Move of the Week: Tick Tocks

This week we are teaching you Tick Tocks as our Move of the Week. A simple, but also very popular move in the Charleston.

Start off with your feet parallel. Keep your knees bent at all time and go really low.

If you want to travel to the right start by turning in your knees and feet and while turning out again slide a bit to your right side.
Turn your knees and feet in again, but this time while turning out lift your left foot off the floor. Make sure that you keep the position which you had on the floor and really flex your foot.

Then repeat the same to the left. Knees in and out, while moving to your left, but this time lift your right foot up.

Now to the arms. Hold them like a marionette and just mirror your knees and this is all you need to know for the Tick Tocks.

Move of the Week: The Hitchhike

You will never be without a lift with the hitchhike move, a travelling step which uses the classic thumb signal for hitching a ride.

The footwork is a simple step behind, so your travelling backwards. Its good to start by stepping back and bouncing. You need have a small pulse in each step you take.

Once you are comfortable with the pulse, add the swivel to your footwork. Each time you step back lift the heels out and when you place the foot, bring the heels in to create the swivel motion.

Interestingly a few of our students said they learnt to swivel through practicing this move.

Once the feet are moving in the right direction you can add the arms. When you travel, the same arms as leg is moving. So when you bring you right foot back, lift your right arm over your shoulder. The arms are moving as if your wiping your back with a towel.

You can also stylise the move by gently tilting the head of each move.

Fall on the Log: Move of the Week

This week we are looking at a move called Fall on the Log as the name implies there is a falling action. As you fall onto the standing leg, the other leg tucks behind to reveal the sole of the foot.

There are four transitions of weight, so if you begin on jumping onto your right leg, then turn sideways as you hop onto the left leg, then switch right, left.

The head should stay level and there is a sense of disconnection between the upper and lower body. From the hips down something fancy is happening but from the waste upwards you are hardly moving and looking relaxed.

The challenge in this move is practising it slowly but familiarise yourself with the weight changes and you can soon speed up and start to think about the style.

The initial jump or 'fall' should involve a twisting of the hips in mid air. It is this lock movement and the head not bobbing up and down which makes this move distinct from it's very close relative in the Hip Hop world which has exactly the same foot work but is called the top rock.

It's a really fun and fancy move and well worth taking the time to master.

Fall on the Log: Move of the Week

This week we are looking at a move called Fall on the Log as the name implies there is a falling action. As you fall onto the standing leg, the other leg tucks behind to reveal the sole of the foot.

There are four transitions of weight, so if you begin on jumping onto your right leg, then turn sideways as you hop onto the left leg, then switch right, left.

The head should stay level and there is a sense of disconnection between the upper and lower body. From the hips down something fancy is happening but from the waste upwards you are hardly moving and looking relaxed.

The challenge in this move is practising it slowly but familiarise yourself with the weight changes and you can soon speed up and start to think about the style.

The initial jump or 'fall' should involve a twisting of the hips in mid air. It is this lock movement and the head not bobbing up and down which makes this move distinct from it's very close relative in the Hip Hop world which has exactly the same foot work but is called the top rock.

It's a really fun and fancy move and well worth taking the time to master.

Move of the Week: The Hitchhike

You will never be without a lift with the hitchhike move, a travelling step which uses the classic thumb signal for hitching a ride.

The footwork is a simple step behind, so your travelling backwards. Its good to start by stepping back and bouncing. You need have a small pulse in each step you take.

Once you are comfortable with the pulse, add the swivel to your footwork. Each time you step back lift the heels out and when you place the foot, bring the heels in to create the swivel motion.

Interestingly a few of our students said they learnt to swivel through practicing this move.

Once the feet are moving in the right direction you can add the arms. When you travel, the same arms as leg is moving. So when you bring you right foot back, lift your right arm over your shoulder. The arms are moving as if your wiping your back with a towel.

You can also stylise the move by gently tilting the head of each move.

Move of the Week: Tick Tocks

This week we are teaching you Tick Tocks as our Move of the Week. A simple, but also very popular move in the Charleston.

Start off with your feet parallel. Keep your knees bent at all time and go really low.

If you want to travel to the right start by turning in your knees and feet and while turning out again slide a bit to your right side.
Turn your knees and feet in again, but this time while turning out lift your left foot off the floor. Make sure that you keep the position which you had on the floor and really flex your foot.

Then repeat the same to the left. Knees in and out, while moving to your left, but this time lift your right foot up.

Now to the arms. Hold them like a marionette and just mirror your knees and this is all you need to know for the Tick Tocks.

Move of the Week: Spank the Baby

For this week's Move of the Week, we are teaching you Spank the Baby. And I promise you, it's not as harsh as it sounds.

Begin with your feet together and then tap with your right foot to the side. Then bring your left foot in again.

While stepping together, bring your right foot up and hold it there. You can feel your body weight transferring onto the standing leg, which is, in this case, the left one.

Hold your arms like a teapot. While tapping to the side, push your arm in the direction you are travelling in.

When you are coming together pull your arm in as well and the other hand slaps on the bum of the standing leg.

It is exactly the same for travelling to the other side, so keep practising both sides, because in the end you will master tapping from side to side.

Move of the Week: Jazz Square

A Jazz Square might look tricky, but when broken down it is an easy step to learn.

Start off with a step forward on your left and then place your right foot across the left. Transfer your body weight on your right leg and then swiftly pull your left leg back and start pushing back.

Place your right foot parallel to the left foot and then start again! Yes, it is really that easy.

If you master the steps you could add in your arms and drag your right foot over the floor, while pushing back.

Just keep your knees slightly bent at all time and you will learn this move in no time!

Move of the Week: Bunny Hops

Bunny Hops is a nice simple move to put in any Charleston routine. All you need to do is bring your feet together and think about shunting them backwards and forwards whilst switching directions.

You need to think about keeping your knees and feet together and your keeping your knees bent. It’s really important to get the sense of dragging your feet forward and back.

Your arms are bent and flat palms either side of the chest or you can lift them above your head.

Move of the Week: The Charleston Scarecrow

This week we are covering one of the most iconic Charleston steps from the Roaring 20s: The Scarecrow. There is a great step to throw in whilst dancing and works particular well with Charleston kicks and a basic Charleston step.

Over the years, the basics of the step have always stayed the same. To start this move you need to kick your right leg on the diagonal towards the front left corner of the room and then slide the same leg back towards the back right corner of the room. After the sliding motion, you need to bring both legs together, contract in and pose like a scarecrow by popping your legs, bending your arms and relaxing your neck. Use your core to really strike a pose!

Once you have posed you then need to kick back of the position with your right leg to restart the kicking and sliding motion so you can repeat the sequence.

Below is some great original footage of the Scarecrow before by Al Minns & Leon James which was filmed 1950s/60s.