MYSTERY OF THE TEXAS TWOSTEP

CHAPTER EIGHTY SIX:

WESTERN SWING

Written by Rick Archer 

LIMBO MONTH SEVENTEEN
NOVEMBER 1980

LEARNING THINGS THE HARD WAY

 

Herb Fried handed me the secret of the Riddle on Saturday, November 8.  Spending Sunday alone, I was deep in thought over my failure to solve the Riddle on my own.  Angry at myself, it was time for another one of those long walks with Emily and Sissy.  During my walk, I recalled an odd incident on the day after Fright Night.  During Fright Night, several hours of practice helped me learn how Polka and Twostep are supposed to 'Feel'.  In other words, the two dances transferred from my conscious brain to muscle memory. 

The following morning as I walked my dogs, I was surprised to find myself skipping on the sidewalk. My skip went 'three straight steps' with extra time given to the fourth step, a 'Pause' of sorts.  Since I do not 'skip' as a rule, I had been very curious about the origin of this odd footwork.  After some thought, I realized this skipping motion must have something to do with last night's Twostep.  I laughed at the discovery, but gave it no further thought.  Today as I walked my dogs one year later, the memory of my skipping incident was triggered.  On the spot I finally realized the true meaning of that skip.  My muscle memory had accidentally learned to start Twostep on the Quick.  This is why they say Practice makes Perfect.

Once a person begins to 'feel' a Twostep, the true rhythm is NOT slow slow quick quick, but rather the other way around.  For the next 45-50 years or so, I would call out "Three straight steps, Pause.  Three straight steps, Pause."  This phrase was a simplified way of calling out 'Quick Quick Slow Slow'. 

It was sheer anguish to realize I had possessed the answer one year in advance.  What a shame my feet knew the secret of the reversed timing, but had never bothered to inform my brain.  It would have been so nice to avoid all this agony and keep my pride intact.  Oh well.  I smiled grimly.  As always, I had to learn the hard way.

NOVEMBER 1980

THE AGGIE JITTERBUG

I owe a great debt to Texas A&M.  Three times in my career suggestions made by an A&M graduate opened the door to unimaginable success. 

The Texas Aggies dominated Houston's C&W dance floors throughout the Urban Cowboy Western Era.  The Aggies were far better Western dancers than anyone else.  Why were the Aggies so good?  Tradition.  Texas A&M takes dancing very seriously.  You should see the legendary Aggie Wranglers perform their death-defying acrobatics sometimes.  Nor is their prowess limited strictly to their dance team.  The love of Western dancing permeates the entire school.  Every Aggie freshman learns to Country dance as quickly as possible or face years of loneliness. 

In addition to Twostep and Polka, there is the beloved 'Aggie Jitterbug', a wild variation on East Coast Swing.  Aggie Jitterbug is an age-old tradition at A&M.  The Aggie Jitterbug is so popular it becomes second-nature to many students during their college years.  After the students graduate, many of them move to Houston.  This is how the Aggie Jitterbug originally migrated to Houston's dance floors.

Thanks to Herb Fried I became the first dance instructor in Houston to teach Double Turns.  However, Herb was quick to mention the origin of his insight.  Herb said his Ballroom instructor had been handed the secret of "Quick Quick Slow Slow" by an Aggie friend of hers.  That makes sense.  The Double Turns are a major feature of the Aggie Jitterbug.  However, the Aggie Jitterbug is danced in one spot on the floor.  No doubt some creative Aggie figured out how to transfer the Aggie Jitterbug Double Turn into the Texas Twostep by reversing the rhythm.  Hats off to this unknown pioneer.  Thanks to him or her, the Double Turns began to travel around the dance floor.

I made sure to offer a dedicated thank you to this unknown Aggie who had saved my career.  This was not the first time an Aggie had come to my rescue.  Two years ago a pretty Aggie lady had shown me the 'Aggie Jitterbug'.  This was the first time I had ever seen it.  Her suggestion helped me learn how to partner dance to Disco music. 

Last year the 'Slow Slow Quick Quick' suggestion given to Joanne by a Texas Aggie had given me the clue to investigate Foxtrot.  Now the 'Quick Quick Slow Slow' suggestion from a different Texas Aggie had given me the solution to the Double Turns. 

