Section 4

Section 4 is not quite as complex as section 3, but it is more intense. This is the last section of “Ooh Aah!” and we want to finish with energy.

Part 1:

Part 1 of section 4 happens over six measures of eight, and for the first two measures of eight we will be moving our arms in and out with the “Ooh Aahs!.” You can extend out arms out in any direction you like, as long as they are in with the “Oohs” and out with the “Aahs!”. For the next four measures of eight, you will seated in your chair, chopping with your hands back and forth saying, “dat, dat, dat, dat, dat….” All together part one of section four will look like this:

Now why don’t you try performing part one of section four yourself:

When you feel comfortable with part one you can progress onto the second part of section four.

Final Part:

Congratulations! You have reached the final part of the dance. In this grand finale all three groups will be moving in unison at a fast pace, while saying “Ooh Aah!.” Our movements are similar to the push-and-pull of section one, but we are moving much faster. We will continue at this pace for three measures of eight and six counts. On the seventh count we will pump our fists three times, raise our hands in the air, hold this for a moment, and take a bow. The timing of this last series of movements is tricky, but just watch it below first:

For some of the participants in “Ooh Aah!” two years ago, because this part of the dance was so intense and the exact point at which to pump their fists was not as easy to time as other parts of the dance, instead of counting measures, they found it easier to keep their eyes on the conductor, and look for a cue from them about when to pump their fists. When we perform this piece in Kyoto, I will be doing the dance with you in front of all of you, so if you have difficult with the timing on this last section, try to get it yourself first, but you will also be able to use me for guidance when performing. Try following me in the video below and we perform the finale of the dance:

I also want to mention that the more you practice the dance, the better you will be able to sense when the fist pumps are coming. When you are comfortable with part two of section four, you can move onto doing all of section four together:

Once you get the hang of the fourth section, you can move onto to practicing all of “Ooh Aah!” in one shot.