Lindy Turn with Follower Turn Anticlockwise

This move adds an anticlockwise turn for the follower to the end of a Lindy Turn. This turn starts at the point when the follower would normally turn 180° right to face the leader; instead, she turns 180° left under her right hand to face the leader. Because the follower is only turning 180°, this is the easiest turning variant of a Lindy Turn—in effect, this move is a Lindy Turn combined with the Changing Places move.

front view reverse view detail
1. M:BL W:TweFR Start from an open position, with the leader's left hand holding the follower's right hand. The leader takes a step backward on his left foot, momentarily rocking his weight back onto that foot. The follower steps slightly forward on her right foot with a twist step.
2. M:RR W:TwFL The leader replaces his weight on his right foot, rocking back forwards. The leader begins to draw his left hand toward himself to lead the follower to step towards him. The follower steps forward on her left foot with a twist step.
3. M:FL2R W:FR2R The leader steps forward on his left foot; the leader's right hand moves to hold the follower's back. The leader continues the movement of his left hand towards himself by moving it to his left, so that his left hand has moved through a J shape. The follower steps forward on her right foot and lifts her left hand to place it on the leader's right shoulder.
&. M:TR1R W:TL1R The leader closes his right foot to his left foot, continuing to turn slightly to his right. The follower closes her left foot to her right foot, continuing to turn slightly to her right. The leader's and the follower's bodies should face each other straight on with some distance between them, forming a frame. Avoid ending up side by side.
4. M:FL1R W:FR1R The leader steps forward on his left foot, turning another slightly right and then starts to pull his right hand towards himself to lead the follower to step forwards on the next beat. The follower steps forward on her right foot, turning another slightly right. At the end of this beat the dancers are facing in the opposite direction to where they started. (image: leader starts to lift hand)
5. M:HR2R W:FL The leader takes a step with his right foot back and behind his other foot, continuing to turn another 90° to his right, lifting the follower's right hand with his left hand to head height, in front of her face. The leader pulls the follower towards himself with right hand and lets go. The follower takes a step forward on her left foot. (image: leader's left hand position)
6. M:eFL2R W:FR2L The leader steps slightly forward on his left foot, turning another 90° right, staying slightly closer to the follower than for a normal Lindy Turn. As the follower travels in front of the leader, he lifts his left arm over her head. The follower steps forward on her right foot. As the follower steps past the leader, her right arm wraps across her body so her right hand is at her left shoulder, and this triggers the turn. (image: follower's hand to her left shoulder)
7. M:TR W:TL2L The leader closes his right foot to his left foot. The follower closes her left foot to her right foot, continuing to turn another 90° to her left.
&. M:TL W:TR The leader closes his left foot to his right foot. The follower closes her right foot to her left foot.
8. M:RR W:RL The leader replaces his weight on his right foot. The follower replaces her weight on her left foot.
 
 
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Welcome

Welcome to an incomplete book about Lindy Hop.

I wrote the text here five years ago, based on my notes from when I was originally learning Lindy Hop in the mid-1990s. My original plan was to take a large number of illustrative photographs, which would make the bare text much more comprehensible.

However, that was five years ago and I've not gotten as far as taking a single photograph. So rather than waiting any longer, I thought it worth releasing the text as-is, in case it's useful to anyone else.

I'd interested to hear any feedback, but unfortunately I can't promise to do much about it.

And maybe one day I'll get as far as illustrating the book, and creating the originally-intended printed version:

This book is dedicated to the memory of Frankie Manning (1914-2009), Ambassador of Lindy Hop.

David Drysdale
November 2012

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