"Dancing Tid-bits" Issue #67, Thursday, Sept 6, 2001


Dancing Tid-bits
Syncopated Lock Step

Ever since I started to do some advanced figures in Quickstep, this term "Pepperpot" has caught my imagination and curiosity, so I thought why not?

In the last issue we discussed what is Pepperpot. To put it briefly we defined the Pepperpot (Man) as a Step-Hop from PP on RF and then a chasse to left in Tipsy Timing, LRL,Q&Q, followed with a forward lock step ( RF crosses behind LF, LF diag forward with a QQ timing, ready to go forward RF outside partner.

So, Is Pepperpot a Timing or is it a Figure? Like anything else, you ask the question and you will get different answers. I would therefore be safe and say that it is both. As the modern ballroom dancing has evolved the step-hop and syncopated chasses have become popular and I feel Pepperpot was the first attempt to put more punch into Quickstep.

Syncopated Lock Step: Syncopation means different thing to different people. When I learned to dance I was told that when we split a beat and take an extra step this is called syncopated timing. We use this in cha cha as 4&1 and Jive as 1a2, "&" being 1/2 beat and "a" being 1/4 beat. You say this to a Musician and see his forehead frown and then he will give you a lecture on syncopation. He or she will tell you that in syncopation we move the accents from the accented beat to an un-accented beat, or vice versa etc etc. I don't want to get into that argument and therefore will stick to the dance concept of a syncopated lock step.

Double Syncopated Forward Lock Step: Again let me quote from Phyllis Haylor, page 77, continuation of an amalgamation: 11. Rising slightly, from preceding step, LF short step forward with left shoulder leading, ball of foot. Q
12. Cross RF behind LF, "and"
13. LF short step forward, left shoulder leading, Q (steps 11-13 are Tipsy or Jive Rhythm)
14-16. Repeat steps 12 and 13, QQ
17 RF forward outside partner, S, and there you have it, a double syncopated lock step forward. This is what I would call Pepperpot Timing. We can use this timing in any form or fashion, going bacwards, sideways, right or left, anyways you prefer.

I don't see any reason why we can't simply use a progressive chasse as a precede to the above lock. This combination would be an excellent introduction to open steps in tipsy timing.

Questions and comments to Dancemax@aol.com, thank you.


This article is part of and should be seen in the frame context of Dancesport UK, Tid-bits