DANCE FRAME

A solid and stable dance frame is the key to good leading and following. And it is important that the partners maintain tone in their frame throughout the dance. This enables the man, as the leader, to communicate to the lady, and allows the lady to feel his communication. A good frame will allow communication through the hands, arms, hips and thighs.

Smooth - In Smooth dances, like Waltz, Foxtrot and Tango, our frame brings us much closer to our partner than in Latin dances. For Smooth the partners upper bodies are stretched apart, while their bodies are lightly touching at the midsection or belt lines. The elbows are slightly out to the side. Each partner should maintain his own frame. The lady should not "hang' on her partner, or hold him in a "death grip." The gentleman should keep his right hand on the lady's back and not spread his fingers apart.

Latin - Ballroom dances that we refer to as "Latin", such as Cha Cha, Rumba and Samba, are done with a Latin dance frame. In the Latin frame our arms are extended out in front of us, as opposed to the Smooth frame )where our arms are extended to the side. Our Latin dance frame keeps our partner away from us, as opposed to the closed dance position used for Smooth dances.

For our Latin frame you want to pretend you are holding a beach ball between you and your partner. You lean in slightly toward your partner. In this way, the dance partners counter balance each other and form a connection with each other. You stand directly across from your dance partner, not off center of each other.

Rhythm - Our dance frame for Rhythm dances, like East and West Coast Swing, is different still. You can learn about the Rhythm dance frame on How To Dance East Coast Swing.