Standard Practice

A quick, healthy guide to those "Oops" moments in practice.

#JustStandardThings

Your Contra Check lands right on the climax of the Tango

Having a Natural Turn immediately after the crescendo of the Waltz

A judge sees you check and change directions beautifully to avoid another couple, but really it was in your choreography

When the Waltz has a super long intro with no beat, so you guess and go for it, then find out once the percussion starts that you were right

Your Pepper Pots and Scatters line up perfectly with the percussion/dominant instrument

Partner says they want to try a slight adjustment in the frame, then everything just FITS

Getting through the whole Viennese Waltz without a sore shoulder

Some couple cuts off your exit, so you're forced to make your line EXTRA ELEGANT

There are three couples in front as you switch to promenade, and you've got a running-from-promenade figure, and there's JUST ENOUGH SPACE to make your floorcraft look BOSS

Getting through your whole routine in the Semi without any unplanned stops or changes

The other couple's feather crashes just a moment before yours

You took 4th or 5th, but some judge marked you first in Waltz

Exiting the Fleckerl together at the same time

Being in the middle of a reverse-turning figure as the music fades

Getting one wide open long wall at your favorite part of your routine

That floor is just the right mix of sticky, slippery, and springy

Travelling coach frames up with you, asks you to make an adjustment, then exclaims, "Yes! Good!"

Nobody in the way for your Reverse Wave

That more-complicated, cooler-looking figure is somehow easier and fits better than that one part of the routine that you hate

Somebody got that perfect picture of you in split-weight position

The progressive link felt TIGHT and STILL

Working on Travelling today, and the studio's almost empty

Seeing a pro smooth dancer take closed frame and going "psh"