Ballroom Guide

Floorcraft is one of the most important skills to possess. If you find yourself on the competition floor and somebody is blocking you from continuing your routine, having a plan of how to adjust will keep you looking smooth and graceful. On the other hand, if you get flustered, freeze up, or get into a collision, the judges will all look somewhere else, and you may lose your spot in the next round. In a previous BGBB article, we talked about some basic figures in each dance that could be used to avoid collisions (called dodgers), but today we are going to go in depth into Waltz and give you Syllabus-legal dodgers for every situation you could find yourself in.

Also, check out Syllabus Waltz Dodgers, Syllabus Tango Dodgers and Syllabus Foxtrot Dodgers.

What are Dodgers

When an obstacle on the floor interrupts your routine, the best course of action is to curve your routine to avoid it, without changing the routine itself, however, sometimes that is impossible. In this situation, the routine must change to avoid colliding with the obstacle. A dodger is a single figure or short combination of figures that you can use at a point in your routine to avoid collision, which then returns you to that same point in your routine. Dodgers should be practiced so that when the Man uses one all of a sudden, the Lady is familiar enough with the pattern that she can follow it without hesitation.

You should have a dodger for each of the following situations, which are the most common:

Natural Figures Moving Forward
1) Forward on the RF, facing DW
2) Forward on the RF, facing DC

Reverse Figures Moving Forward
3) Forward on the LF, facing DW
4) Forward on the LF, facing DC

Natural Figures Moving Back
5) Back on the LF, backing LOD
6) Back on the LF, backing LOD, Lady OP

Reverse Figures Moving Back
7) Back on the RF, backing LOD

Below you will find multiple options of what to do next for each of the 7 situations listed. Choose only one and practice it, so you can fall back on it without thinking when the time comes.

Ballroom Guide's Choice: Top 3 Waltz Dodgers

You may will notice many of the same figures being used over and over. These figures are invaluable for floorcraft, due to their versatility, and being comfortable with them will allow you to get out of any situation. In particular, become familiar with the Fishtail, the Change of Direction, and the Closed Impetus.

1. Forward on the RF, facing DW

You have just danced a Progressive Chasse, and you would like to dance a Forward Lock, but there is an obstacle in your way.

Option 1 (Bronze): Dance a Quarter Turn to the Right, followed by a Progressive Chasse to continue with your routine

Option 2 (Silver): Dance a Fishtail, then continue with your routine

Option 3 (Gold): Step RF forward OP, then LF back with Lady Outside (counted S S) into Four Quick Run or Six Quick Run to continue with your routine

2. Forward on the RF, facing DC

You have just danced a Running Finish moving toward DC, and you would like to dance a Forward Lock, but there is an obstacle in your way.

Option 1 (Silver): Dance a Fishtail, then continue with your routine

3. Forward on the LF, facing DW

This is an interesting scenario. Let's say you have just danced a Double Reverse Spin ended facing DW. In this case, the only figures you may follow this with are themselves good dodgers, such as the Change of Direction (Bronze), the Cross Chasse (Bronze), and the Cross Swivel (Gold). If it is too congested even to dance any of these figures, the best course of action is just to wait.

4. Forward on the LF, facing DC

You have just danced Double Reverse Spin, and you would like to dance a Closed Telemark, but there is an obstacle in your way.

Option 1 (Bronze):  Underturn the Double Reverse Spin to end facing DW, followed by a Change of Direction, the final step of the Change of Direction becoming the first step of the Closed Telemark

Option 2 (Gold): Underturn the Double Reverse Spin to end facing DW, followed by a Cross Swivel, then step RF OP to continue with your routine

5. Back on the LF, backing LOD

You have just danced 1-3 of a Natural Turn, and you would like to dance a Tipple Chasse, but there is an obstacle in your way.

Option 1 (Bronze): Dance a Closed Impetus, followed by a Progressive Chasse in place of the Tipple Chasse

Option 2 (Silver): Underturn the Natural Turn to end backing DC, then dance a V6 in place of the Tipple Chasse

Option 3 (Gold): Dance a Closed Impetus, followed by Four Quick Run or Six Quick Run in place of the Tipple Chasse

6. Back on the LF, backing LOD, Lady OP

You have just danced a Progressive Chasse to the Right, and you would like to continue with a Back Lock, but there is an obstacle in your way.

Option 1 (Bronze): Dance a Tipple Chasse, taking very small steps and maneuvering around the obstacle, then continue with a new figure

Option 2 (Bronze): Dance a Closed Impetus, step 1 Lady Outside, then continue with a new figure

7. Back on the RF, backing LOD

You have just danced a Quick Open Reverse, and you would like to dance a Progressive Chasse, but there is an obstacle in your way.

Option 1 (PreBronze): Dance a Heel Pivot (Quarter Turn to L) in place of the Progressive Chasse

Option 2 (Bronze): Dance a Reverse Pivot, followed by a Cross Chasse in place of the Progressive Chasse

Option 3 (Gold): Dance a Hover Corte, followed by a Tipple Chasse without turn in place of the Progressive Chasse

Option 4 (Gold): Dance a Hover Corte, followed by a Running Finish without turn in place of the Progressive Chasse