Gold Latin

Why does Gold Latin get its own post?  Simply put: in my own experience, Gold Latin contains the most instances of infractions of any level and style.  For whatever reason, dancers tend to go hog wild in Gold Latin events, and there are certain infractions that I could put money on happening and be much richer in a hurry.  This is a list of those infractions.

Man’s Spin (Jive)

A Simple Spin is an opportunity for the Lady to turn a whole lot on one foot in Jive.  Her leader does not get the same opportunity.  The exact wording of the technique book is, Man: “No turn on the Simple Spin.”  As the figure is described, the Lady turns and the Man closes his feet.

Sailor Shuffles (Jive)

Sailor Shuffles are an embellishment borrowed from American Swing, where they become legal at Silver.  They have a kind of coordinated drunkenness to them that suits Swing’s grounded character exceptionally well.  Many dancers replace chasses with Sailor Shuffles in Jive as a way to make the basic action of the dance flashier and more exciting.  However, Sailor Shuffles do not appear in the Jive syllabus at all.

Sailor Shuffles (Cha Cha)

I split Sailor Shuffles into two sections because the information about them is slightly different in different dances.  At Silver Cha Cha and higher, dancers may use a Ronde chasse – a figure whose action resembles a Sailor Shuffle in some ways.  Dancers may not, however, replace regular chasses with Ronde chasses simply because they want to, nor may they dance the American Style Sailor Shuffle at any point in Latin Cha Cha. 

New York/Cuban Break Variations (Cha Cha)

Some of the most common alterations in Cha Cha are timing and action changes in New Yorks, Cuban Breaks, and Split Cuban Breaks.  These changes include: holding 4, 1 instead of dancing a 4 & 1 chasse in a New York, or any time when the Man and Lady do not mirror each other.  The Man may not dance anything different from the Lady during these figures.  No lunges, no lines, no timing changes.  He must dance the mirror version of the Lady’s part.

“Chugging Turning to the Right” (Jive)

I put this in quotes because that is how I have most often heard it described by syllabus dancers.  In a previous post, I mentioned that one of the most common infractions in general is dancing an Open Continuous Tuck-in Turn or Tap on the Shoulder from Bronze Swing in Jive.  “Chugging Turning Right” is how a lot of dancers choose to describe the Swing figure.  Just to repeat: the syllabus figure Chugging turns left overall; there is no Latin version of an Open Continuous Tuck.  

Samba Roll Variations (Samba)

Good news: Samba Rolls are allowed at Gold.  Bad news: They are not allowed in Shadow Position, or with a cross-hand hold above the heads.

Sliding Doors Variations (Rumba)

A large proportion of dancers like to include a full turn for the Lady after her Cucaracha in Sliding Doors.  This is not permitted.  The Lady must step backward out of her Cucaracha rather than turning around into her back rock. 

Syncopated Basic (Cha Cha)

You are permitted to dance 4 & 1 of a Cha Cha chasse as a “close, close, side” action.  You may NOT dance the same action over the 2 & 3. 

Honorable Mentions: Continuous Locks and Double Spins

Continuous Locks (Cha Cha, Samba) are not allowed.  The syllabus is very specific about how many locks you may do and in what position before you need to dance something else.

Double Spins: This one is tricky because there are places in the syllabus where “overturned” turns are allowed.  Generally speaking, however, double turns are not permitted as replacements for single turns.