STEAM HEAT question (original Fosse choreo)

[rKrispyt]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 10:51pm

Trying to learn Steam Heat with Fosse's original choreo - figured this would be a great place to ask a question about a specific spot that I haven't nailed the 'trick' to yet...

just after the percussive section (with the hand claps) when you fall onto your knee (the 'boink-boink' section) - how do you make that work?

from teh video it looks like carol haney lunges on count 1, falls onto her knee on count 2 and then comes up on count 3, however when I do it I just drop on my knee - there must be a trick...

ANYONE know it?

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 2/10/06 at 1:37am

There is a trick to it . It's a lot of practice. Fosse calls that step the fawn step. Ummmmm I cant really write it down. It's like trying to tell you how If I loved You goes. I would have to show it to you. It's not AS hard as it looks, but it's pretty damned hard. You actually have to start on the pick-up to 1. It's and 1, Swing the left leg forward and around(2), Up on three (pelvis leading), step on your right foot on four, step on your left as you turn on 1. Your weight should end up on your left leg, with your right leg leading. The Boinks are on 2 and 3. 4 is a step on the left foot (changing the weight there) and a quick change to the right foot to swing out the left (on 1) to start the process all over again. Mind you this is fairly quick.

I feel like this isn't very clear but that's what it is...hope this helps

[jimmirae]

Posted: 2/10/06 at 4:52am

I can ask MacLaine for you but she may not recall the specific. Let me know if you like and I'll email her.

[rKrispyt]

Posted: 2/10/06 at 7:59pm

JazzySuite82 - I get the step, what I don't get is the 'trick' to getting onto your right knee 1. smoothly and 2. without hurting your knee. I'm sorry, I should've been more specific. Do you know? (and oddly enough, your post made perfect sense to me, lol)

jimmirae - if you can really ask her, yes, absolutely!! but like I just said to Jazzy, I didn't make my request clear in my original post: I've got that whole step, my problem is trying to find the 'trick' in getting down onto the right knee (before rising up, leading with your pelvis). That's what I need help with - figuring out how to do it smoothly (right now I'm going "1, THUD!" lol) and without hurting my knee cause I'm just dropping onto it at this piont...there must be a trick...etiehr that or Carol Haney had some crazy muscles going on in places I didn't know you could control like that...

If either of you know more little tidbits about the dance (ie: how jazzy let me know that the step is called the fawn step, why, etc.) I'd looooove to hear more and as much about this dance as you can tell me!!

I'm actually teaching it to some dance students right now and already read Margery Beddow's book that had fun stuff like this and loooooved it - any more I can find would be amazing adn they'd eat it up!!!

Thank you both soooo mcuh!!!!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/10/06 at 8:38pm

If you can wait, I will ask Jane Lanier, who recreated it in "Fosse", she's doing a benefit for my LGBT Chorus and we're rehearsing in a week or so with her.

[rKrispyt]

Posted: 2/10/06 at 9:08pm

yeah, I can wait!

I actually will see them (my students) on Tuesday but we're not working on this until the week after and then will continue piecing it together so whenever you can, lemme know! :)

Again, my question was in the trick to going onto your knee in that step, I got the rest of it, just bruising the hell outta my knee cause I'm just falling onto it right now. Not so much fun.

Thanks so much, I really appreciate it!

Good luck with your benefit!

Kristy