Partnership

by Michael Schedler

Now that we have achieved dance frame and hold, let's talk about the partnership of the couple, relative to the frame. Ballroom dancing is much easier and more enjoyable when both partners maintain their proper position within the frame. The lady should align her right side with the buttons in the center of the man's shirt, which positions her on the right side of his body. From the lady's perspective, she is staying on the left, so this position is often referred to as "staying leftward". The gentleman must assist by giving the lady enough room in his right arm, and not pulling her over to his center line. His goal is also to position himself on her right side, or "leftward" from his perspective. If the lady and the gentleman were the same size, each of them could line up their right side with the center line of their partner.

As an aid to verify that you and your partner are properly positioned, look down at your feet. Each person's right foot should be pointing between your partner's feet, and the left foot will be outside your partner's feet. As you can see, the proper body position helps ensure that you don't step on each other when dancing. In addition to preventing sore feet, it saves money on stockings and shoe shines!

Now that the bodies and feet are in the proper position, what about the head? Where should you be looking? Although in most social situations, it is considered polite to look at someone as you talk or interface with them, this does not work well on the dance floor. It is very important for both the man and the lady to look past their partner, rather than directly at him/her. The lady looks over the man's right shoulder, and if she happens to be a lot shorter than her partner, she can pretend that she has x-ray vision to see through his shoulder.

And the gentleman looks over the lady's right shoulder - which gives him a good view of the dance floor to avoid collisions with other couples. The lady can assist by providing "eyes in the back of the head" for the gentleman. If she sees that another couple who isn't paying attention (maybe they don't have good dance position) is about to run into them, she can gently squeeze her partner's arm to alert him to the danger. Or, she can whisper in his ear. Just because you are not looking directly at your dance partner, doesn't mean you can't talk with each other - you are in the perfect position to whisper in your partner's ear.

Proper dance position makes dancing easier, and it makes you look poised and confident. It reduces the likelihood that you will step on your partner, or collide with other couples on the floor. Good partnership makes dancing more enjoyable for everyone - which is the whole idea behind dancing - having a good time out on the dance floor!!