Dancing The Double Reverse Spin

In my post dated June 2, 2008, I had discussed the Double Reverse Spin and mentioned that it is not an easy figure to dance, especially for lay dancers. Figures incorporating turns and spins are generally more difficult to execute for beginners and weak dancers. One of the reasons is that the person who is turning or spinning on the outside have to turn a bigger arc or circle and would therefore have to take bigger steps. At the same time both partners have to maintain a good posture and balance to counter the effects of centrifugal force.

In the Double Reverse Spin, the man does two steps and a "toe pivot" while the lady does four steps using a timing of 1, 2, & 3 (or a 1, 2, 3 & timing for advanced dancers). As the lady has four steps to dance, it is important for her to hasten the pace on the second step (heel turn) so that the second and third steps are the quick ones. The fourth step must be balanced and controlled with the balance kept well over it to enable the next step to be taken with ease.

The man takes the first step forward on the LF turning body to left with a CBM. He then places his RF to the side and makes a turn or "spin" to his L on the ball of his RF and closes LF to RF without weight (toe pivot). The lady must do a proper heel turn to assist the man to execute his turn easily. Some ladies tend to "cheat" when doing the heel turn. Instead of turning on the heel of one foot, they turn on the soles or flat of both feet causing a loss in momentum thus making it very difficult for the man to execute his turn properly. One of the tips for dancing the double reverse spin well is for the partners to maintain a good topline and individual balance while at the same time keeping their knees soft.

A nice sequence incorporating the Double Reverse Spin would be this:- At corner do a Natural Reverse Turn to end backing DC. Do the 4-6 Reverse Turn to end facing the LOD.Now do the Double Reverse Turn making a complete turn. For novice dancers follow with a Drag Hesitation and a Back Lock.

The Drag Hesitation is a nice and easy figure to dance and it sort of helps weak dancers to control and regain their balance after doing the relatively "fast paced" Double Reverse Turn. Unfortunately I understand that the Drag Hesitation has been dropped from the syllabus of at least one dance institution. An alternative to the Drag Hesitation would be a Progressive Chasse To Right. To add a little panache to their dance routine, advance dancers can do another Double Reverse Spin immediately after the first one using a 1,2, 3 & timing. Happy Dancing from Dancesport Malaysia!

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