Pivot turns and penguin walks

[robd]

What is it that us girls love about being wooshed around in circles at high speed.

It's the thought of all those rough boys who used to work on the Wurlitzers at the fair when it came round

[ducasi]

It's the thought of all those rough boys who used to work on the Wurlitzers at the fair when it came round

I thought a Wurlitzer was either a juke box or a pipe organ?

Was doing a bit of whoosing last night... I can clearly state that when you're dancing with a sexy french girl, maintaining eye contact while spinning round is recommended.

[robd]

I thought a Wurlitzer was either a juke box or a pipe organ?

Isn't it an Intermediate (nee Beginners) Ceroc move?

[johnthehappyguy]

It's the thought of all those rough boys who used to work on the Wurlitzers at the fair when it came round

Weren't they Waltzer's



john

[robd]

Weren't they Waltzer's



john

Yes! My bad. I never went on one - just looking at them made me feel

[robd]

a seminal moment at the jive bar

One of those phrases where you need be certain you don't get your vowels mixed up, for sure.

[foxylady]

One of those phrases where you need be certain you don't get your vowels mixed up, for sure.

hmm not quite sure what you are getting at ??? I meant it in its 'containing or contributing the seeds of later development' sense rather than its 'relating to semen sense' although with ESG one is never quite sure......

(I don't think mixing up the vowels makes any sense )

[Claire S]

I thought a Wurlitzer was either a juke box or a pipe organ?

Was doing a bit of whoosing last night... I can clearly state that when you're dancing with a sexy french girl, maintaining eye contact while spinning round is recommended.

What about sexy German girls??

[Graham]

Was doing a bit of whoosing last night... I can clearly state that when you're dancing with a sexy french girl, maintaining eye contact while spinning round is recommended.

Where did you get a sexy French girl??? Send her home at once!

[ducasi]

Where did you get a sexy French girl??? Send her home at once!

Turns out she's German – as Claire takes great joy in reminding me. Again.

Personally I don't especially care – German, French, whatever – she's still sexy.

[Gadget]

...I thought you were talking about Caro

{...stir, stir stir...}

[ducasi]

...I thought you were talking about Caro

{...stir, stir stir...}

My original statement still holds for *any* sexy girl – French, German, even Aberdonian...

[robd]

From another thread:

Well what da ya know! I've never really known what these 'Penguin Walks' were (coming from a non-ceroc background), and lo and behold, they were taught tonight at Woking!

After all these years of dancing, I've finally been taught a move that I absolutely adore watching others do, but have never been able to do it myself.

Nothing I was taught tonight, was any different from anything I've tried in the past, yet it just all clicked into place so sweetly. Now I can do them, and I'm extremely chuffed (as you may be able to tell! )

What a great way to return to the dance floor, after all that time out

Awfully bad form to revive one's own thread, one knows, but penguin walks were also taught in class at Cambridge last night (together with a nice little side-slide exit that I never really got the hang of). What struck me was how hard they are to do slowly, step by step as they are broken down in the class. It really is one of those moves that are simpler to do as a whole rather than in it's component parts.

As for my own progress on these, it's getting better but still not there as often as I would like. Thanks to the patient followers at the T Jive who took time to point out areas for improvement. When it does work though, it is fantastic and you really feel like you could go on for ever and ever since the dizziness (for me) doesn't kick in until you've stopped rotating. But when it does -

One other thing I learned recently is if you do feel dizzy coming out of pivot turns don't try and do a man spin thinking that a turn in the opposite direction will counter the dizziness. It may well do, but you'll likely be so off balance that you'll crash into your hapless partner. Or at least that's what happened to me

Rob

[Zebra Woman]

One other thing I learned recently is if you do feel dizzy coming out of pivot turns don't try and do a man spin thinking that a turn in the opposite direction will counter the dizziness. It may well do, but you'll likely be so off balance that you'll crash into your hapless partner. Or at least that's what happened to me

Rob

You have just reminded me of another yukky exit from pivot turns -

A back hander .

