Pacifica Foxtrot
Note: the Dore' Foxtrot an all forward dance has steps reminiscent of the Pacifica Foxtrot
THE PACIFICA FOXTROT—WHAT IS THIS DANCE ALL ABOUT? - By Eli Graham
If you skate Man's part alone, it is a simple silver bar dance. If you skate Lady's part alone it is a silver bar dance plus a counter. They are easy. It is only when you skate it as a couple that the real difficulty becomes obvious. At first, Lady's OB counter seems to be the hard part. No. That is the showpiece. The first inside lobe is very much like the straightaway of the Highland Schottische. It's showy and fun to skate. However it is at the end of step 3 (LOIF-ROB Cr) that the trouble begins. After the counter, the skaters are side by side. This means that Man must skate a longer distance than Lady, and thus should be skating faster—but he isn't. Steps 4 and 5, the outer lobe, makes the problem worse. Any chance Man has to catch up and then move ahead in preparation for his coming mohawk is stopped because Man's step is ROF. In order to get any power he must hook out at the end of his LOIF, but he can't because Lady is doing a RIF, hooking in at the end of her counter step. The skaters are leaning into each other, cancelling out any hope of power. Thus Man is dropping back. Steps 4 and 5, an outer lobe, increase the problem. Man is getting ready to do his outer mohawk. To do the mohawk he must be well ahead of Lady so they will be tracking when he begins his ROB, step 6. In order to get to his mohawk, he must move up from alongside Lady at the counter--but moving slower—to pass Lady and move well ahead of her for the mohawk—all with no power strokes. All intervening steps with both partners struggling against each other because they must hook the ends of their steps in opposite directions, cancel out each other's momentum. Steps 7 through 9—no problem. Suddenly at step 10 problems return. Man skates ROF, Lady LOB. At the end of her step she hooks back to get ready for her RIF. But Man will be skating LOF so he must hook in, to get any power. Again their opposite hooks cancel each other out. But, Lady must move ahead to prepare for her LOF 3. She has 1 beat of music to get into position for her 3-turn. You get the idea in all this, easier to say than to do. The rest of the dance is easy enough, but the whole dance must be skated at roughly the same speed, with a smile, not showing jaw-clenching tension and lots of sweat. Good luck! Oh, I almost forgot. “So, how do we do this dance successfully,” you ask. Two ways: You could wimp out and change your edges in the problem steps to get power—and thus fail your gold medal test instantly and be laughed off the floor in a competition—OR you can accept the reality that you are not going to get enough power from the strokes I have been talking about, and use your hands and arms to help you get through it. At the end of step 3, the counter etc., Lady begins firmly pushing Man ahead of her so he can do his approaching mohawk; and at step 11, LOF Man. RIF Lady, Man pushes Lady ahead for her LOF 3. It all sounds simple, but is harder to actually do—especially in the steps following the counter. The pushing is the key to the Pacifica, and also taking advantage of what power strokes you have—basically steps 1 to 3 and steps 13 to 17 at the end of the dance—to get you through the problems. Of course don't make it obvious you are pushing each other around. It's a dance, not a wrestling match. |
source: 2021 Second Edition RSA American Style Gold Tests used by AARS
source: 1973 USAC/RS American Roller Skate Dancing Part II
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