steps to success . the value of medals . - an introduction . by Bob More . recent articles of steps to success , have been for beginners in the four standard English dances , and we have covered sufficient to enable the non-dancer of a few months back to now dance around in the average ballroom without feeling self-conscious and with just enough figures to avoid the monotony of repetition . in the dancing school it is usually when this stage is reached that the pupil is asked to move on to a different class of instruction ; either to an intermediate class , where an added variation is taught at each session , or to a bronze and silver medallist class , where time will be mainly spent in improving the style of dancing and the execution of the figures already learnt . the choice you make is sometimes determined by temperament , but is often determined by the type of dancing school you attend . the average person , attending for the first time , requires in most instances to learn enough to attend a dance and get round the floor , and probably regards it as rather a bind to have to attend a dancing school in order to do it . having enrolled , however , they usually make new friends very quickly . the instructors , surprisingly , are human , helpful , good humoured , and have the uncanny knack when partnering you to make you feel like a good dancer . before very long you are actually looking forward to your next visit , and the dancing school is by now referred to as the club your club ! then , if you were observant , when you attended a social or a party night at the school , where the different standards were mixed together , you noticed that some dancers appeared to stand out . not necessarily because they knew that latest variation with the hop , skip and jump , but because there was something about the way they poised their bodies ; the smooth , effortless way they moved across the floor , particularly in the slow foxtrot ; and their steps appeared to fit the music just that little bit better than other dancers on the floor . well , they are usually the medallists . maybe you feel the desire to be a good dancer , like the people whose dancing you admire ; maybe you just want to go on belonging to the club , or maybe , having been shown some of the medals and certificates other pupils have won , you feel it would be nice to have some like them yourself , but whatever the reason , if you decide to become a medallist , you can supplement your lessons in dance news , because steps to success will , for the next series concentrate on helping you to get that bronze medal . first of all , what is required to win this award ? to dance a few basic figures in waltz , slow foxtrot , and quickstep , with particular emphasis on footwork , timing and carriage of the body . one other thing : the examination fee . in the I.D.M.A this is 12 s 6 d . in most other societies the fee is a similar amount . you may say : why is it necessary to pay a fee to win a bronze medal ? well , it should be obvious that the days of fairy godmothers with magic wands are long since past , and the money has to come from somewhere . the fee , which is a modest sum by present day standards , provides the examiner &apos;s fee ( and he or she is usually one of the dancing profession &apos;s leading personalities ) ; the office staff to handle the organisational side of the examination ; the rent of the centre where the examination is conducted ( although this may be conducted at your teacher &apos;s school ) and , of course , the medal , certificate , report on your dancing , and in some instances a pin badge to wear in the lapel or as a tie pin . I think you will agree this represents good value for money . steps to success . the value of medals . by Bob More . pupils often ask , is it difficult to obtain a bronze medal , and as the late Professor Joad was heard to say many times on the radio brains trust , that depends on what you mean by difficult . I liken the bronze medal test to the first examination of the child learning English . the child , quite obviously , would not be expected to produce a composition , but would be expected to know the alphabet , where the full stops and commas are used , and be able to write in a legible manner , something like , the cat sat on the mat . the actual requirements for a bronze medal test are , that the candidate dances three dances , waltz , foxtrot and quickstep , with an amateur or professional partner , paying particular attention to the footwork , timing and alignment of the figures . in short , it is rather a test in understanding of the basic fundamentals of dancing , for without the correct foundation , nothing very worthwhile will be produced later . the figures used in the bronze test should not be difficult to elaborate . to use advanced figures , particularly if not danced well , can often result in a candidate being marked badly , so the first precept is , do n&apos;t do too much . better to remember the old maxim , little and good . the next problem is 1 ) does the teacher give the pupils a sequence of figures that progress completely round the room , or 2 ) a series of groups of figures , or 3 ) just teach the required figures and leave it to the pupil to amalgamate them as best they can . different teachers and schools have varied ideas on this . Margaret and I , particularly in the lower grade tests , always teach a sequence . argument against this , of course , is that the pupil &apos;s mind may go blank if they are nervous , and fail to produce any dancing at all , and it does sometimes happen . we think this is a lesser risk , however , than having a pupil get to a corner and forget how to get round it , when they have n&apos;t been given a