What has happened to the Wizard Step? If Dorothy went sideways, she’d never make it to the wizard!4/24/2025 You may have heard this move called the Dorothy Step, inspired by Dorothy skipping down the Yellow Brick Road to meet the Wizard of Oz. But in NTA, we call it the **💫 Wizard Step**.
🟢 It’s a diagonal forward locking triple step, counted “1-2&”. 1 - Step diagonally forward on the right foot, slightly pitched forward (think chest leading). 2 - Slide the left foot to lock behind the right. & - Step diagonally forward again with the right foot. 🚫 Two Common Mistakes 1. Doing a triple step (1&2) instead of a wizard (1-2&). 2. Stepping to the side on count 1 instead of moving diagonally forward. Am I doing it right? Dance the triple step and the wizard step in front of a mirror. The Wizard Step should look and feel distinct. ✅ Wizard = count 1- step diagonal/pitched forward | count 2- slide into lock ❌ Triple = count 1- step forward/upright body posture | count & - step to close 🔧 Fix It With These Tips
My biggest concern? Mimic dancers stepping to the side on count 1 while trained dancers step diagonally forward. It’s a recipe for a floor collision. Unfortunately, quality line dance technique isn’t always easy to find online. So, dancers copy what they see—and often, it’s incorrect. But together, we can do better. Let’s keep learning, practicing, and dancing with confidence and care. Stay sharp, 💃🕺
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3️⃣ The Triple Step is a three step Polka Pattern. You will often hear instructors call it a Shuffle Step, Chassé or Cha Cha Step because in line dancing it’s all the same thing: “Step-together-step, counted 1&2”. Those steps can be taken, forward, sideward, backward, diagonal, or in place using 3 weight changes for 2 beats of music. The proper way to perform a triple forward is to: 1- step your R forward , &- the L comes behind into 3rd position, 2- the R steps forward. (1-Forward, &-beside, 2-forward = flat dancing in 4th position).
👯 In dance at large, a shuffle step is a basic tap dance movement that involves brushing the toe forward and back and then taking weight on that foot. This is a stationary combination counted 1&2. As Country Western line dancing was taking off dancers were creating their own terminology like: buttermilks, limp step, swiggle, fancy feet…..and thus Shuffle step became the most commonly used term for a triple step. There even emerged Shuffle Dances that utilized triple steps. Not to be confused with modern shuffle dancing. Dance, like language, seems to be constantly evolving and changing meaning. When calling dances, I prefer the term triple step because it is less ambiguous, Aaaand NTA makes me say it. 😂 |
Sherry BarrettStay updated with where I am teaching and the dances I teach. I will also explain difficult steps and help you grow your dance knowledge. Archives
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