Figure Eights
This page lists the major figure eights and their variations.
Horizontal Figure Eight 1
With your knees bent and your feet hip width apart push your right hip
backward and transfer your weight onto the right foot. Now push your right
hip out to the side, to the front, and then pull it back in and push the left hip
backward and transfer your weight onto the left foot. Now push the left hip
out to the side, to the front, and then pull it back in. Try to keep it parallel to
the floor. Imagine you have pencils attached to your hips and you are
drawing an eight on the floor using your hips. For a demonstration of this
movement see the video to the right on the "inverted figure eight."
Horizontal Figure Eight 2
With your knees bent and your feet hip width apart push your right hip
backward and transfer your weight onto the right foot.Now lift your right
heel and push your right hip out to the side, to the front, and then pull it
back in and drop the right heel. Now push the left hip backward and transfer
your weight onto the left foot. Now lift your left heel and push the left hip
out to the side, to the front, and then pull it back in dropping the left heel.
This figure eight does not stay parallel to the floor it moves on both the
horizontal and vertical planes. This is an excellent movement to use for
moving backwards stepping back as each hip rolls forward. To see this move
demonstrated watch the video on the right on the "Turkish figure eight."
Reverse Horizontal Figure Eight
With your knees bent and your feet hip width apart push your
right hip forward and transfer your weight onto the right foot.
Now push your right hip out to the side, to the back, and then pull
it back in and push the left hip forward and transfer your weight
onto the left foot. Now push the left hip out to the side, to the
back, and then pull it back in. Try to keep it parallel to the floor.
It is essentially the same as the Horizontal Figure Eight but it
moves the opposite direction. Imagine having pencils attached to
to your hips and drawing eights on the floor below you. It moves
only on the horizontal plane unlike the second variation of a
horizontal figure eight listed above, so try to keep the hips steady
with no lifting or dropping. To see this movement demonstrated
see the video on the left for the "figure eight movement."
Vertical Figure Eight
Standing in the basic position bend the right knee pushing the right hip
down. Next push it up to the side. Now straighten your right leg while
bending the left knee causing the right hip to come up and the left to drop
down. Then push the left hip out to the side and then pull it up by
straightening the left leg. Try to keep it parallel to the wall. Try to imagine
pencils attached to your hips and trying to draw eights on the wall in front
of you. Try not to lift your heel when doing this. Lifting the heel is a
variation and can be used for height change but the base movement should
be done without lifting the heel from the floor at all. Try to keep your height
constant(i.e. don't allow yourself to get taller and shorter).
Reverse Vertical Figure Eight
Standing in the basic position Straighten the right knee pushing the right hip
up. Next push it down to the side. Now bend your right leg while
straightening the left knee causing the right hip to drop down and the left to
come up. Then push the left hip out to the side and then push it down by
bending the left leg. Try to keep it parallel to the wall. Try to imagine
pencils attached to your hips and trying to draw eights on the wall in front
of you. Try not to lift your heel when doing this. Lifting the heel is a
variation and can be used for height change but the base movement should
be done without lifting the heel from the floor at all. Try to keep your height
constant(i.e. don't allow yourself to get taller and shorter).
Figure Eight with a Shimmy
While doing a horizontal figure eight add a small shimmy or flutter to it.
Try to keep it parallel to the floor or wall depending on the type of figure
eight you are adding to. Make sure to keep the knees soft and the shimmy
small. Start out slow if you have to and build up speed to feel how the
shimmy works with different positions and weight placement. This can be
done with any figure eight. The shimmy will initiate in the weighted
(standing) leg which will alternate as you shift from side to side. See the
demonstrations below for examples of the shimmy done on various figure
eights. With vertical figure eights make sure you keep your height constant
don't move up and down with the figure eight and shimmy.
Horizontal DemonstrationsVertical Demonstrations
Teeter Totter
While doing a figure eight you bend one knee lower and then straighten it back up. I've heard people refer to this as
lopsided because one side of the figure eight will be done on a lower plane and one half will be done on a higher plane.
Others think of it as a sort of dip or scoop with one side. Essentially you are changing levels half way through the
figure eight.
