Need A Reminder? General Rules for Dancing

by Sandi & Dan Finch

• The moving foot irons the floor in smooth dances. Glide, don’t pick up your feet.

• Foot pressure is necessary to stay in balance. The slower the move, the more foot pressure you need.

• Turn early, turn a lot.

• Knees are made to move forward; hips and ankles, like wrists, can move in many directions. Use those “hinges” as they are meant to be used.

• Going forward, release weight through the knee; going back, release it through the hips.

• Never treat lowering as the end; lower and move.

• Turns in smooth dances occur between steps; in Latins turn over a foot.

• Swivels, pivots and spirals occur over a foot.

• Sometimes the body turns less (than the foot). Or vice versa.

• Roll through the feet.

• Man needs to “open the door (hip)” for Lady coming forward (impetus, twist turn, right turning lock).

• Waltz mantra: Begin rise at the end of beat 1, continue thru beat 2 and 3, lower at end of 3.

• Man’s footwork on foxtrot Three Step/Lady’s on Back Three Step: heel, heel, toe heel.

• Hula hoop arms—open out or wrap the body to speed up or slow down turns.

• Every rotation has an inside and outside of turn. Person going forward is usually on the outside of the turn and has further to go.

• Keep your sternum over the standing foot.

• Center of levitation and center of gravity (your two centers) should have equal power. To rise, compress the centers together; if you fall back doing shape or sway, center of levitation is too powerful.

• Dance true to a rhythm’s characteristics.

From a club newsletter prepared by Dan and Sandi Finch , August 2015, and reprinted in the Dixie Round Dance Council (DRDC) Newsletter, October 2015.