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Practice choreography5 minutes

Learn Heels Dance choreography: feet first, then arms

By Mary De LucaUpdated

In short
  • Break the given Heels choreography into short counting groups and first note the foot contacts and weight shifts.
  • Mark each section slowly with small movements, then add the planned level changes.
  • Add arms and musical accents once you can remember the foot sequence without a demonstration.
  • Increase the tempo only when you can also perform the transitions between sections without adding extra steps.

In the video, a short sequence often looks easy to follow. When you try it yourself, your feet, gaze and arms suddenly demand your attention all at once. You don't have to remember every detail on the first try.

What you need for your practice session

  • A short set sequence with the feet in view
  • Familiar individual moves from the sequence
  • An open practice space and familiar, safe shoes
  • Music or video with adjustable playback speed
  • A note sheet for counts, which foot, and weight placement
  • Warmed-up feet and ankles

A foot contact is not yet a weight transfer

When learning a Heels choreography, a list like “right, left, right” is not enough. One foot can touch the floor while your weight stays on the other. If you mistake this contact for a weighted step, your free foot won’t be available for the next move. So note separately which foot touches down and which foot then takes the weight.

A simple memory aid, for example, is: “1: weight on right, 2: tap left, 3: weight on left, 4: hold”. This is a way of writing it down, not a new choreography. Follow only the sequence in your reference. Add the contact details that are actually shown, such as ball of the foot or whole foot. Counts are beats, not a guarantee of one step per number: a movement can last several counts or fall on an “and” in between.

Here, marking means reducing the size of the movement without changing the contact sequence or timing. You can learn the technique for a change of direction separately, for example with Heels Dance Footwork with Cross Steps. You can also find an approach to breaking a sequence down into memorable building blocks in Hand Jive in Five Building Blocks, though its movements don’t belong in your Heels sequence. Your notes record the sequence, but they don’t replace movement instruction.

A concise notation eases the burden on memory without having to describe every movement in words.
A concise notation eases the burden on memory without having to describe every movement in words.

Learn the prescribed sequence in seven steps

  1. Divide the routine into count groups

    Watch the sequence all the way through first, then set section boundaries, often after eight counts. If a movement begins before this boundary, note its pickup. Each section needs a clear beginning and a clearly identifiable ending position.

  2. Record foot contacts and weight shifts

    For the first section, note which foot, the contact, and the supporting leg that follows. Use short abbreviations like R, L, Tap, and Hold. Compare your list with the reference: it is correct if no visible contact or weight shift is missing.

  3. Mark the footwork with small steps

    Dance the section slowly to spoken counts, initially with relaxed arms. Keep your movements small, but maintain the foot sequence and weight shifts. Repeat this for the remaining sections until you can start and finish each one without a video playing.

  4. Timing level changes

    For each section, note which counts you lower, stay low, or rise. Use only transitions you have already learned, and start with a familiar movement depth. The change is well timed when you reach the next foot action without rushing.

  5. Link sections across the transition

    Practice the final counts of one section together with the opening counts of the next. Then do both sections back to back. The transition works when your supporting leg, facing direction, and level line up at the transition, and you don't add a compensating step.

  6. Add arms and accents

    First add the specified arm movements, then your gaze and musical accents. Add only one detail at a time and keep the counts audible. An accent is integrated when it highlights the movement without shifting the next foot contact.

  7. Build up to the original tempo

    Dance the full sequence at a slower playback speed and gradually increase the tempo. If a section still feels uncertain, isolate that exact transition instead of frantically repeating the whole sequence. Stop increasing the speed if you lose control; stop the session if you feel pain.

Keep the template when highlighting

Do it this way

  • Hold a position for all the counts assigned to it
  • Say intermediate counts such as “and” out loud
  • Write down the original side using R and L from the dancer’s perspective
  • At first, just place uncertain floorwork sections in the sequence

Not like this

  • Add another step to a held position
  • Shift intermediate counts to the next whole number
  • Copy the screen side as your own foot side without checking
  • Recreate unfamiliar dance sequences using only the video

Your step-by-step checklist

Before the First Run-Through

Preparation

After putting it together

Connection

At the end of the session

Record

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. No, the count groups need to fit the music and the sequence provided. Groups of eight are a practical guide for many choreographies, but pickups, pauses, and movement phrases may fall differently. Follow the counting in the reference and mark places that cross a section boundary.

Practice the next routine together

On udansa connect, you can find people to practice a set Heels routine with in short sections. Just describe your pace and the part you're currently working on.

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