KDLT'S Morning Team Learns the Jitterbug

by Danielle Dupuy, Reporter
July 29, 2010


Last week we learned a very versatile dance- the Rumba. This week watch us as we take it up a notch with the Jitterbug.

Today we continue our Wedding Dance Lesson Segment at Ballroom at the Bridges.
So Danielle, you've heard those swing songs at weddings. Have you ever thought about how to dance to them?
Actually Jesse, I've always wanted to learn how to jump and jive.
Great because this week Kelsey Aamlid teaches us the Jitter Bug.
So Kelsey what are we getting ourselves into this week?
Kelsey says, "The Jitterbug is a lot fun. It is a cut loose dance where really as long as you're under control, anything goes. We play swing music, country music, it's very versatile and a lot of fun."
Lets do it!

"The Jitterbug, since its so cut loose really you make work whatever you can."
"This dance you're going to be in your open dance position, instead of your close dance position."
"I would say the most important thing about the Jitterbug is that you keep a bend in your arms but you also keep them tight enough. You don't want them rigid, but you want to have a rubber band effect, so you're just pulling each other back and forth. A lot of the work comes from your fingertips right here."
"We're going to step across with our right and pull. Left and pull. Step, pull, right pull."
"She turns there is a pull. I go there's a pull. She goes pull."
"So lets try this with our partners."
"Lets go over a couple of turns."
"if I'm leading, I'm going to take my left hand across my face and take Annie in an inverse turn....Then I'm going to wrap into my own arm, pull, and turn 3 is the same one as turn 1."
"Make sure that you're getting out of each others way."
"So all together it is going to look like this. She goes, pull. I go pull. She goes, pull. Then you can step right back into your basic."
"Start with your right foot across again because that avoids confusion with your partner."
"Guys you're going to drop your right hands, take her across your face with your left arm, pull, wrap in your own arm, pull, take her through, pull."
"What we're going to learn is called the butt spin."
"What its going to be, I'm going to take her under my arms, were going to start turning. She going to sit and I'm going to pull her up."
"Ladies make sure that you keep your knees tucked and your head in. You don't want to hit your head on his knees."
"Really you can do this the whole song and look awesome."

We'll Jesse that was a lot of fun.
I had a blast spinning all over the dance door.
But sadly this concludes our Wedding Dance Lesson Series, we hope whether you choice the two-step,
the rumba,
or the jitterbug, you'll have a few moves that will help you shine on the dance floor.

Once again we want to give a special thank-you to our wonderful teachers Denise and Kelsey Aamlid. As well as our patient partners: Alex Jenson and Gerrad LaBue.