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Round Dance Tips by
Tim Eum—
Heel Turn
The heel turn is a general movement that is used in several figures. It
is the lady’s second step in a Telemark or a Double Reverse. It is the
man’s second step in an Open or Closed Impetus. A heel turn should
almost be automatic if a couple is in correct frame, if the man and
lady take their proper initial step with heel lead for man, if the man
leads with upper body turn (i.e., contra-body position), and if the
couple rotates as one unit while rising. Many dancers substitute a toe
pivot instead of correctly doing a heel turn. Although you can do this,
it changes your balance point and the feel of the figure, making it
less elegant.
The person doing the heel turn steps back with relaxed knees lowering
and contacting the floor first with the toe and then rolls back onto
the heel. But already the dancer should feel an upper-body frame turn
(Telemarks and Double Reverse turn left -- Open and Closed Impetus turn
right). The dancer will bring their free foot in beside their weighted
foot and rotate about 1/4 to 3/8 on the heel of the foot they stepped
back with, on step one. In a Telemark, the lady is stepping back and
rotating on step one with her right foot heel and bringing her left
foot beside with no weight. According to Roundalab the dancer now
transfers weight momentarily to the other heel (i.e. in a Telemark the
lady transfers weight from her right heel to her left heel) and almost
immediately rolls up onto the toe of that second step. The idea is that
the dancer rotates perhaps another 1/8 turn before rising up onto the
toe and completing whatever more turn is required. (Note that a Double
Reverse requires at least 5/8 to 3/4 heel turn). Note also that
although the heel turn is the “second” step in a Telemark, the movement
actually begins with rotation on the heel at the end of first step
(i.e. the back step). Also note that while the dancer is doing the heel
turn their partner will be taking their second step and rapidly rising
to full height (often in the waltz full height doesn’t occur till the
third step). This means that the heel rotation must be done early (end
of first step, first part of second step) and that the dancer must get
onto the toe of the second step soon enough to rise with partner.
There should be a hovering feeling as the couple completes the final
bit of the heel turn, ready to drift down into the third step of the
figure. Finally, the dancer should not turn independently but rather
stay in a good closed position (i.e. maintain good upper body frame
facing partner) throughout the entire heel turn. Even in a Telemark to
SCP, do not turn to SCP until after the heel turn is completed. Doing
this will result in the couple beautifully turning "as one".
Tim
Eum has
prepared many Round Dance Tips for Calls 'n' Cues,
WASCA, for his weekly Rocket Rounds email reports, and for
other
publications. DRDC is
grateful for permission to collect and reprint. A Tim Eum archive.
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