Banjo and Sidecar

About to step forward to Contra Banjo	Contra Sidecar

Banjo and sidecar are considered to be a closed positions, in that hips are together, bodies are facing, and each is looking out his or her respecitve window, but the bodies are turned just a little so that the man steps outside his partner's feet and not between her feet. In banjo, he steps outside to her right, and in sidecar, he steps outside to her left.

In the photo above left, notice how the woman's head is closed. The man has clear left side lead, and his next step will clearly be outside his partner's right foot. His thighs will be crossed in a good contra position. Their bodies are not progressing squarely in the direction of movement but are "slicing," bodies oriented diagonally to the line of progression. Swing the left side down line, and the man will cross his thighs and step outside into banjo. Swing the right side down line, and he will step between, back into closed again.

If the man leads still more strongly with his right side and turns the hips a bit to the right, then he will cross his left thigh in front of the right and step outside his partner to her left. In the photo above right, notice how the bodies are facing, and she is still positioned to his right. She is looking strongly left (closed head), and he is looking a bit to her right, out his window, but his lower body has been turned a little right face so that he can step forward with his left foot to the outside of her left.

Banjo position is used more often than sidecar, and the following photos are all of banjo. Click on the thumbnail for the larger version.

In a side view, we can see just how square each is to the other, right hip to right, just as in closed position. We can't see his right foot, but we can see that it is not between her feet; he is stepping outside to her right.	An initial mistake that dancers will make is to shift their bodies to the side, so that the two bodies are side-by-side, squarely facing line or reverse. Instead, keep the woman in front of the man (in closed position) and turn into the "slicing" position that lets you step outside in a contra position while still facing your partner. In this photo, she is in front of him, not over on his right side.
From the front, the "slicing" of the bodies is conspicuous.	Again, good slice.	Good slice as in the photo to the left, but here, he has stepped forward with his right and strongly crossed thighs: Contra Banjo.