Standard Ballroom Technique: Foot Alignment

Step relative to where you are now, not where you will be. For example, in the Waltz Natural Spin Turn the man's first step is forward, and then after placing his right foot he turns 1/4 to his right. 


Some might be tempted to turn the body and hips before the step, so that it goes DW against LOD, or the foot is placed turned out. This would take the gentleman right into his partner, rather than stepping past her.

Waltz Closed Impetus and Reverse Pivot

When first learning the Closed Impetus, the way it is typically executed is that the man will rise up on 2, as opposed to the end of 2. A smoother way to execute this figure has the man delaying any rise until 3. In other words, on 3, the man pushes off the ball of his right foot to go up on the toe of his left foot.

When followed by the reverse pivot, blend it into the preceding step. Be sure that the man's right foot tracks under the body, and that the weight is fully committed to the right foot before the next step.

ISTD Waltz Syllabus: descriptions, step by step diagrams, videos

There has been a lot of updates on the website! For the International Waltz Newcomer and Bronze Syllabus figures listed below, in addition to timing, step by step descriptions, alignment, footwork, technique notes, we've also added step-by-step diagrams, including all the official variations, preceding and following figures and instructional videos that demonstrated the patterns.

Newcomer level:

1. Closed Changes
2. Natural Turn
3. Reverse Turn
4. Natural Spin Turn
5. Whisk
6. Chasse from Promenade Position

Bronze level:

1. Closed Impetus
2. Hesitation Change
3. Outside Change
4. Reverse Corté
5. Back Whisk
6. Basic Weave
7. Double Reverse Spin
8. Reverse Pivot
9. Back Lock
10. Progressive Chassé to R

Happy Dancing!

What is shaping in ballroom dance? And how is it different from sway?

Shaping is a body posture that is assumed in the course of dancing to assist in dance partnership and to provide emphasis to certain movements. When shaping, one is still balanced. For example, if I am shaping left, stepping on my right foot, as the man would do on the second step of the quickstep running finish, he could stop on that foot and still be balanced. That balanced is achieved by shifting the hips to the right over the leg, while the spine tilts left. The tilt of the spine is counterbalanced by the hips.

This same idea applies to the standard frame in closed position. The knees bend, and the hips come forward. The hips coming forward is counterbalanced by the spine tilting back, creating a bigger frame. The spine tilts left, and the hips move to the right over the legs, counterbalancing each other, and creating the shaping to the left, and the big topline.

What's sway, then, and how is it different from shape? Instead of counterbalancing body parts against each other, the tilt of the whole body is used to counterbalance against a change of momentum. If you are walking along, and something like a curb stops the motion of your feet, the rest of your body still has momentum, and keeps going. You fall down, a victim of gravity and  Newton's first law of motion. If you see the curb is there, and you want to stop your motion before you trip, you lean in the direction opposite of your motion. If you are a pretty well balanced person (if you can walk unassisted you are pretty well balanced), you will lean back just enough that gravity and your momentum will balance each other out, and you will come to a stop.

The greater the change in momentum, the greater the lean you will need to change your momentum. That's why bicyclists, motorcyclists, runners, skaters, etc, lean so far into a turn, they are making big changes to the direction of their momentum.

Now, what's all that got to do with dance? If you are doing, for example, a natural turn in waltz, your first two steps are in a straight line. On the third step, you are bringing your feet together, and coming to a stop. You have also turned your body, so as you are bringing your feet together, you are moving to your side. If you have little momentum, you will lean away from the movement a little bit, to help you come to a stop. For example, in the natural turn, the man will be leaning a little to his right as he is bringing his feet together. If there is not much momentum, the lean may be unnoticeable to anyone watching, but it is still there, or the couple would start to fall over a bit to the man's left. If the couple has a lot of momentum coming into the third step, they will need to lean much more to the man's right to counter the couple's momentum. That's why competitve ballroom dancers have so much sway, because they are moving so fast across the floor, and need to make much bigger changes in their momentum.

