My Autumn Leaves by Freddie Ipson (Bodygroove)

Coaching Notes:

Pre-Teach: Yes – Waltz (down up up)
Focus: External
Purpose: to strengthen and mobilize feet & to enhance the ability to balance

Pre-Teach: In this song we are going to waltz, so try it with me a few times: it goes ‘down-up-up, down-up-up – 123-123’. Bend
your knees and then straighten them as you come up on your tip toes. Allow your arms to move with it with soft and
graceful movements.
(You can also add the waltz pattern to your warm up walk instead of pre-teaching before the song.)

First move: Ballet poses. Lift your arms and create an elegant ballet pose – now, it doesn’t matter if you actually know ballet- all
you have to do is play with the idea of ballet.
You can play with lifting one leg and balance. Don’t worry if you lose your balance – just turn it into a new pose, make it part of
your dance.
You can bend your knees and make plié poses.
You can create elegant shapes with your arms.
Soft wrists. Soft fingers.
And what ever you do, don’t forget to add your head – let your head be part of every pose – for example by looking in different
directions. You can also look at your hands when you pose.
Show me what ballet is to you – I promise you, you can’t get it wrong! Just explore elegant, graceful and delicate movements in
your body.
Let one pose flow into the next.
Have you tried changing directions when you make a new pose?
Have you tried to balance yet?
Dance your poses with confidence and elegance.

Second move: Waltz. Now start to waltz: down-up-up, down-up-up. Let your arms flow as you dance the waltz. Let your head
move softly with it as well.
Use the whole room and move into the open spaces on the dance floor.
Light, elegant, flowing, delicate.
You can’t get it wrong. Your way is the right way.
Have you turned it yet? Both ways?
How gracefully can you move your body through the room?
Let your arms be part of your dance.
Let your face be part of the dance.
Simply listen to the music and let it inspire how you dance right now.

Transitions:
0:00 Ballet Poses
0:27 Waltz
0:57 Ballet Poses
1:20 Waltz
1:50 Ballet Poses
2:08 Waltzv
2:44 Ballet Poses