cls-L) +CP>w.

b. Scar/>w wgt-L: BehRT (Xif-L) fc/<w, sd-L RT fc/<c, sd-RT fc>c,

Fwd-L RT fc>w;.

natural turn. R-turn.

natural weave. 2-meas fig. 3-step 1-meas RT fig plus a 3-step 1-meas LT

weave fig. Contra Bjo/>w wgt-L:

1. Fwd-RT (bk-L RT) contra +Bjo/<w, Fwd check-L (bk check-R), rec bkR;

2. bkL, bk-R LT +CP w, sd-LT (sd-RT*) +SCP>;.

b. (*Or Girl sd-R LT) +contra Bjo>;.

natural zig zag. SCP>: sd-L (Xif-R LT fc/>c), - , Beh-R (Fwd-LT fc<c)

Bjo/>w, - ; sd-LT (sd-R 1/8 L-turn) Bjo>, -, Fwd-R (bkL), - ;.

needle life. A 45 rpm record player needle that plays 6-hrs/wk wears 312-

hrs per yr. Inspect a needle periodically with a 50x to 100x microscope,

or replace based on life expectancy. Estimated life in hrs:

Asmium 40 to 80;

Sapphire 80 to 100;

Diamond LP 800 to 1000;

Diamond stereo 400 to 600;.

If in doubt replace diamond needle every 2-yrs.

new dance. Dancers may have trouble with a dance with an unusual fig. Or

a fig that is similar, but differs from a familiar fig. "I don't like

that dance!" is a common remark. Dancers may not be receptive to figs

requiring concentration & perception when they can fake it with a familiar

one. Daily problems & fatigue impair learning ability. So do gaiety &

frivolity. Best reception exists when dancers attend workshops away from

daily routines. Public comments of personal dislike for a dance olarize a

dancer's opinion & create barriers to later opinion reversal. Withhold

adverse opinions until a dance is learned & danced smoothly, then make an

objective evaluation. Snap judgement bias against a dance can adversely

affect learning & unduly influence other dancers. This can result in

eliminating a good dance from the program. Objective opinions formed

after a fair trial may benefit a program.

Teachers introduce new figs, figs & dances as time & conditions permit.

Money, time, study, planning & dancer preparedness are involved. Teachers

subscribe to magazines & purchases material to remain current with the

art. Material/dances are reviewed & screened to select dances on

availability vs club level, popularity of dances in the area & nation,

music & tunes, requests, etc..

Mail order records may take a week or more for delivery, longer if a

record is out of stock. Record shops that stock all new releases end up

with many dollars invested in records that do not sell. RD records can

become outdated in a short time. RD record sales are limited, so stocking

large quantities of all new releases is not a sound investment. Teacher

reviews records & culls poor musical arrangements. Then teacher learns

the dance & figs well enough to teach. At this stage other factors may

arise & cause the dance to be dropped, such as the figs that don't flow

smoothly or awkward body mechanics. Dances meeting criteria are then

taught.

New teaches involve preparation time plus record costs prior to the club

teach. Teacher's partner contributes teach preparation time & effort.

Consider these when teacher starts to teach a new dance. Avoid sitting on

sidelines during teaches, show enthusiasm to encourage the teacher & other

dancers. Sideline conversations distract teacher & dancers. A dancer may

spend 15- to 30-minutes on a workshop. A dancer's workshop time is small

compared to time teacher spent to bring a teach to the club. Show some

appreciation for a teach by applauding afterwards. Withhold adverse

comments on a dance until it is well known. First impressions of dances

like those of people, are often wrong. Don't gripe & complain of the

valuable time you sacrifice walking thru a new dance. Give thought to

teacher's effort. Teachers know dancers won't like all dances. They do

hope dancers will give each dance a fair trial. Consider teacher's

efforts, even if the dance is a stinker.

new dancers. New class graduates are easily spooked from the floor if club

members sit out dances. They think experienced dancers watch, see every

mistake & talk about them. There is some cause for such fear. New

dancers wait for experienced dancers to get on the floor first. New

dancers are unduly influenced by & look to experienced dancers for

guidance & example. Disparaging remarks dampen new dancer enthusiasm &

fun.

When experienced dancers sit out, new dancers also sit out. New dancers

need the practice provided by an easy dance & may enjoy it for many onths.

Easy dances provide experienced dancers an opportunity to improve style &

skill. Improvement of basic skills is difficult when engrossed in recall

0f intricate routines. Use easy dances to perfect style & skill. Sit-

outs kill easy dances that provide fun & practice for both new & older

dancers. Sit out of walk thrus of a well liked known dance kills a dance.

