imported>FiddleheadLady: Adding short description: "Dance move"

2024-02-02T03:20:06Z

New page

{{Short description|Dance move}}
{{Refimprove|date=March 2019}}
'''Chicken walks''' is a [[dance move]] that is most frequently used in [[swing (dance)|swing]] dances, such as [[East Coast Swing]], [[West Coast Swing]] and [[Jive (dance)|jive]].<ref>[http://www.emotionsdancesport.com/jive/chicken_walks.htm Chicken Walks step in Jive]</ref> Sometimes they can be seen incorporated in [[Samba (Brazilian dance)|samba]] (where they are known as "plaits").

The chicken walks steps are similar from both feet. The basic way of performing chicken walks may be described as follows.

Initial position: knees slightly bent, weight on one, say, left foot.
*On count 1, slide the moving (right) foot straight forward without weight, while turning hips and shoulders to the right (kind of [[contra body movement]]). The right toe is in contact with the floor all the time.
*On count 2, transfer the weight onto the right foot (keeping knees bent), at the same time do the same what was described on count 1, but with opposite feet.
*Repeat

The basic chicken walks may be styled into a great variety of moves:
*the dancer may lean backwards;
*the walks may be done with kind of [[Charleston (dance)|charleston]] bobbing;
*the support foot may swivel at the moment of weight transfer *in* the direction of the forthcoming body turn;
*as a result of the swivels just described, the steps may be done in outward-diagonal directions, etc.

Chicken walks are almost never done by both partners simultaneously. Almost always, the follower does the chicken while the leader leads.

[[connection (dance)|Dance connection]] may vary.
* The leader may walk backwards pretending that they are pulling the follower, while the follower is doing chicken walks.
* Assuming the [[Ballroom glossary#Shadow position|shadow position]] (with any [[Ballroom glossary#Handhold|handhold]]), the leader leads the follower into chicken walks.
* The leader does chicken walks while the follower pretends to push the leader from behind while doing [[swivel walks]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Social dance steps]]
[[Category:Swing dance moves]]

Chicken walks - Revision history

imported>FiddleheadLady: Adding short description: "Dance move"