COORDINATION:  REALITY CHECK
             Ten Steps Toward Better Coordination
                                      © Skippy Blair 7-07,  rev.10-07,  4-08

Coordination testing has proven to us, that there are specific techniques that can raise our physical and mental performance level.  Any dancer working toward a higher skill level, can continually raise their level of performance, by drilling the Rhythms and Movement techniques that produce the dance skills listed below.

 1.  Soft Shoe  -  “Flat & Toe Flat”  (Side to Side)  Movement Unit:  Down-Down  (Lilt)

2.  Truckin’  -   “Flat & Toe Fan Out”   (Single Track)   Movement Unit: Down-Down

3.  Contra-Body:  “&a Fwd  - & a Fwd”   (No Movement Unit)
            Foot:           &a Right  & a Left      
   Shoulder Back:          Right & a Left

4.  Lilt of the Samba - “Forward & Side Together- &a - Back & Side Together”  (Dn-Dn)

5.  Rolling Triples -  “Flat & Toe Flat”  &a “Flat & Toe Flat”  (Down-Down Lilt)

6.  Camel Hip - ( Boogie Hip) - used in Shorty George  - Weight Change takes place
      with the CPB directly over the Power Point of the weighted Foot (Same Hip Out)

7.  Cuban Hip  -  Weight Change takes place with the same Hip and the CPB  directly 
      over the Power Point of the weighted Foot.  (Opposite Hip Out)

8.  Controlled Hip  (Not Cuban, nor Camel) - just moving from the CENTER.

9.  Being able to Count Rolling Count, (out loud) accenting the PULSE of the dance in
     question.  (Sound of the voice should flow like a musical rhythm instrument)

10. Skipping   (Scoot of  the Skip is on the “a” count)  You may start skipping from a
       standing position, or start with the scoot, but the actual Skipping Unit is a:
               “Scoot Step & Scoot Step.”  -  The Movement Unit is:  "Down-Down" Lilt

This may seem like a very short list for such an expected step up in performance. 
However, the information is based on many years of teaching, testing, critiquing,
and judging performances.  Most dancers, even really good dancers, lack at least one,
if not two, of the fundamental coordination skills.  Many would be hard to detect because
 a select few dancers have already acquired so many of the coordination skills that things
they need to add are few.  They don’t need MORE to push the top of the list.

A Ballet Dancer can only stay at the top of their field by doing BASIC daily drills.  It is the
basics that are easiest to lose.  Fundamental moves, Foot Placements and Rhythms will
always need drilling, as long as you want to stay at the top of the heap.

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