Thank goodness for the wonderful dance tradition up at Texas A&M.  In retrospect, I think the Texas Aggies knew the Quick-Quick secret all along, but they had a pact to keep it to themselves.  This is just a guess of course, but it was odd to see a secret like this stay hidden in plain sight for so long.  It would not surprise me at all to learn the Aggies deliberately closed ranks.  After all, the Aggies knew they had a coveted move that everyone else wanted, so why give it away?  

Monday, NOVEMBER 10, 1980

TIME TO FACE THE MUSIC (AGAIN)

 

It was Monday, November 10.  Thanks to Herb Fried, I looked forward to tonight's class.  It was time to spring my big surprise.  Early in the morning Judy Price called me at home to see if I wanted her to come in early and practice. 

"Rick, I know how upset you were on Saturday.  If I can help in any way, let me come by the studio early, maybe even 5 pm.  Let's give it one last try before tonight's class."

I was touched by Judy's concern.  I was about to tell her about Herb Fried, but changed my mind.  Now that I was over my giant pout over my inability to solve the problem on my own, maybe I could have a little fun with this.  Summoning the saddest voice possible, I told Judy "Thanks, but no thanks, it's hopeless." 

Judy tried to persuade me to cheer up, but I said it was no use.  "Don't bother, Judy.  I have completely given up.  I guess I will apologize and hand out refunds.  What else can I do?" 

"Oh, Rick, I am so sorry.  I feel terrible that I was unable to help you solve this problem."

"It's okay, Judy, I don't blame you.  You tried as hard as you could to help and I am really grateful to you.  However, I do have a favor." 

"Just ask.  I will do anything to help."

"I know it's not your night to teach, but could you come to my class anyway?  I could really use a friend, you know, someone by my side to tell everyone how hard I tried."  

"Of course, sure, I can do that.  I will see you at 7 pm tonight."

I had so much fun messing with Judy, I continued my prank later that night.  As various students wandered in for class, every one of them asked if I had the answer yet.  With a long face, I confessed my failure to one student after another.  Shaking my head in despair,  I would reply, "No, sorry, I am at a complete loss.  I will be making an announcement at the start of class."

Naturally the 50 students were disappointed.  Disgusted too.  Their frowns were readily apparent.  As everyone assembled in the room, the mood was somber.  With everyone speaking in hushed whispers, this place felt more like a dirge than a dance class.  There was dead silence as I took center stage.  I noticed Judy had the most profound look of sympathy on her face.  Bless her heart, she was really worried about me.  Calling Judy to join me, I addressed the crowd.

"Last week was pretty depressing.  I persuaded you all into taking this class based on a promise that I knew the secret of the Double Turn.  I went way out on a limb because I expected to come up with the answer in the nick of time.  But I failed you last week and you all were kind enough to give me another chance.  Well, I have more bad news.  I spent the entire week trying every idea I could think of, but I got nowhere.  In fact, Judy and I practiced for three hours on Saturday without success.  Isn't that right, Judy?"

Frowning, Judy glumly nodded yes.  She had no idea I was indulging in some playful misdirection, so give the girl some credit for her loyalty to the disgraced leader.  She was brave to stand at my side.  It wasn't Judy's fault that I failed, but she would probably get some of the blame anyway.  Guilt by association. 

After Judy spoke up for me, I continued.

"I swear to you I tried my best, but it just wasn't good enough.  Let me go over the problem again.  As I told you, Two Step starts on the Slow Slow step.  For that matter, so does every other dance I know including Tango, Foxtrot, Rumba, and East Coast Swing.  The problem is that when I turn Judy on the Slow, we get nowhere.  So let me show you again what the problem is."

To prove my point, I got ready to double turn Judy.  She expected me to start on the Slow Slow, but without warning I turned her on the Quick-Quick instead.  Judy turned beautifully.  Not once did she lose her balance.  In addition she finished totally under control.  The look of shock on Judy's face was priceless.  She stood there totally stunned by how easy the Double Turn had been. 

Judy did not understand what I had done different.  Unsure what had just happened, Judy exclaimed,  "Hey, do that again!!"  So I nonchalantly led another successful Double Turn.  This time Judy stepped away and stared at me like I was a ghost or an alien of some sort.  She had an astonished look on her face.  As well she should.  After being the guinea pig to at least 1,000 dead ends, Judy was so taken off guard that she was totally bewildered.  Judy was not alone.  Everyone in the room gasped in awe.