All that spinning is perfectly complimented by something secure, calm and sedate, not more turns for the lady . Being dizzy and about to go off balance is a nightmare just before you go into a back hander as it's a really dodgy move when it's not perfect.


I have to say this thread has brought me much joy. Thank you Rob.

Ever since I posted my list of fave leaders of this move I have been absolutley inundated with pivot turns from forum members, both from my faves 'cos they know I love the way they do it. But better than that, loads of people wishing to prove thay can do it too. All of them great.

My fave list is now very long, and includes RobD.

Fantastic

[jivecat]

I have to say this thread has brought me much joy. Thank you Rob.

I love this move too, but used to find it incredibly awkward and difficult. ESG's comments especially are extremely helpful, thanks. The key for me was realising that there had to be close contact from the, er, knees upwards. I'm not sure I've ever done the move leaning back but I'm not sure it would be easy to have eye contact with my partner otherwise, because I think my chin is usually somewhere in the region of his right shoulder? Another added benefit, because then I can get a look round the dance floor, see what everyone else is up to, spot my next victim etc.

I think the thing I really love about it (apart from the obvious, is there anyone who actually hates pressing their tummy button against an attractive dance partner's? And just don't get me on to the subject of thighs!) is the feeling of balance and momentum being completely joined and interdependent. I suppose that there is a single axis of movement rather than two for a few moments.

My fave list is now very long, and includes RobD.

Fantastic

[Sparkles]

I have been absolutley inundated with pivot turns from forum members, both from my faves 'cos they know I love the way they do it. But better than that, loads of people wishing to prove thay can do it too. All of them great.

My fave list is now very long, and includes RobD.

Fantastic

I've never had so many pivot turns!
... and ZW, you're fab

[LMC]

... The key for me was realising that there had to be close contact from the, er, knees upwards.

As a tall girl, I sometimes worry that my knee might end up where it didn't oughter if the lead is signficantly shorter than me. Some guys (and that doesn't apply to anyone on the forum that I can think of) just don't seem to realise that for some moves, including this one, HEIGHT MATTERS! Any top tips for, er, alternative connections if a much shorter lead leads a penguin walk?

[jivecat]

As a tall girl, I sometimes worry that my knee might end up where it didn't oughter if the lead is signficantly shorter than me. Some guys (and that doesn't apply to anyone on the forum that I can think of) just don't seem to realise that for some moves, including this one, HEIGHT MATTERS! Any top tips for, er, alternative connections if a much shorter lead leads a penguin walk?

Get him to stand on tiptoe?
You could do the move in a sort of ballet plie? Oh well, OK, you don't want to look like Kermit during the move. Say, bend your knees slightly more than usual whilst keeping your feet pointing forward.

Slightly related, do ladies feel more comfortable doing this move in trousers rather than a skirt, as any move where she has to have her feet apart and knees bent might tend to look inelegant, & possibly better in trousers. I also don't really like doing those layback type moves whilst wearing a skirt for this reason.

[LMC]

Say, bend your knees slightly more than usual whilst keeping your feet pointing forward.

Works for most moves, but for a penguin walk, the change in balance and tension in the rest of the frame can be tricky to maintain/change fast enough (guess I need more practice).

More importantly, given that your feet are apart, bending the knees can have the unfortunate effect of making you look like you're about to sh** on your partner's shoe.

[Sheepman]

This is one of my favourites too, and it is oh so easy when doing it with Sparkles

I do find I struggle doing it with partners more than 6" or so shorter than me. (And maybe partners 6" or so taller, but I can only recall dancing with a couple of ladies that tall.) So I find the counterbalancing is important.
This move was also taught during Cat & Lee's recent Nightclub 2 step workshop, where emphasis was placed on rocking from heel to toe and back again as you pivot. (Probably not a very helpful explanation.)
Some ladies just want to come in close and cuddle up during this move, no complaints from me but as has previously been said, it feels so much better if the head is upright and the frame maintained.

Some people manage to do spotting during this move as well I'm not sure I'll ever master that, it does give it a much more "ballroomy" look.

Greg