In short, you don't need to try to sway. Sway is a natural consequence of staying in balance as you change your momentum.

Reverse Turns and Getting Kicked

You may find that sometimes the lady's left heel kicks the man's left heel in figures like the Reverse Turn in Viennese Waltz, and the Double Reverse Spin in Waltz and Quickstep. There are multiple factors that may contribute to this situation. The first is that the man's left foot is stepping inside the lady's right foot. This may be because the man is cheating a little to get around the lady on the turn, or the lady is stepping back and to her right to get out of her partner's way while the man is stepping straight. Then, on the lady's second step, the man's left foot is between her feet, and as she closes she catches his heel. This is exacerbated if the man's left foot is also turned out, making it more difficult for the lady to get her foot around his.

The first step in these figures is straightforward. Straight, and forward, with no turn out. Turn does not happen until the man's right foot passes his left foot.

Standard (Waltz) Basic Technique Points

Weight distribution in standard dances: the center is 'heavy', it has half of Man's and half of Lady's weight. So it is especially important to not lean to right and becomes 'right heavy'. Example:

Natural Spin Turn:

• Step 1: Lady LF back, CBM - upper body turning to R to open up for Man to pass. Hip is pretty straight, stays with Man. Head stays left.
• Step 2: Lady RF to side - this "side step" is actually more forward to "keep up" with Man, otherwise, Man and Lay will gap. Hip turns, but upper frame stays as previous, This is where "body turns less" comes in.
• Step 3: settle, collect.
• Step 4: Lady RF forward (hips forward Man, so it doesn't gap), CBM - upper body turning to R, really keep left side up and forward. Think about following left elbow. This is a pivot step, the LF doesn't track to RF, it stays where it is and pivot.
• Step 5: Lady LF back, slightly to the side and give enough room for Man to step forward in between Lady's legs. RF brushes to LF as a result of rising.
• Step 6: Lady pushes off LF, RF forward. Hip follows the Man, don't gap here.

Reverse Turn, Progressive Chasse to Right:

• These are all reverse turning figures. Step 1: Lady RF back, rotate upper frame to L (CBM), keep spine to left and avoid leaning to right and become 'right heavy'. It's very easy to tip toward center. Avoid that. Think about head following L elbow.

Top frame: 

• A lot of how it looks at the top is driven by what the legs are doing.
• If we are standing straight at each other, the top will be close. Now, bend the legs, top will appear to be bigger.
• Lady: stand more to the left which will give even more room. (Don't turn foot to avoid bumping knee. Move to left.)
• Lady: the right side should not "crunch up". As a matter of fact, it should stretch with the right arm that's connected to Man.
• Lady: tight up diagonally from left shoulder to lower right side, this makes the left shoulder forward toward Man. But pay attention to keep hip position and not have R hip rotate away from partner.
• Neck: no wrinkles in all directions. Think about long neck.

Waltz Bronze Practice Routine

Waltz Bronze Practice Routine:

Start (Man) DW:

1. Natural Spin Turn  (123 123)  
2. Reverse Turn  (4-6)  
3. Double Reverse Spin  (1 2& 3)  
4. Whisk  (123)  
5. Chasse From Promenade Position  (1 2& 3)  
6. Hesitation Change  (123 123)  
7. Reverse Turn  (123 check)  
8. Basic Weave  (123 123)  ending PP
9. Chasse From Promenade Position  (1 2& 3)

More Waltz Bronze choreography on the web site.