Wide-eyed and full of curiosity, Judy asked me repeat the demonstration.  To everyone's surprise and delight, it worked the third time too.  This time Judy had a much different reaction.  After the successful third try, Judy whirled around on me full of suspicion.

"Did you just start on the Quick step?"

"Yes," I replied.

"And you didn't tell me?"

Before I could answer, Judy kicked me in the butt as hard as she could.  Ow!!

"I swear, Rick Archer, you have to be the biggest jerk I have ever met!  Tell me the truth, when did you figure it out?"

"I just thought of it when you walked in the room."

"No way.  Tell me the truth!!"

Seeing how mad she was, I cracked up.  "Judy, what are you so upset about?" I deadpanned. 

"You told me you this morning that you didn't have the answer."

"That's true, but like I said, I figured it just a few minutes before class."

"No,  you didn't.  You are a lying son of a gun.  Tell me the truth."

"On Saturday I discovered that the Double Turns start on the Quick-Quick, not the Slow-Slow."

The students were flabbergasted.  Someone spoke up. "Are you telling us these turns start on Quick step?"

I smiled and nodded yes.  The whole class was in shock, but definitely it was happy shock.  It was difficult to accept that the solution was so simple yet none of us had been able to figure it out.  Everyone was just as blind-sided as I had been.  Judy took it the hardest since she had felt much of the same frustration.

Right in front of the class, Judy exclaimed, "Damn it!  Why the hell didn't I think of that!!"

Realizing she had cussed in public, Judy quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment.  That broke the tension.  Everyone roared with laughter at her mistake.  If a pro like Judy Price couldn't figure it out, then maybe they shouldn't feel so foolish.  Embarrassed by the laughter, Judy turned red.  This time she punched me hard on the shoulder. 

"You set me up, you stinker!  You should have had the courtesy to tell me in advance that you figured it out!"

The students were so tickled, several of them clapped.  When someone hollered, "Hey Judy, hit him again!  He deserves it!", everyone grinned.  Kicking and hitting me half in jest, half in frustration, Judy had done what everyone else wanted to do.  Fully aware I had been having fun at their expense, they all gave me a good-natured hard time.  Ah, zero to hero.  What a thrill!  After all the suffering I had been through, it was a huge guilty pleasure to see how effective my practical joke had been.  I smiled and accepted my mock punishment in stride.  Seeing those stares of astonishment was worth the pain.  Well, maybe I shouldn't go that far.  However, I will say that saving my dance career was definitely worth the pain.

When the pandemonium calmed down, everyone seemed stupefied as the answer to the Riddle sunk in.  Several students knew enough about the problem to feel overwhelmingly sheepish just like I did.  Judy took it the hardest.  Judy was more shocked than anyone.  After all, she had spent countless hours being double-turned endlessly as we tried to solve the mystery.  By all rights, if anyone could have figured it out, Judy had the best shot.  Laughing at her discomfort, I asked if she would forgive me.

She replied, "I will never forgive you!"  However, she smiled when she said it.

DAY AND NIGHT, NIGHT AND DAY

 

REDEMPTION

 

After class ended, Judy asked, "How did you figure it out?"

"If I tell you, will you forgive me?"

Judy laughed.  "I already said I will never forgive you.  Now answer my question."

"I wish I could take the credit, but it wasn't me.  After you left on Saturday, I had a private lesson with a friend of Bob's named Herb.  Herb knew someone who briefly suggested starting on the Quick Step.  We played with the idea and it worked.  That is how I learned it does not matter if we reverse the timing."

Judy chuckled.  "That's amazing.  I know how frustrated you were with your dilemma.  Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good."

I looked askance at Judy.  If she only knew I said the same thing to myself every day.  I suppose I could have fibbed and taken all the credit, but my heart wasn't in it.  This entire experience had left me so humbled I no longer aspired to glory.  I had the oddest feeling I had been handed the answer because the Universe knew I needed it.  For the umpteenth time over the past year, I had the unsettling feeling I had been placed in this role for a Divine purpose.  With that in mind, I promised I would make full use of this Riddle secret.

