Month: June 2017

Step Choreography Danger Level

Choreographic step is one of my favorite fitness activities. As I wrote in the past I like step because it requires both coordination, memory and challenges your muscle memory at the rhythm of dance music. In the past year and half I was so lucky to have a stellar step instructor. She is able to propose new and exciting and sometimes crazy choreographies at each lesson. Her choreographies are usually a lot of fun but sometimes require you to perform some moves that may yield some danger level. If you get distracted or you are not fast enough to retrain your muscle memory you may miss the step or smash into another stepper. Here is a table (similar to my Week-end Effectiveness Degree table) that defines a number of skull for each dangerous feature of the choreography. Just add one for each of the feature in the choreography and you get the danger level. Today we reached 3 skulls.

Step across the step – you need to extend you leg across the step risking to hit the step edge with your talon, losing your balance.
Turn backward on the floor and end with a feet on the step – you can’t see the step though you need a fairly good idea about where the step is, otherwise you may hit with the feet or put your feet half on the step, losing your balance.
two steps per person – usually steps are quite close each other and the choreography expects you to move placing a feet between the two steps. You can stumble into a step, or half place a feet on a step. If the steps are really close you may stumble into your own legs.
close steps – when your step is adjacent to another person’s step, you need to properly synchronize, otherwise you may smash into each other. Knowing left from right is usually helpful.
shared steps – at some point of the choreography two people share the same step. Usually the choreography manages to get each one enough space to move, but again you need good timing and good sync to move the right way.
exchanging steps – each one has his/her own step, but at a given time everyone moves to another step all together. Usually the choreography manages to create a timed corridor to reach your destination without smashing into anyone. “Timed” is the key.
close synchro – two persons are close enough, likely on the same step and performs different moves in turn. Moves combine together at the right time so that there is no collision. This is one of the most dangerous since you can’t rely on symmetry or get any hint from your pal; also any slight error will cause a collision.