LINEDANCE TERMINOLOGY -B-C-
BACK - To the back of the dancer
BACK BEAT - A syncopated musical accent on the upbeat between the 1-2, and between 3-4 (1&2)(3&4)
BALANCE - A state of equilibrium or body stability. To keep the center of mass over the support base
BALANCE STEP - A step in any direction, followed by a Close (no weight) and a Hold
BALL CHANGE - A quick change of weight from the ball of one foot to the ball of the other foot. This move is usually preceded by either a kick or a heel touch
BALLROOM - See PARTNER DANCE POSITIONS - TRADITIONAL on the Kickit website (click on Kickit link at top of page)
BANJO - See PARTNER DANCE POSITIONS - PARALLEL on the Kickit website (click on Kickit link at top of page)
BAR - In sheet music, a vertical line that separates measures. In music jargon, a "bar" is a measure of music; hence "12 bar blues" means there are 12 measures of music in a verse. See MEASURE
BOOGIE - see HIP BOOGIE
BOOGIE WALK - Move your free leg by lifting your hip and stepping forward
BOOT HOOK - See HOOK
BOX STEP - See JAZZ BOX and also explanatory description Jazz Square
BPM - Beats Per Minute. Calculated by determining the number of beats in a 60 second timeframe.
BREAK - A Change Or Reverse Of Direction
BRONCO - With weight on your Left, touch Right toe to right side. Hitch Right knee in front of Left knee. You can slap your Right knee with your Left hand if you wish. This term is widely used in Australia.
BRONCO TWIST - Another Australian Dance Term:
R) With weight on your Left heel and ball of your Right foot twist heels to the right side and return to center position.
L) With weight on your Right heel and ball of your Left foot twist heels to the left side and return to center position.
BRUSH - A smooth swing of the leg to the front or back. As the leg swings, the foot lightly brushes the floor. Since a brush takes one count and leaves the foot in the air,another move/count is required to return the foot to the floor
BRUSH UP - An Australian term used to describe a Right or Left foot step move as follows. For a Brush Up (R):
Feet together, touch Right heel forward at a 45 degree angle, lift to Lleft shin, touch heel forward at 45 degree angle and replace together.
BUMP - Dancers bump hips to the side or with their partner. See also HIP SWIVEL
BUTTERFLY - See HEEL SPLITS
BUTTERMILKS - See HEEL SPLITS
CAMEL WALK - Move the knee of your weighted leg forward by raising your heel off the floor and then returning it to the floor (A KNEE POP). Then follow this by stepping forward with your free leg while keeping your knee straight.
Australian Variation:Step forward at 45 degrees onto Right foot thrusting Right hip forward, drap Left foot together with hand clap straightening body.
CAPE POSITION - Woman stands to the right of the man. The man holds the woman's Left hand with his Left hand in front of the woman's Left shoulder. The man crosses his Right arm behind the woman and holds her Right hand with his Right hand in front of the woman's Right shoulder. The man's arm is held just above the woman's shoulder. The couple face the line of dance. Also called by SWEETHEART POSITION, OPEN SOCIAL POSITION, PROMENADE POSITION or SIDE OPEN POSITION.
Variation Of The Sweetheart/Side-By-Side Position: Dancers are side by side with the lady to the right and "slightly in front of the man". The man's Right arm extends across the lady's back with the Right forearm resting lightly on the lady's Right shoulder and the man's Right fingertips touching the lady's Right fingertips with her Right hand raised to shoulder level, palm facing forward. The lady's Left arm is extended to the left in front of the man with her Left hand (palm down) resting in the man's Left hand (palm up) almost "directly in front of the man's belt buckle". In this position, with the lady slightly in front of the man and with a space between partners, the lady has room to turn, spin or step sideways without bumping or interfering with the man.
CBM - Contra Body Movement
CENTER - Both feet together with toes pointing forward.
CHA CHA STEP - A CHA CHA STEP involes a Contra hip movement (Cuban Hip) and is more of a weight change than a foot movement, although foot movement can occur. A CHA CHA CHA and a SHUFFLE are not interchangeable. They are two distinctly different steps done in the same rhythm (1 & 2 or 3 & 4). However, the terms CHA CHA CHA & SHUFFLE are sometimes confusingly used to mean the same thing so be warned! See also SHUFFLE
CHA CHA CHA - See CHA CHA STEP & SHUFFLE
CHANGE OF WEIGHT - Moving the weight from your weighted leg to your free leg
CHARLESTON - A 4-count step pattern. The pattern is step forward with the Left foot, kick the Right foot forward, step back on the Right foot, touch the Left toe behind, or vice versa, while swivelling the feet in and out.
CHICKENS - See HEEL SPLITS
CHUG - A scoot forward or sideways on one foot while the other foot is held in a raised position. Also called a SCOOT, KOOCH or a HOP.
CLOSE - To bring the feet together without a change of weight
COASTER STEPS - Triple step takes up 2 counts of music. Count is 1 & 2
Left Coaster
1. Step back with left foot & step back with right foot
2. Step forward with left foot
Right Coaster
1. Step back with right foot & step back left foot
2. Step forward with right foot
CONTRA DANCE - A progressive social dance to liven old-time reels & jigs in sets made of several minor sets of two couples each. A 64-beat dance of square dance-like figures is performed in the minor set, after which each couple progresses to make new minor sets, and the dance repeats.
In Line Dancing the term "Contra Line Dance" is used to describe a dance in which two lines of dancers face each other. The term "Contra", a Latin prefix, literally means against or opposed to. The French and German equivalents being "Contre" and "Kontra" respectively.
CONTREDANSE - French Country Dance reaching its height of popularity in the 18th Century.
COUNT - Used to describe the "Counting" of foot movements, weight changes or beats of music.
CPB - Center Point Of Balance
CROSS - The free foot will step across in front or behind the opposite foot. A CROSS STEP is most generally accepted as stepping across "In Front" of the other foot. If the foot goes behind the other foot, the most accepted call is a "HOOK" (don't confuse with a boot hook where the foot is raised in front of the other shin).
CROSS-BALL-CHANGE - See SAILOR STEP description
CUBAN HIP - See CHA CHA STEP
CW - Clock Wise (To Your Right!)
CCW - Counter Clock Wise (To Your Left!)