Thrilled by my Redemption, I was glad I resisted the temptation to take credit for the solution.  It would have been an easy thing to do, but those days were over.  I was done with fibbing, faking, and fudging.  It had been painful last week when I confessed how I had come up short, but I had discovered that people would forgive me as long as I didn't try to deceive them.  It was a good lesson to learn people would cut me some slack as long as I told them the truth. 

Kahlil Gibran wrote in The Prophet that morals and scruples are the province of well-fed men.  He added that hungry men cannot always afford the luxury of lofty morals.  Once upon a time 'Fake it till you Make it' had been words to live by.  Forced to scramble due to my inexperience (and lack of help from Lance Stevens), bluffing and fibbing was a way of life in the early days.  I was well past that stage now.  It had taken three years, but I had reached the point where I was a well-fed man.  Consequently my days as the Great Imposter were gone for good.  From this point forward, I would become known for sincerity and integrity.  No bill was left unpaid, no pressure was ever used to get students to take more classes, no more false promises, and no further Victoria-style scandals.  I took great pride in running a tight ship.  Yes, the Riddle experience had been utterly humiliating, but I came away from it a much better person.

THE MAD SCIENTIST TAKES OVER

 

On the following Saturday, November 15, I met with my friends again.  As one might expect, the mood was much better.  Bob, Bill, Judy were joined by John Monteith and his girlfriend Belinda.  'The Committee' immediately got to work.

Now that the Riddle was solved, we all felt this was the start of something special.  The Committee spent the morning experimenting with moves starting on the Quick-Quick.  I took the lead.

"What we need to do is develop a Beginning, Middle, and End.  Our first order of business is to develop a way to move from Closed Position to the Windup Position where the man can Double Turn the lady.  That puts us in Open Position.  From there, I suggest the man can cross the line of dance under his left arm and regain the Windup position for a second time.  From there, let's double turn the lady once more, but have the man dance in place so he can catch the lady and return to Closed Position." 

We were more than content to stop there, but not Bob.  He was still upset that his buddy Herb had beaten him to the punch.  Herb surprised Bob at the office last Monday.  Taking full credit for discovering the secret, Herb had needled him all week long.  Deeply irritated by being upstaged by his buddy, Bob was fit to be tied.  Now Bob was looking for some redemption of his own.

We quickly learned why Bob had been dubbed 'The Mad Scientist' over at Shell Oil and Gas.  Once Bob took over, we made rapid progress.    Bob pointed out the Russians may have put Sputnik in space first, but the Americans made it to the Moon first.  Given how hard he worked, Bob was determined to put Double Turns on the Moon.  He was by far the most creative member of our group.

For whatever reason, Bob was obsessed with the Pretzel, one of the most popular Disco and Aggie Jitterbug patterns.  This became his pet project.  In the Aggie Jitterbug as well as Disco, the Pretzel stayed in one spot on the floor.  Bob wanted to find a way to make the Pretzel travel around the dance floor using Twostep timing.

One night in mid-November Bob stopped me in the studio parking lot just as I was leaving after a night of teaching dance class.  "Bob, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I couldn't wait, Rick.  I was hanging out at the Rose and saw something that gave me an idea.  I have to try it out before I forget what I saw!" 

I was incredulous.  "Bob, it is 9:30 pm.  Are you out of your mind?  Don't you have to go to work tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but if I wait till tomorrow, I might forget what I saw at the Rose!!  This move can't wait!"

Once I realized how serious he was, I laughed.  "Okay, Bob, let's see your move.  This better be good.  It's cold out here."

Right there in the deserted parking lot, we worked out the steps to the Traveling Pretzel.  Considering the bitter November wind, why we didn't go back inside the dance studio to work on this pattern is beyond me.  I guess we never thought it would take us two hours to iron this out.  Bob was the boy and I was the girl.  I am sure we looked cute together.  In retrospect, we were lucky the Bellaire Police didn't spot us as they drove by.  The Bellaire Police were not known for being particularly open-minded back in those days. 

Around 11:30 our move was perfected.  For the first time, a major Disco move had been successfully converted to a Western move.  Naturally we were very proud of ourselves.  So what determines when a Disco move is officially a Western move?  It has to travel! 