Waltz Technique Notes

Tips for today:

• [Waltz, Lady] Double Reverse Spin: step 1, straight back, don't turn hip either or turning foot to side which will be in partner's way.
• [Waltz, Lady] Chasse From PP: pay special attention to stay on Man's R side, not drift to center or R side.
• [Waltz, Lady] Lady's left hand should stay at the same place on Man's R arm, especially after whisk.
• [Waltz, Lady] Back Whisk: Step 1 and 2, really drive, as Lady is on the outside.
• [Waltz, Lady] Natural figures: after step 1, the shoulder should not stop, it needs to keep rotating and continue the flow.
• [Waltz, Lady] Whisk: Promenade Position: lady should not pull her R arm back, leave it to Man, tuck R shoulder under and in.
• [Waltz] CBM/Torque: when hips turn with body, it's not CBM anymore.

More tips at http://www.dancecentral.info.

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.

International Standard Waltz Tips: Rise and Fall

Waltz rise and fall: While the book, and beginning classes, instruct one to begin to rise at the end of 1 in many waltz figures, the rise should be delayed until step 2. That is, when the weight has been transferred on the second step, then rise. 

Dance tips: Waltz

• Always think of moving past your partner.
• When turning into promenade, the lady's head is the last thing to turn.
• Always think of counterbalancing your partner.

Standard Waltz: Bronze Level Practice Routine

Bronze level practice routine:

1. Natural Spin Turn  (123 123)  
2. Reverse Turn  4-6 (123)  
3. Double Reverse Spin  (1 2& 3 )  
4. Whisk  (123)  
5. Chasse From Promenade Position  (1 2& 3)  
6. Natural Turn  1-3 (123)  

Ballroom Tip: Going through your partner

In many turning figures, instead of thinking of going around, the technique will improve if one thinks of going through one's partner. On a natural turn, for example, the man steps straight through, stepping toward the lady's right shoulder, while using CBM to make room to get past her. Similarly, on step 5 of the natural turn, the lady steps straight at the man's right shoulder, where CBM creates room for her to get past. He goes, then she goes.

More notes on standard technique.

Lesson on Waltz (Bronze Level)

Bronze Level Waltz, including a routine for practice.

Some practice exercises:

• Step toward mirror, soft knees, keeping shoulders and hips flat, with CBM. Our coach said one of his coaches wanted him to practice this 10000 times between sessions. (Well, he only sees his coach in English once every few months.)
• In partnership, practicing all the possible leads, from man's perspective:
  
  
  
  1. Step forward straight, LF
  2. Step back straight, RF
  3. Step straight left
  4. Step straight right
  5. Lower on right leg
  6. Step forward, LF, turn frame right
  7. Step back, RF, turn frame back to straight
  8. Step Left
  9. Shape Left
  10. Shape Right
  11. Step Right
  12. Shape Left
  13. Straighten up
• When stepping through a routine, step back and forth through the steps, particularly on steps that require CBMP.

Some points of technique that are called out:

• The hips need to remain flat. Do not tilt the whole body forward, including the hips. This is as opposed to keeping hips in the right position, and bending forward at the waist. Through the hips and the lower spine the body is erect. This is especially important when turning the frame, as it is not possible to turn the frame properly at the same time it is tilted.
• When stepping back into a turn, the instructor cautioned us that the step back should be straight, toe is only turned in a little if called for in the figure. When one tries to make room by stepping to side while turning, it defeats the purpose of CBM, and if the forward stepping partner does their step correctly, it will also result in losing connection between the partners as they drift apart.

How to walk and do heel turn

Today's class focuses on walking forward and back and how to do heel turn in international style standard dances. This would be the same for American style dances as well.

Walking: it's pretty much the same as walking normally, but make it bigger. But somehow, when people starts dancing, everything changes, they don't walk normally anymore. Learn how to walk forward and back again. Key points: Move center, keep body alignment, release toe (for walking back), track under body.

Heel turn: initiate by turning hips, leave upper body to partner, turn on moving/support foot, foot rise, push forward.

Lesson on International Standard Technique

This is mostly focused on what Ladies should do.