sequence at all . here in the pages of dance news it is not entirely practicable to give a sequence of figures , for obviously , that which suits one shaped room , will not suit another . this we will endeavour to overcome by giving sequences to fit a comparatively small hall , and if you have the good fortune to be examined in a large hall . the waltz . taking the waltz first , a group of figures that really must be included are , natural turn , closed change and reverse turn , danced in that order , and referred to as the waltz basic amalgamation . this , in turn , could be followed by two figures , long beloved of all bronze medallists , the whisk , followed by the syncopated chasse , all of which have been described in recent steps to success . these figures should cover the long side of the room , and we now have to negotiate the first corner , but before doing this we will emphasise some of the things you must concentrate on showing in your dancing of the basic amalgamation . first and foremost requirement in the bronze medal test , correct footwork . for the gentleman and lady on their forward half of the natural and reverse turns , and for the gentleman on the closed change , this is 1 ) heel ; 2 ) toe ; 3 ) toe . when we say the first step is taken on the heel , we mean the toe of this foot should be clear of the floor almost as soon as the foot moves forward , and , in fact , as the foot moves forward the distance between the floor and the toes should be gradually increasing . this we refer to as a heel lead . a regular comment from examiners on bronze medal test reports is , some heel leads missed , which means , instead of the leading steps being taken as I have just described , the foot is pushed across the floor with the feet flat , or , worse still , with the toe in contact with the floor , and the heel raised . as the foot moves forward and is placed on the heel , the back heel should be allowed to rise easily , and naturally , then as the weight transfers to the front foot , and you rise on to it , retain light pressure ( not weight ) on the toe of the back foot as it moves to the side for step 2 . this will give a controlled movement . similarly , as the foot closes on the third step , retain pressure ( not weight ) on the toe of the moving foot as the close is made , then lower heel of the supporting foot as the next step is taken . steps to success . the value of medals . by Bob More . in last week &apos;s lesson we spoke about the footwork on forward movements in the waltz basic amalgamation . this week we will talk about movement and floor coverage on these figures ; that is , natural turn , closed change and reverse turn . floor coverage is a topic on which many dancers have the wrong ideas , for to achieve good floor coverage it is not essential to take long steps . in fact , for a short person to overstride in an endeavour to cover a lot of ground will tend to unbalance the couple and make the movements unrhythmical . of greater importance than length of stride is that the steps should be taken in the correct direction , and to do this we must turn the correct amount between the steps of a figure . the natural turn should commence facing diagonally to the wall and end facing diagonally to the centre . the following closed change will therefore commence facing diagonally to the centre and end in the same direction . following this , the reverse turn will therefore commence facing diagonally to the centre and should end facing diagonally to the wall . inexperienced dancers often have difficulty in ending the natural turn in the correct alignment ; facing centre instead of diagonally to centre , and on the reverse turn they will often end facing wall instead of diagonally to wall . it is usually the man who is at fault , and the fault is , failure to turn the hips sufficiently between steps 5-6 . the correct alignments for the last half of the natural turn ( steps 4-6 ) , is : 4 ) backing down the room . 5 ) pointing diag to centre . 6 ) facing diag to centre . on step 5 the toe must turn out , and the foot turns more than the body . on step 6 the body must continue turning , to face where the feet point . the same applies on the 2nd half reverse turn , but here the alignments are : 4 ) backing down the room . 5 ) pointing diag to wall . 6 ) facing diag to wall . attention to these points of alignment will produce more effective movement . also of help in covering the floor is correct footwork , which we stressed last week , and correct rise and fall . the normal rise and fall in the waltz basic amalgamation is : down as the first step in the bar is taken ; commence to rise at the end of this step , as you take the second step , and then continue to rise as the feet close on the third step . remember , though , if you step back on the first beat of a bar ( gentleman 4th step of natural and reverse turns , lady 1st step of natural and reverse turns ) you commence to rise in the body only . the heel of the foot remaining in contact with the floor , until after the second step is positioned . before leaving the basic waltz figures , there is one more point we must emphasise . a not infrequent comment examiners find obliged to make on examination reports is , some closes could be neater . the feet should be closed with the heels and toes level . inexperienced dancers often find this difficult , the gentleman tending to close the foot forward , the lady backwards , instead of together . this can usually be corrected by taking more care with the position of the step preceding the close . the bronze medallist should think of the three foot movements in these basic figures as : 1 ) forward ; 2 ) side ; 3 ) close ; or 1 ) back ; 2 ) side ; 3 ) close . 