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I walked away from my conversation with LC Henderson with a different understanding, a wealth of new knowledge and excitement about his visual expression of the 8 count concept. If you have ever seen his diagrams you know exactly what I am talking about when I say his visual expression of the 8 count. 3 lines of infographics, simply put, conveyed every step and pause of the 8 count and I got it – easily. There are 6 takeaways from my 60 minutes that I want to share with you.

I Know and “Understand the Basic

Know the 8 steps but why are there 8 why not 4, 6 or any other number. And, with all that we see on the dance floor, realize there are three fundamentals to the dance – your basic, a left turn and a right turn. Easy? Right? Don’t over think it. This new way to see the dance simplified some things and helped me understand the logic behind the counts and steps.

Express the pause

It only hit home for me now, the gravity of my problem with the pause. Whether I am dancing fast or slow, men I dance with sometimes say, “slow down, don’t race through your steps.”  Well, dang I wasn’t really pausing. LC helped me understand how to express the pause and actually pause instead of dragging out my three or my six to stay on the beat or simply blowing through them and catching up some other way.

Build a solid foundation

Solidify your basic before trying to layer anything on top of it. I know it seems obvious but a lot of steppers are taking workshops to do combinations, mis-directions, and spins when the foundation isn’t there yet. Do not build a house of cards. I think those are the best words to express the idea. Take the time to build a foundation as solid as a rock. That might be all it takes to make anyone want to see you dance.

Where you place your feet is as important as staying on beat

So you have the count and you’re staying on beat.  Then, why is my partner struggling to execute the next move or reaching for me when I took all eight steps and I know I am still on the beat?  Well, after executing turns and other moves with LC repetitiously and taking his cues on foot placements using the hands of the clock as a reference, I was proud of my immediate progress on turns and had to brush my shoulders off for that.

Have good examples to see visual effect

LC gave me references both male and female to watch on video or in-person to understand what a particular move should look like.  He shared specific videos to watch.  Most importantly, he showed me small nuances in the dance that women do that were authentic to steppin’ “Chicago Style.”  I am watching continuously and making changes and taking them to the dance floor at “every” set I go to.

Practice

Keep on practicing. Oh, LC is watching to see if anything he has poured into me, takes life in my dance.  Slowly but surely it is coming to fruition. And he definitely gave me the dance of my life to make me prove it only hours after our talk.  I even made it through the trio with LC and Tim Alexander so I think I passed that night.  I know I have lots of work to do yet.  As I said before, your instructor is watching to see your progress.

These lessons stay with me because LC broke down the dance without breaking me down – well just a little bit. Now, I didn’t divulge all the details here of everything I learned from LC. This is intentionally general but hopefully interesting enough to pique your curiosity and give you something to walk away with.  If you want to know it all, talk to LC Henderson or take a class or private with him if you can.  And for newer steppers that don’t know the name, his face or accolades, please see this page to learn more about Who is LC Henderson?