• Always remember to keep upper body to left throughout figures, leave right side to the Man. It's especially important to stay left for turning figures, otherwise Lady will end in front of Man and block him.
• Elongate front of body (crunch back muscle), shoulder roll back down, head up (don't break neck) to left.
• At end of each step "settle" - hips underneath, free to move again.
• sway: always sway forward, the upper body goes with the forward sway motion, do not bend upper body back to create sway look - that's "broken sway", which will make Lady block Man. (Broken sway is  used in some higher level figures)

Now applying these principles to some Waltz figures.

• Natural Turn:
• step 2, Lady RF point LOD, leave upper body to left, open up hip to let Man go through, then body catch up.
• hips sway from underneath forward.
• then settle to normal position "sit", then move again.
• Reverse Turn
• sway: remember to go forward, don't do broken sway which gets Lady in front of Man.
• Keep shoulder, head position all the same, relative to the spine. Spine sways. In Reverse Turn, step 2, it will appear that left elbow is aiming upward, be careful not to raise shoulder.
• Closed Impetus:
• After side step, stay left, leave the right side to the Man, brush and then out.
• Natural Spin Turn
• Do not anticipate spin turn and start shifting body to right and block Man. Stay left. RF forward, spin, L leg trailing, and then LF does a back and slightly side step.
• Brush RF to LF and collect R hip, so Man can pass over. Keep R side to Man.
• Double Reverse Spin
• Timing: do 1 2 &3. 
• Man's early rise signals Lady should do heel turn. Lady does RF "back", L heel closes to R heel, turn, rise and "forward", then RF "out" to side (after turning) and "cross", stay on left.
• Progressive Chasse to Right: stay left, same as Quickstep
• Back Lock: outside partner, stay with partner, don't open up.

Lesson on Waltz and Foxtrot

Heel Turns
Do not lean into turns which throws off the balance of the partnership. Basically, it will knock the lady over. Secondly, soften legs, and roll across the feet. To review, using the closed impetus as an example,

1. Man: step straight back with left foot. 
2. Man: draw right foot back even with LF
3. Man: turn on left heel, with weight distributed so that the ball of the foot still brushes the ground, a half turn.
4. As Man rises on his right toe, Man corkscrew up, for up to another 3/8, before stepping back on his left foot, for a total of up to 7/8 of a turn

On the heel pull, Man needs to step the turn on 3 after 1/4 of a turn, and rolling onto the inside edge of the ball of the left foot, push off onto the right foot.

Foxtrot versus Waltz
A difference between waltz and foxtrot. In foxtrot, we only drive on the first step, and swing the leg on the second step. In waltz, we drive on the first and second step, and the swing is what brings our feet together to settle at the end of the third step. When practicing the difference in a waltz natural turn versus foxtrot, in the waltz, after the first step, Man puts his left foot forward on the ground, without weight, pointing it, and then pushes off the right foot. In foxtrot, after the first step, Man turns his body, bringing his left foot under me, before then swinging the left foot back. This is part of the difference between leading the lady to pass her feet or do a heel turn, respectively.


Turns
The mechanics of partnership and the axis of rotation on turns. There are three possible axes Man could be rotating around when he is on the outside of a turn. These are the lady's sternum, her outside shoulder (outside of the turn) and her elbow. The first two apply, respectively, to foxtrot natural turn, and a waltz natural turn, for example. The elbow would apply for turning into promenade position, for example. Paying attention to having the right axis of rotation for our turns. When Man is on the outside of the turn, he does not turn around his center, his body should swing like a door.


Footwork
An exercise to practice: move from foot to foot, side to side, and forward and back, rolling across the foot, inside edge to flat, flat to inside edge, heel to toe, and toe to heel. Within this, when you bring your feet together, practice lowering the heels with different timings. Use this exercise to warm up and get a feel for using the whole foot on the floor.