New dancers may fail to learn the dance as well as they should, so the

dance is played less often & is ultimately dropped because of poor

participation. New dancers watch older dancers for sight cues on dances &

walk thrus. Sit outs deprive new dancers of sight cue examples, & walk

thrus take longer. Mixing significantly reduces teach time & increases

the life span of a dance. Dance survival depends on a high percentage of

dancers learning it well enough for comfortable dancing in a reasonable

length of time. Experienced dancers who take time to help new dancers

contribute to achieving their own & club goals. They get to know new

dancers better & obtain satisfaction from helping.

new fig. Some students spent years as non-dancers. Others danced 1-basic

fig at night clubs for 50-years or more. RDrs learn over 100-terms,

directions, figs, positions & actions, in 6-months of lessons. They

enjoyed dancing 1-fig for 50-years. They would be content dancing 3-new

figs indefinitely, if they avoided the new fig-dance craze. Infected

dancers become bored with dances they know. They attend large festivals;

visit other clubs & teachers; search for the great wonders that other

dancers mention; want to learn every dance they see.

Teachers do not teach all dances for many reasons: several hundred new

dances are released each year; limited class or club time; time allocated

for dancing known dances; taught figs are kept on the program to reinforce

memory; dancers meet 1-night a week; absent dancers need to catch up;

dropouts may increase until the club folds; clubs have different programs;

teachers don't know what others will teach or use; teachers don't know

where a dancer will go or what dances will be played there; some teachers

strive to be the first in an area to use a dance;.

New figs & dances are configurations of basic step & fig combinations.

Dancers forget trouble experienced learning basic figs & time it took to

recognize, recall, react & dance to cues in a timely manner. figs that

seem easy now.

Teacher could teach a new dance any night. If taught well enough so all

present won't not need a re-teach then absentees never have a chance to

learn. Number & thoroughness of re-teaches depend on: time lapse between

teach & re-teach; group memory span; frequency of meeting; attendance;

group level; dance complexity; club interest;.

Some dancers adopt attitudes that dances will be re-taught, why strain

to learn on the first teach. Dancers at teach-1 may sit out a re-teach, or

ignore parts they think they know. Teacher decides how thorough to teach

& re-teach dances based on attendance, who is present, program time

available, & group response. New dances are good in moderation. Some

flow smoothly, provide variety, are added to club program & provide

catalyst between experienced & new dancers.

Teach-1 exposes new & experienced dancers to a dance from scratch. Re-

walks of well known figs repulse some older dancers. New figs expand

repertories of new & experienced dancer's simultaneously. Each old dance

set aside reduces the number of dances that separate old & new dancers,

but increases the number not known by temporary dropouts. Don't be upset

if other clubs program dances you don't know. You probably know dances

they don't. Talk with teacher, there may be good reason. He may teach a

dance if the group wants to learn it. Don't push or demand in front of

others, the reason for not teaching a dance may involve club level. Your

proficiency may be part of the problem.

new fig/dance syndrome. In years past a dance or fig lasted years before

being discarded. New tunes & material were less plentiful; dancers danced

less often; communications & transportation were slower; dance masters

prolonged lessons to insure income; dancing concentrated on HOW to dance;

dancers enjoyed dancing basics to good music.

Today dancers are subjected to & consume more new dance material each

year. Over 200-new RD cue sheets are published each year. More than

200-S/D singing calls are released each year. The number of new figs are

numerous. Symptoms indicate a contest between: choreographers; dancers;

teachers; dancers & teachers. They reflect desires to be the first to

write, teach & learn dances. It may relate to knowledge expansion in

other fields where amount of material doubles approximately every 10-yrs.

That may relate to population explosion. Each good music record has at

least 1-dance written to it. There is more dance music.

Modern dancers expect something new at each dance. This started in

lessons & continued with dances of the month &/or quarter. Traveling

teachers bring new workshop dances to introduce new material. Many d

ancers relish the challenge of new material, & satisfaction of learning.

It can be overdone. Dancers should develop appreciation for well-

choreographed, smooth flowing basic figs. Danced naturally with grace,

without concentrating on new figs that lack musical motivation. Much is

lost when dancers strain to fumble & stumble through unfamiliar mazes that

are replaced before the dance is learned.

New York/Yorker. a. Rumba: 2-meas 6-step thru break fig. FP>w:

Rk thru-L +LOP<, rec-R +FP, cls-L, - ;

Rk thru-R +OP>, rec-L +FP, cls-R, - ;.

b. 10-step 2-meas cha cha fig, FP>w wgt-R, both look reverse:

Rk thru-L +LOP, rec-R +FP, sd cha-L/-R, -L; look>;

Thru Rk-R +LOP, rec-L +FP, sd cha-R/-L, -R;.

New York hop. 10-step 2-meas cha cha "Thru Rk" steps with a quick hop.

