| Smooth (page 4) by shirasaya{W} Now you�re going to pull the right hand in toward your chest with the palm out, and snap the right hip back and up � this should be a hard movement so that it will really send the beads or coins or tassels on your belt flaring wildly � it�s also underscoring your dismissal. Then step forward with the right foot, bring the left hand in toward your chest, palm out while the right hand moves forward, and pop the left hip. It�s a simple step pop step pop step pop on alternating feet as you walk away � hand and hip moving together. As your right hip pops, look over your right shoulder. As your left hip pops, look over your left shoulder. You�ll take 4 steps and do 4 pops, walking away, then pivot to the right and do 4 basic Egyptians coming across the stage. At the end of that 8 count, turn to the front, and you�re ready for the last verse. Basic Egyptian falls under the category of hip and hand combinations. The legs and feet go as follows: take a step forward with the right foot, but don�t put any weight on it yet. As the toes hit the floor, do a hip lift on that hip. Then put your weight on the foot and bring the other one forward, doing a hip lift on it, and keep alternating as you move forward across the floor. Arms added to the feet look like this: the same arm as leg works. Both arms start above the head. When you step forward on the right and do the hip lift, bring the right arm down sharply by bending the elbow. Hip should �hit� at the same time the elbow �hits� almost as if you were trying to catch something between the hip and the elbow. When the elbow bends, it should not descend below about chin level, and it comes down in a straight line, so that it doesn�t block your face, nor does it pull down to the side. When you switch feet, switch arms, so the non working arm stays lifted over your head straight. On �I�ll tell you one thing� put your right foot slightly back, and turn your body to the left on a diagonal. The same push back that you did with your hip in the �wedding walk� you�re going to do again here. Push back, then push forward, then push back, then push forward. These should be sharp hip movements with a distinct snap to them, and you don�t want to rock your whole pelvis. You just want the right hip to be doing the work without your left getting too involved. Bring your feet together after the last snap forward by pulling the right foot in toward the stationary left, and do a body wave up � this starts as a pelvic roll that you let climb all the way up your spine. It�s also referred to as a corkscrew by some. On �if you would leave it�d be a crying shame� Turn to the opposite diagonal and leave your left foot slightly behind your right, repeating the snap back and forward 4 times, then moving into a pelvic roll and body wave. On �In every breath and every word� Do sunset arms as you sink to one knee. For sunset arms you need to raise your arms to your sides and then over your head� this should be a very slow, languid movement because you have a long time to finish it. Once your arms are over head, cross them at the wrists and bring them down in front of your face and then down the front of your body. Lower your lifted knee so that you�re on both knees instead of just one. On �I hear your name calling me out� you�ll be doing half snakes, also called �ripples� � these are like snake arms, only instead of going all the way up and all the way down, they go only part way up and down. Your hands should lift no more than a few inches up and a few inches down. When you do the half snakes this way, you need to put an emphasis on the shoulder roll that starts them, and from there you can add an upper body undulation to them. The upper body undulation is simply leaning to one side, back, to the other side, and straightening up. To start the half snake,lift your right shoulder and then your right arm, then let it drop, you lean to the right as your right shoulder drops. As the left shoulder lifts, your upper body leans to the back, and as the right shoulder lifts once more, it will pull you to the left and then up straight, where you can begin the whole circle over again. Right shoulder down, lean right, left shoulder shoulders level, lean back, left shoulder lifts, lean back, right shoulder lifts, pulling you out of the circle. Start this with just straight half snakes or ripples, and then add the upper body circle in. For the choreography, do 3 ripples, then a ripple layered with an upper body circle, three more ripples, and another ripple with an upper body circle. Back Go to page 5 |