SLOW TWO-STEP FIGURES

Slow Two Step—4 or 6b/m; 16-32m/m

The nightclub or California two step was originated by Buddy Schwimmer, Lee & Linda Wakefield, & Ron Montez during the 1970s in crowded dance clubs on the west coast as a rhythm one could use to the very slow love ballads that are otherwise hard to know what to do with. When you are young and in love, you can clutch and sway to a slow tempo, but such a dance does lack the interest of variety.

But the nightclub two step encourages you to draw out a side step and use up some of the "extra" time that way. Schwimmer taught the dance as a quick rock, recover, and then side, or a cross behind, recover, side. Apparently, slow two step was introduced to round dancing in the early '90s by Bill and Carol Goss, but they presented it as a "slow, quick, quick rhythm, with the side step done first and the rock/recover second. In 1992, they published a cue sheet for Kiehm's Are You Still Mine, and they wrote their own, Even Now. Slow two step is slow and flat; no rise and fall.

Most choreography is written as though the timing of the figures is "slow, -, quick, quick;" and if the music is 4/4, that is a good description, but if you have good 6/8 music, it would be better to think of the timing as slow, -, slow. -/&;" but even this representation is approximate. Out of the six beats of music, the first step uses three, the second uses two, and the last is a quick of just one beat.