Bob figured out a way to take a stationary Disco pattern and make it travel around the floor.  It was a clever idea and I told him so.  Bob's breakthrough suggested other Disco partner dance patterns could also be converted first to Twostep, then to Polka.  The following Saturday, Bob presented the 'Traveling Pretzel' to the Committee.  The Committee was quite impressed.  They were having fun helping to create a complete new form of Western dancing. 

Bob's Traveling Pretzel was just the start.  For his next stroke of genius, the Mad Scientist took the 'Pistachio Step', my favorite Disco move, and converted it into a Western move that traveled.  That was a smart idea because it opened the door for all sorts of new moves.  Now that we had seen how easy it was to convert a Disco move to Western, our enthusiasm for inventing new moves was off the charts. 

Drawing on our knowledge of Disco patterns, all we had to do was figure out a way to make a Disco pattern travel down the floor like we had with the 'Traveling Pretzel' and 'Pistachio Step'.  Now we set our sights on converting the 'Sweetheart Step' and 'Cuddles'.   To our delight, we discovered every single significant Disco pattern could be transformed into a traveling Western pattern with the Double Turns playing a key role.  All we had to do was discover the correct footwork and figure out leads to make it happen.

Bob was on a roll.  When we met after Thanksgiving, he suggested double turning women in the other direction.  Regular Double Turns were counter-clockwise.  Bob's Reverse Double Turns were clockwise.  He invented a pattern where we could do both moves back to back.  The men were in a tizzy.  The women were dizzy.

The Committee worked every Saturday straight through November and mid-December.  In short order we invented patterns with names like Cuddles, Sweetheart, and Skaters. Next came the Wild West Shuffle, the Dishrag, and Rope.  After that we developed Crossed-Hands, Twisted Hands, Neck Wraps, Lariats, Cyclones, and Tornados.  Practically every one of these patterns had once been a Disco pattern.  Thanks to the Double Turns, Disco was not dead, it was being reincarnated.

My job was to incorporate these moves into a teaching syllabus.  After quite a bit of tinkering, I divided the new patterns into three new courses, 'Beginning Double Turns', 'Intermediate Double Turns', and 'Advanced Double Turns'. 

The Committee immediately protested.  Those are dumb names! 

Frowning, I replied, "Okay, guys, since you don't like my name, what do you suggest we call this new dance instead?"

Judy said, "How about 'Twostep with Turns'?"

I replied, "We need something snappier than that." 

Now it was Bob's turn.  "Why not call it 'Disco on the Run'?"

I frowned.  "Bad idea.  For marketing reasons alone, anything that reminds people of 'Disco' is out of the question.  We have to conceal the origin of these patterns at all cost."

The other four nodded.  Considering the ongoing animosity towards Disco, they agreed with me.

Bob countered, "Okay, Rick, if you don't like my idea, what do you want to call it?"

"I suggest we call it 'Western Swing'."

Bob looked at me quizzically.  "Why call it that?"

"You know how much I hate the Outlaw Country sound that dominated before Urban Cowboy came along.  But I love George Strait and his Western Swing music."

Judy asked, "What is Western Swing music?"

"Western swing is a music style from the Thirties and Forties that features a strong dance rhythm.  It was pioneered by an artist named Bob Wills.  Some of my favorite George Strait songs were first recorded by Bob Wills."

"Can you name some songs?"

"Sure.  'Right or Wrong', 'Faded Love', 'San Antone Rose', and 'Deep Water'.  At first I thought George Strait was the original artist, but I was wrong.  One day I went to the record store to buy those songs only to discover Bob Wills was the real artist.  Curious, I went home and looked up the history.  'Western Swing' music dates back to the Thirties.  Country music was getting a bit stale, so Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys took care of that by creating an up-tempo, toe-tappin' style.  The music sounded great plus the strong beat made it easy for hard-of-hearing cowboys to dance to it."

Now Bob spoke up.  "Why do you think we should call this new style 'Western Swing?"

"Western Swing music is still popular because these old-time Bob Wills songs fit the Texas Twostep like a glove.  Big Band Swing music is why they call it Swing dancing.  Salsa music is why they call it Salsa dancing.  Why not do the same thing for Western music?  The name 'Western Swing' shows respect to traditional Texas music while also pairing energetic music with energetic dancing.  That is why I think we should name our creation 'Western Swing.'"

Everyone smiled.  It was unanimous.  Western Swing was a good choice.  Our new dance style had its name.