Thru-L/hop-L, rec-R, sd cha -L/-R, -L;

Thru-R/hop-R, rec-L, sd cha -R/-L,-R;

New York hustle. Disco 6-beat hustle. FP both hands joined.

a. Basic: Tap-L behind, cls-L, bk-R/ cls-L, in place-R;

Fwd-L, cls-R,.

b. New York hustle with ball change kick & triple end:

Tap-L beh, cls-L, bk-Rball/cls-L, kick-R;

Fwd-R/cls-L, Fwd-R,.

non-step foot action. a. Foot action without change of weight. Examples:

tch, Pnt, fan, flare, kick, brush, swing.

b. Action on weighted foot without change of weight. Examples:

Rise, lift turn, hop, skip.

c. Combos of a. & b. without weight change.

number method to rate dance level. Standard that assigns dance level

difficulty by phase terms. Levels were once determined by each area,

teacher or dancer, & varied based on the rater viewPnt. Ratings were not

uniform. A teacher or group determined if a dance was easy or difficult

for their use. A phase III dance is difficult for dancers not familiar

with rhythms or terms involved. Phase III dancers are confused by new

terms for a familiar fig. Phase designations accurately define difficulty

if dancer knows terms, figs & rhythms therein.

Choreographic difficulty factors include: data storage; memory

retention; info recall; recall Pnts; reaction time; number & variety of

data; new figs are easy to recall & dance when preceded &/or followed by

familiar terms; number of meass, parts, position changes; number &

sequence of parts; tempo; clarity & strength of beats; type dance;

relation of music to figs [music that tells you what to do]; footwork

transition; clear terms; term relation to daily use. Easy for 1-dancer

may be difficult for another. True meas of difficulty is determined

without consdration of the dancer's knowledge. Level classification

should compare dances from a common zero base. Dancers with broad

knowledge, experience & proficiency can dance low & high phase figs with

equal degrees of ease. Level ratings only tell them what figs may be

included. New dancers who don't know the meaning of phase level have no

idea of dance content.

FOG COUNT numerical rating method for comparing level of difficulty.

(Developed 1970 by the author.) DANCE FOG COUNT is similar to the "FOG

COUNT" used in writing courses. To determine FOG COUNT count the number

of syllables &/or words in a sentence. Use the number as a base to

estimate the number of years education needed to understand a sentence.

To determine DANCE FOG COUNT count data related to memory recognition &

recall.

1-Pnt = 1-bit of data that contributes to difficulty.

No provision is made for tangibles such as: tempo; rhythm; strength

of beats.

High degrees of consistency are obtained in FOG COUNTS by careful data

counts, that are easily repeated.

Casual FOG COUNTS seldom vary by more than 5%.

Close correlation is obtained if FOG COUNTS are compared to the same

rhythm with similar constant tempos of strong beats.

A FOG COUNT numerical rating is obtained by assigning "Pnts" for:

a. Each part. Part-A = 1, Part-A + Part-A = 2.

b. Each change of parts. Part-A + Part-B = 3, Part-A + A + B + B = 5.

c. Each position change = 1.

d. Each direction change = 1.

e. Each meas in each part. Count the number of meas in a part only once,

do not re-count if a part repeats. Repeats are redundant & do not add

to difficulty. Syncopated or double-time meas are counted as 2-meass,

to correlate the 2-types of rhythms.

f. 1-Pnt for each fig, i.e. add 1-Pnt for a full box, scissors etc..

BOX = 3: 2-Pnts for meas count + 1-Pnt for fig count.

Half box & scissors thru = 4 Pnts: 2-Pnts for 2-meass + 2-Pnts for figs.

Or 1-Pnt for half box + 1-Pnt for the scissors thru.

g. 1-Pnt for each step in combinations not identified as a 1-meas

standard term. Box identifies 3-steps in a standard fig form & equals

3-Pnts. Fwd, sd, behind, - ; is an unfamiliar step combination not

identified by a standard term. Fwd, sd, behind, - ; = 4-Pnts: 1-Pnt

for the meas + 1-Pnt for each step. Fwd, sd, - , beh; = 5 Pnts, an

extra Pnt is added for the rhythm change.

Compare tempo by ratio. Multiply 50/40 times a 50-meas/minute dance to

compare to a 40-meas/minute dance.

Use a common divisor to reduce a relative FOG COUNT without affecting the

comparative ratings. Difficulty of a dance per meas is determined by

dividing the FOG COUNT by the total number of meass used to determine

the FOG COUNT.

Few dancers care to compare dances by numbers. They are interested in

dancing. Teachers choose dances by content rather than by numbers or

phase ratings. Number phase ratings have little meaning to dancers not

familiar with figs contained in a dance. Why spend time learning Phase or

FOG COUNT ratings when you could be dancing.

number suffix for cue terms. Number in a cue word. Most cues are not

followed by a number, because the number of steps per meas is determined

by the rhythm. The number "3" is omitted in 3-steps/meas rhythm dances.

A number suffix is cued if the dance rhythm of 3-step/meas is broken. A

number suffix alerts dancers to the number of steps if a step rhythm

change occurs.

Walk-2 cued 2-slow steps in 1-meas.

Run-4 cues 4-quick steps in 1-meas.

Count the number of steps on such meas.

Steps that overlap into the next meas may extend such cues.

Slow Vine-4 requires 2-meas of 2 steps each.

Vine-8 is 2-meas of 4-quick steps/meas.

File: N-terms.txt rev-030319