Coach and I have been working on the C. Tango since he got back from Lake Placid (2 weeks). I have been skating this dance solo until this morning. When we start this dance this morning, I found out that I'm to skate on his left not his right side which totally freaks me out (I "clank" his blades every so often and am afraid of "taking him down") in this position call a reverse killian (or in my terms - a reverse kill him...) - something not mentioned before... All I can say is who's brillant idea was this to swap sides. I'm just getting comfortable skating with some one in "close proximity" when we have to change positions!!! Oh well, I had to laugh after our first pattern (which was horrid). Between the slide chasse - "bum stuck out" and this "reverse killian" hold, I've got some work to do... I enjoy skating this by myself but am able to laugh at myself when I skate with him. I'm glad he always arrives with a large "starbucks" in hand and as I've told him before - his day can only get better (I'm his 1st lesson of the morning).

Goodness, I do so agree about reverse Kilian hold (I don't know who Ian is, but I don't think I want to kill him - except sometimes a judge I know of that name when he is particularly stringent in applying the rules!).... I find it very difficult to keep my right arm straight. Actually, I dislike the Canasta Tango and am afraid of the Fiesta.....

Robert and me are made to practice crossovers (runs, really) round the hockey circles in a figure 8 in both Kilian and reverse Kilian hold, and I do find the latter hard. Also going round practising swing rolls, both inside and outside.

But it is a good hold for doing Mohawks in (as in Fiesta Tango, much though I dislike that dance), and we have often done them like that in a free dance.

One gets used to it.... the secret, as in all of these things, is practice!

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Reverse Killian does take some getting used to, but it really isn't that bad. My coach has been having my husband/partner and I work on exercises that make us do foxtrot and waltz holds in reverse as well. You don't see those reversed holds in the compulsory dances, but they are good practice for freedances and ODs.

oh yes reverse killian is awful and for some reason every time we did the canasta i would forget to go on that side and my coach would just stand there looking at me until it dawned on me to switch sides heheh but now that i passed my fiesta and swing dance i found that the harder thing is the mohawks switching to backwards ugh we were always spread so apart after the mohawk grrr very annoying but luckily we fixed it and now im starting the willow waltz which is actually pretty fun ugh when i took my tests for fiesta and swing i did the swing perfectly for one of the first times i was soo happy but the fiesta i some how got veryy nervous and i forgot the steps so my coach went to turn and i just glided luckily the tester was nice so he let me restart ugh soo embarrassing

I just had this discussion with some of my beginning dance students a couple of weeks ago. Don't worry about "taking your coach out". I know at first it feels like you're going to- that's what precipitated the discussion, a bunch of the students said they felt like they were going to knock me and the other coach over- but believe me, partnering is second nature after awhile. I may struggle with partnering on my dances with my coach, but I can do the Prelims with anyone. You've got to make a pretty big mistake to take your coach down on one of those dances, especially since, IIRC, you have a pretty good coach. That includes the blade click- remember, by your coach's standards, you're probably going very slowly. Chances are, he'll be able to recover quickly and keep you up too.

Of course, the same applies to me when I'm partnering the Kilian and the Paso Doble with my coach, for whom those dances are nothing- but try telling me that! (Actually, he has tried.)

P.S. BabeOnBlades, I'll mention this just b/c I know someone else will soon- they like us to use capital letters and punctuation and to try to avoid excessive teenspeak and abbriviations. Makes it easier for everyone to read.

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Shae-Lynn and Victor: We knew you were champions, and on 3/28/03 the whole WORLD found out! Thank you for twelve wonderful years!

I've taken my coach down once or twice, I felt so horrible! but then again i also took down my old coach doing the European....I deffinately learned that you have to let go of your partner when you fall the hard way

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Waffles & Vodka

Breakfast of Champions