Travel Steps Study Guide 2.2: Foundations, Steps and Holds

Foundation Concepts and Terminology: Breaking Down Footwork into Steps and Holds

On any count of music, the movement in the body may be described as a step, a full transfer of weight from one foot to the other, or a hold. During a hold, movement may continue in the body, but weight does not transfer.

Layering Steps with Movement

Weighted Hipwork

Upper Body Isolations

Sways

A step may be layered with weighted hip pushes, lifts, or other movements of the weighted hip, with isolations in the upper body, and with large full torso undulations, that sway to the side or back.

Layering Holds with Movement

Push

Pull

Touch

Knee-Lift

Extension

Heel-Lift

Hop

Heel Drop

Pivot

Unweighted Hipwork

During a hold, a dancer may perform weighted hipwork or upper body isolations in place, but she is also free to push the free foot out or pull it in, touch the free foot, lift the knee, or extend the unweighted leg. A weight transfer forward onto the ball of the foot or back onto the heel also allows movement of the weight-bearing foot during a hold: A heel lift floats the body up to create a level change or lifts the free foot from a touch to an extension; a hop lifts the foot entirely from the floor; a heel drop marks the beat of the music with a heavy accent. A pivot is a rotation on the ball or heel of the weight-bearing foot. In belly dance, movements of the unweighted leg, heel lifts and drops, and pivots are occasionally used alone, but are more commonly layered with one another and with unweighted hip movement, such as unweighted hip lifts, drops, twists, unweighted circling or undulating movements, or rotations of the leg in the socket of the unweighted hip joint.

Step-Hold

Step-Hip

Step-Touch

Step-Knee-Lift

Step-Extend

Step-Pivot

A step-hold is a 2-part sequence of a step, followed by a hold. Either the step or hold in a step-hold sequence may be layered with additional movement. The combinations frequently called “step-hip” are variations on step-hold, created from a touch layered with an unweighted hip movement. In addition to step-touch and step-hip, other variations include step-knee-lift, step-extend, and step-pivot. In choreography, step-hold sequences are often timed with a step on count 1, but if the body is already in position count 1 may be a hold. For instance, step-hip can be danced as hip-step, with a “hip” on count one, and a step on 2.

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