Waltz technique: Frame and Movement

Frame:

• Instead of putting arms strictly to the side to make frame wide, think of making it round, holding a big ball in front of you using the arm and body. Keep it that way throughout the figures.
• Coming into frame: Lady starts with R arm in front, keep that position when Man draws his L elbow back, i.e. lady should not move upper body forward making R shoulder/upper arm start going back. Keep upper body back and allow lower body to connect with partner, bend knees forward.
• Be light on Man's arms: think of dancing holding a cup of water, hold your own arm/weight, body absorbs bounces.
• Counter balance: 
• In order to go more left (left arm), the muscle on left side of the body is crunching sort of diagonally to the right. "counter arms going left"
• To go up, let free the lower body, bent the knees and stretch upper body up.
• To "bend back" more, counter balance by moving knee, lower body forward.
• Head:
• Look 1/8 to left, do not overturn, that won't look natural. The eyes should be able to see the tip of the right fingers. Otherwise, either R arm is too far behind, or head is turning too much to left.
• Because the upper body is bending back, the head should follow that bent line to create more volume, (neck straight with the line, don' break/bend neck, don't do straight upright either.)
• Leg: Lady's R leg should be more close to Man's R leg (than to Man's L leg) - in general, move to left to allow more free movement.

Movement:

• CBM (i.e. Torque): for turns, shaping: when hips turn with the body, it's not CBM anymore. 
• Whisk, ending promenade position: Lady: pay attention not to pull R arm back, leave it to Man, tuck R shoulder in.
• Natural Turn: 2nd half, step 4: CBM; step 5: really drive, big step.
• Double Reverse Spin: keep body contact with Man throughout the figure, stay left.
• Back whisk: count "2": need to really drive, big step, otherwise, the ending alignment will be funny and Man needs to use Chasse from PP to adjust alignment. Preceding half of Natural Turn could over turn, ending Man backing DW.