Turns
Sway is a consequence of movement, it is not done for its own sake. It would be technically correct to dance with little or no sway at all, there is a school of thought that promotes this, but it would be most suited for very tall couples that could still travel effectively down the floor with, what is for them, small steps. But movement is required to be noticed by the judges in a competition, so for most couples they will be taking big enough steps to require sway.

Frame
Our coach's philosophy is that the lady's elbows are the determinant of proper frame. The man's role is more practical, and the point is to display the lady, so the man's frame should be such to allow the lady's elbows to be even with the shoulders. As a point of reference, when I practice by myself, I should hold my right arm so that if I close my right hand to me, it would come to the center of my chest for the swing dances, and to my sternum for tango. Practice holding one of those hourglass shaped carwash sponges between right hand and chest to simulate having a lady there and keeping my right side frame in the right place.

Lesson on Waltz

Waltz technique, frame, and heel turns.

Frame

Each partner is responsible for the frame's topline on their left side. I had always heard before that the man needs to keep his right elbow high enough to make topline look right. The man's left arm and the lady's left arm should make a straight horizontal line across the top. The man's right arm cannot participate in that line, it needs to go down a bit so that the man can place his hand on the lady's back. The instructor stated that the lady keeps her own elbow high enough to make the line, and the man lifts his right elbow as necessary and appropriate to provide the points of contact for the lead. He also talked about the motion of the head. When the lady moves between promenade and closed position, her head should "go over the moon", i.e., the nose describes an upward arc, to prevent the chin from going down. To a lesser extent, this applies to the man as well, the main point being that the chin should stay up.

Heel turns

First, we talked about leading the lady into a heel turn, in the context of a double reverse spin. This pattern calls for a rise at the end of the first step. In particular, the instructor emphasized that the man should rise and wait until the lady's feet come together before moving into the next step. When the man is executing a heel turn, as he draws his trailing foot in, both legs should straighten, providing the rise for this step.The rise is also late in the step, as a result, as too early a rise will prevent the lady from getting past the man with her step.

Timing

The instructor emphasized that the settling on step 3 should occur at the end of the step, and should smoothly go into the next step. He demonstrated by lowering right on 3, which looked sort of like just plopping down on the step. The contrast was changing the count to 3&, where he would be up on 3, and not lower until the &.

Newcomer lesson on Cha cha and Waltz

Cha  cha

• On 'cha cha cha', stay on toes for first two cha's, leg doesn't straighten until last cha.
• Afro-cuban dances break on two so that the hip action is emphasized on one.
• On steps that break back, always point the front toe.
• On basic in place, try to open as big a gap as possible between the front knee and the back leg, while keeping feet turned out. In order to do this, it will be necessary to extend with the hips, enhancing the latin action.

Waltz

• On each pattern, first step is driving step, third step is collection
• Sway is used on second step to step much longer than one could stepping with flat hips. It is also used to slow down sideways momentum and to bring feet together.

Waltz frame, Posture, Position, Footwork

Some technique points on Waltz (also applicable to other Standard dances):

• Maintain good posture. That means Man's head should not be leading the feet in forward motion.
• Maintain good position. Our shoulders should be parallel to each other (not wrapped around). The right side of Lady's body should come to about Man's sternum, and vice versa.
  
• Maintain a big top-line (arms and elbows out wide) with head tilting 1/8 to the left in closed position. Man and Lady balance against each other. This is why practicing by yourself doesn't quite cover it. The keyword here is to "maintain" the position.
  
• Footwork is very important. http://www.dancecentral.info/ballroom/international-style has very detailed information on steps, timing, diagrams and footwork. Study!
• Follow through on the steps. Sometimes Man and Lady gaps in between (this is obvious when the partners start dancing in contact). Man: avoid stopping abruptly at the end of a change, that would cause the separation.
• Natural Turn and Reverse Turn: whoever is moving forward, drive it (bigger step, as this person is on the outside of the turn).
• Closed Changes: When connecting Natural Turn and Reverse Turn, there is no turns on change steps. Don't cheat.