FIGURE AND COUNT	STEPS	In Freestyle, You Could Follow With This
Basic sqq; sqq;	In a facing position, closed or butterfly, step side with the lead, cross behind (woman also) with the trail, and recover; repeat with the trail foot: sd, -, XIB, rec;	In Stairwalt's Rachel's Song, part A begins with a basic;; underarm turn; basic ending; left turn with inside roll; basic ending; left turn with inside roll; basic ending;
Side Basic sqq;	The first half of a basic: sd with the lead, -, XIB, rec;	In the Gloodts; Chanson D Amour, the ending begins with a side basic & wrap to face line 9man transition);; Now both have the right foot free and we do two sweetheart rund to tandem;; two side closes; to a side corte;
Basic Ending sqq;	The second half of a basic: sd with the trail, -, XIB, rec;	In the Kropfs' Is It Really Over, part A begins with a left turn with inside roll; basic ending; right turn with outside roll; basic ending; to two side basics;;
Open Basic sqq;	Step to the side and open the body out to either half open (if begun with trail foot) or half left open (if begun with lead foot). Again, the footwork is: sd, -, XIB, rec;	Often one does one measure with the lead and then repeats with the trail foot.
Lunge Basic sqq;	In closed or butterfly, step side, recover, and then cross in front: sd, -, rec, XIF;	Again, do two, one with lead and then one with trail, or do any combination of the above: side basic; lunge basic; open basic; basic ending; lunge basic; open basic; open basic; basic ending;
Twisty Basic sqq;	In butterfly, wall, step side with the lead, -, cross RIB (woman LIF), recover;	Helms; Behind Closed Doors begins with twisty basic twice;; lunge basic twice;; left turn with an inside roll; and a basic ending;
Underarm Turn sqq;	Step to the side with lead foot and raise lead hands to lead woman to begin to turn RF. Cross RIBL as woman steps forward, crossing left over right and turning 1/2. Both recover onto lead feet, woman completing turn back to face partner.	In the Kropfs' I'm Not Lisa, there is a lunge basic twice;; underarm turn; open basic; two switches;; to a triple travler;;;
Reverse Underarm Turn sqq;	This one begins with the trail foot. Step side right, raising lead hands and bringing them between you to lead the woman to begin to turn LF. Cross left in front of right, and woman will cross right in front of left and turn 1/2. Both recover onto trail feet, the woman continuing her turn to face.	In the Hichmans' Blue to Gold, part A begins with a fence line; spot turn; side basic; reverse underarm turn; cross body; new yorker; time step;
Traveling Chasses sqq; sqq;	In butterfly line of dance, or even a close, low butterfly, step forward with the lead (woman back) turning 1/8 LF. Step side toward diagonal line and wall, and then close left to right. In the second measure, step forward and turn 1/4 RF to face diagonal line and wall, step side, and close.	This figure can be repeated to good effect.
Traveling Cross Chasses sqq; sqq;	As in the traveling chasses: fwd trn LF, -, sd, XIF; fwd trn RF, -, sd, XIF;	In Nelsons' Wonder of You, part B begins with traveling cross chasses;; left turn with inside roll; basic ending;
Sweetheart Runs sqq;	In wrapped position facing line of dance with same footwork, step forward, fwd, fwd. That is, both step forward left, right, left; or right, left, right;	Again, in Blue to Gold, from a facing position, lead feet free, we do a sweetheart wrap (man transition); sweetheart run; throwout to low butterfly (man transition); to travelling cross chasses;;
Left Turn with Inside Roll sqq;	In loose closed position, lead foot, step forward turning LF, raise lead hands, and bring them betwee couple to lead the woman into a LF turn (an Inside Roll; notice the lead hands moved "inside" the couple). The second step is side, turning. The last step is a cross in front while the woman steps side continuing her turn to face partner. The hard way to do this figure is to begin facing wall and to turn 1/2. More often, the preceding figure will be modified, as in "basic ending to a pickup," so that the left turn is begun early, and the figure then needs only to turn 1/4.	Hoopers' Too Many Rivers begins part A with lunge basics;; left turn with inside roll; and repeat;;; Rumbles' Can't Help Falling in Love uses a basic;; left turn with inside roll; basic ending; and repeat;;;; switches;; open basics;; switches;; open basic; basic ending;
Right Turn with Outside Roll sqq;	In loose closed position, lead foot, step side and forward turning RF, and raise lead hands, moving them sort of around in back of her head ("outside" of the couple, rather than between your faces or "inside") to lead her into a RF turn. Step side and back with right foot as woman steps forward under lead hands. Finally, cross LIFR to face, and she will step side, finishing her turn, also to face. This figure, too, can be done the hard way, incorporating 1/2 turn, but more often the previous figure is modified, as in "basic ending to a maneuverr," so that the turn is begun early, and the figure itself then needs only to turn 1/4.	Again, in Behind Closed Doors, we have an underarm turn; open basic; right turn with outside roll; basic ending;
Switches sqq; sqq;	In half open position, line of dance, step forward left, crossing in front of the woman, step back and side turning RF, and then fwd to left half open position. The woman takes small steps: fwd, -, fwd, fwd; In the second measure, the woman "switches." She steps forward and side, crossing in front of the man and turning RF, back and side turning, and finally fwd to half open position again.	Do two switches;; side basic; lunge basic;
Switch Box sqq; sqq; sqq; sqq;	This figure consists of four switches that have been modified to move the couple counterclockwise to the four sides of an imaginary square. Begin in half-open, line of dance. Step fwd on the lead. The man steps fwd R, and the woman steps in place L. Then the man steps fwd L turning RF around the woman to face center, and she steps R and turns 1/4 LF to end in half-open facing center. The second measure is a mirror of the first. The woman steps fwd L, -, fwd R, and then fwd L turning RF around the man to half-open facing reverse. The third measure is the same as the first and ends in half-open facing wall. The fourth measure is the same as the second and ends facing line again in the starting position.	I believe this is a new figure. It is from Warner's Cold Day in Hell. He begins in butterfly with a side basic; reverse underarm turn to half-open; switch box;;;; two switches;; two open basics;;
Triple Traveler sqq; sqq; sqq;	In left open facing, line of dance, step forward left turning LF and leading woman into a left turn or inside roll. She will step back turning, side turning and forward turning, and you will step fwd, fwd, fwd, following her. At the end of the first measure, you will be more or less in left open position, facing line of progression, man on outside of circle. In second measure, the man steps forward right and spirals LF under joined lead hands, and then steps fwd, fwd. The woman simply steps fwd, fwd, fwd, keeping up with her man. In the third measure, step forward and swing lead hands down and back, leading her in a RF or outside roll. She will step forward turning, side turning, and forward turning to face wall and partner. He steps fwd, -, fwd, XIF; Note that the man is facing center at the end of this figure.	Follow a triple traveler with a basic ending, and you are ready to pick her up into a triple traveler to reverse and another basic ending;;;;;;;;
	If you'd like to see more figures, Kenji and Nobuko Shibata have greatly added to the repertoir in their very popular phase VI dances, Adaline in 2000 and What a Wonderful World in 2001. Use the cue sheet search link, above left in the navigation bar.