SIT

A Sit usually involves a small back step and then a relaxing of the knees and a consequent lowering of the body as if beginning to sit down. A common cue is "man Lunge, woman Sit." It is one of so many "picture" figures that allow us to pause and to pose, before launching into the next (maybe frantic) dance sequence.
A small, styalized Sit is usual, but sometimes you can Sit way down.
Actually, most of our picture figures give us a lot of latitude for individual expression.
Photos © A. Curths; A. Gorczycki; A. Miller; E.Allen; F. Lepretre; P. Suba; from Dancesport UK photo gallery.

SEMI-CLOSED DANCE POSITION

At first glance, semi-closed does not look greatly different from closed position. The hips are still together, and the feet and toplines are apart. The woman is positioned a bit to the man's right side. The arms are up, presenting a smooth oval around the man's shoulders, across the lead arms, around the woman's shoulders, and back across the trail arms. Especially notice the position of the woman's arm in the second photo. Her fingers are lightly placed on her man's right shoulder, but she is supporting herself and is not pulling or hanging on her partner. The man's right arm is still around the woman, and his fingers reach about the center of her back. Lead hands are joined. But in semi, the couple has opened a little down line. The man has used his hips to turn the woman just a little right face, and he has used a little right side stretch to "open her head," to cause her to look to her right. When the man steps forward with his lead, the woman will step forward, too. When he steps thruough with his trail foot, she will do likewise. Both look down line and step down line together.
Both heads are open. Lead hips (man's left and woman's right) are apart. Lead feet are free.
His right hand is just touching her spine. His fingers and thumb are tightly together and inclined downward.
Right side stretch is what opens her head.
Remember to smile.
Don't open up this far. This is almost a half-open position.
Look for some of the features I've described above, in these photos.
Photos © A. Curths; A. Gorczycki; D. Drury; J. Lee; P. Sosabowski; R. Szabatin; V. Kanonikov; from Dancesport UK photo gallery.

SAMEFOOT LUNGE

In closed position, the man steps side and slightly forward with the right foot, looking right. The woman steps back with her right ("samefoot") well under her body, head left. The supporting legs are flexed in a lunge. The left legs are straight and extended to the side for the man and forward and across for the woman.
A common "shaping" or "developing" of this picture figure is from closed position to semi-closed. The man stretches his right side and opens her head.
The cue might be, "samefoot lunge and slowly change sway."
Photos © D. Drury; F. Lepretre; J. Lee; P. Suba; from Dancesport UK photo gallery.

LUNGE

The Right Lunge is a phase IV smooth figure in which the man lowers and then steps side and forward with the trail foot.
As in a Contra Check, heads are closed.
There are a great variety of lunging movements in which one takes one step and usually softens that knee.
Here we have a Lunge to the man's left. In Tango, this might be called a Corte; in Waltz, it could be a Dip.
Here, a couple lunges forward on lead feet in half open position.
The man lunges forward, and the woman sits.
Photos © A. Curths; E.Allen; F. Lepretre; P. Suba; from Dancesport UK photo gallery.

REVERSE SEMI-CLOSED DANCE POSITION

In Semi-Closed or Promenade position, your lead shoulders are turned a little bit outward. The man turns his upper body a little to the left, and the woman turns a little to the right. Both might be looking down line of dance. In Reverse Semi-Closed or Counter Promenade position, it is the trail shoulders that turn just a little outward. It is the man who turns a little to the right and the woman to the left. Notice that the arm positions do not in any way "reverse," only upper body relations. Both might be looking toward reverse line of dance. There are small changes in hand and arm positions. The man's right hand must move more to her shoulder or even upper arm, as his right side moves away from her left. His left hand is held a little higher, and the lead shoulders will be retracted or held a little farther back than in Semi-Closed. Reverse Semi-Closed is a diffucult position in the same way that Sidecar is difficult. Ideally, the lower body should still be positioned a bit to the left (in Semi-Closed position; in Sidecar, the lower body should be in Closed position). At the same time, the upper body is shifted a bit to the right. Do we feel a little like contortionists? The b&w composite photo shows Victor Silvester and partner in semi-closed position on the left and in reverse semi-closed on the right. Click for an enlargement and to compare the two dance positions. Brent and Judy Moore's foxtrot, Breathless, makes nice use of Reverse Semi-Closed (and uses the ballroom term). In part B, we do a Hover Telemark to face line and center; a Feather still facing line and center; and then Counter Promenade to Extended Fallaway to a Back Wing;;; (that's a "slow," eight "quicks," and a final "slow"). The key step is the first one. We are in banjo position. The man steps forward left and the woman back right, both turning to the left to end in Reverse Semi. The next two steps are forward right and forward or thru left for the man (forward left and thru right for the woman). This sequence illustrates the nature of Reverse Semi well. There is a tendency for the woman to cross behind, but don't do it. Just as you would step together, forward on the lead foot and then thru on the trail foot in Semi-Closed, so you step forward on the trail and then thru on the lead in Reverse Semi.
Color photos © P. Sosabowski; from Dancesport UK photo gallery. B&W photo from Silvester, 1950.

PROMENADE SWAY

A "sway" is an inclination of the body produced by the stretching of one side of the body or the other. A promenade sway is a left sway performed in promenade or semi-closed position. We step down line on the lead foot and stretch up and over the lead wrists. Right side stretch (left for the woman) both leads the opening into semi position and produces the sway.
Notice how "up" the bodies are in a promenade sway.
The forward poise is especially strong here.
Usually, the choreographer allows us to linger in a promenade sway; it is a nice "picture figure."
From the back, we can recognize the strong frame. The arms are up, the bodies are stretched, the chins are high.
Photos © A. Miller; E.Allen; J. Lee; P. Suba; from Dancesport UK photo gallery.

PICKUP

Officially a part of Waltz and Two-Step, the Pickup is widely used to move the woman in just one step from semi-closed position to closed position facing line of dance. The man takes a small step forward with his right foot, and the woman steps forward on her left and turns left face 1/2. In a way, the Pickup is not a dance figure itself but one step in a series of step cues. For instance, you might "walk, pickup," and then dance a Forward Waltz to a Maneuver. Or you might dance a Vine 3, pickup, side, close. In many dances, the Pickup is incorporated into a full-measure, 3- or 4-step figure. For instance, the Slow Side Lock is essentially a pickup, side, lock. We begin in semi-closed position facing line of dance. We step thru with the trail feet, the man leading the woman to begin a left-face turn. Step side and forward on the left foot to closed position facing line. On the third beat, cross right in back of left (woman LIFR) turning slightly to the left. A Rising Lock begins in closed position facing reverse line of dance. The man steps back on his right foot (woman forward on her left) beginning to turn to the left, then side and forward on his left turning, and finally crosses right in back of left (woman LIF of R) to end in closed position facing line and center. Finally, the Promenade Lock begins in semi-closed position facing line of dance. We step thru with the trail feet. The man leads the woman to begin a left-face turn. He steps side and forward left to closed position facing line but leaving the woman's head still open. He crosses right in back of left (woman LIF of R) turning slightly LF. On beat 3, he steps forward left (woman back right) toward line of dance. Notice that there are a total of four steps in this figure with a count of 12&3. The Promenade Lock is a nice way to "pickup" and get the trail feet free, perhaps for a Right Lunge.
Photo © A. Gorczycki; from Dancesport UK photo gallery.