Jive Technique

Timing

• • 6 count timing: 1a  2  3a  4  5  6  (Beat value: 3/4 1/4  1  3/4 1/4  1  1  1)

    • Common mistake is to dance 1/2 1/2  1  1/2 1/2 1 1 1)

    • Accent on the "2"s (i.e. 2, 4, 6 - contract and kick)

  • 8 count timing: 1a  2  3  4  5a  6  7  8  (Beat value: 3/4 1/4  1  1  3/4 1/4  1  1  1)

Posture

• • Both feet always inside edge, it hurts more than the other Latin dances.

  • Weight is on ball of feet. Lean body pitched slightly forward. Butt sticking out a bit, but not exaggerated. 

  • The head stays in one place, the hips and the feet swing from side to side.

Basic Actions

• • Jive actions are more compact. No Rumba style figure 8, there is no time. Just pendulum action from side to side, not diagonal forward like Rumba. 

  • Knees are inward.  

  • Chasse: Ball - Ball Change action. Example start with RF chasse to right:

    • Timing: 3/4 1/4 1 (3a  4)

    • Feet IE of foot first, not Whole Foot. 

    • Thighs tight toward center.

    • 1st side step: very small step, almost next to the other foot, only as much as you can swing the hips under shoulder.

    • Body leading to side first, while hip is still left "behind", body and hip counter balance each other, opposition.

    • 3&: on &: has small, tiny, impulse of tummy contraction action (without involving shoulder), the contraction pull the trailing foot in on 'a' next.  The scooping action with center tummy makes the other foot move/close. 

    • a: move the trailing foot next to standing foot.

    • 4: finishing chasse, not on straight leg, but on soft knee, slower, smoother, change of hip swing and direction. 

      • &: free knee up (L knee), articulate LF down, while body slightly fwd, R heel up

  • Rock step (Link):

    • very small, no time for big step. straighten the leg, but do not lock the knee.

    • do not move body weight all the way back, leave weight forward, front knee bent. back foot just kisses the floor.

  • "Hop" is on accent (end of 2 4 6)

    • Contract core (abs). The standing foot will slide slightly back as a result.

    • Imagine getting mud off the shoe. Weight forward. Knee up, point foot, hip tilt back, kick your own bottom, leg bounce off.

  • "Swing" action: This is not a simple side to side action. It contains both pendulum and metronome action.

    • 1: downward, pendulum

    • a: metronome to make a a little circle and come down again

    • 2: pendulum up again

  • Kick-Ball-Change

    • This is often used in place of basic rock action.

    • Example: kick ball change on R side:

      • Previous beat 'a': contract, 'hop': LF slide slightly back, lift R leg, R knee up, RF kick bottom, tilt hip, upper body forward, height of the head should not change (head should not pop up much).

      • 1: kick leg straight (downward action)

      • a: Ball: Partial weight on ball of RF, contract and LF will "hitch", kick bottom, getting mud off shoe before stepping forward in next step.

      • 2: Change step: place on LF underneath the spine, directly drop down with weight, much quicker (than popping and then down)

Warmup Exercise

Start with weight on RF, LF free.

• • Chasse to Left (1a 2), Chasse to Right (3a 4). Repeat 1 time (5a6 7a 8)

  • Chasse forward (1a 2, 3a 4, 5a 6, 7a 8)

  • LF Forward kick (1), side kick(2), Sailor Shuffle (LF cross behind RF, RF closes to LF, LF step to side. Timing: 3a 4)

  • RF Forward kick (1) , side kick (2), Sailor Shuffle (RF cross behind LF, LF closes to RF, RF step to side. Timing: 3a 4)

  • Repeat forward/side kick/sailor shuffle 1 time. (1 2 3a 4, 5 6 7a 8)

  • Chasse backward (1a 2, 3a 4, 5a 6, 7a 8)

  • LF Backward kick (1), side kick(2), Sailor Shuffle (LF cross behind RF, RF closes to LF, LF step to side. Timing: 3a 4)

  • RF Backward kick (1) , side kick (2), Sailor Shuffle (RF cross behind LF, LF closes to RF, RF step to side. Timing: 3a 4)

  • Repeat backward/side kick/sailor shuffle 1 time. (1 2 3a 4, 5 6 7a 8)

[Repeat whole combination again.]

Variation: Forward/side/cross back slow, then fast; back/side/cross forward slow, then fast

• • LF forward kick (1), side kick (2), LF cross behind RF, hold (3 4) with weight

  • RF forward kick (5), side kick (6), RF cross behind LF, hold ( 7 8) with weight

  • LF forward kick (1), side kick (2), LF cross behind RF (a), RF forward kick (3), RF side kick (4), RF cross behind LF (a)

  • Repeat: LF forward kick (1), side kick (2), LF cross behind RF (a), RF forward kick (3), RF side kick (4), RF cross behind LF (a)

  • LF back kick (1), side kick (2), LF cross in front of RF (3 4) with weight

  • RF back kick (1), side kick (2), RF cross in front of LF (3 4) with weight

  • LF back kick (1), side kick (2), LF cross in front of RF (a), RF kick back (3), RF side kick (4), RF cross in front of LF (a)

  • Repeat: LF back kick (1), side kick (2), LF cross in front of RF (a), RF kick back (3), RF side kick (4), RF cross in front of LF (a)