Ballroom Latin Dance Made Impressive
How To Master The Spins And Turns Technique With Confidence
Jun 9, 2009
Learning to spin and turn is definitely part of every Ballroom Latin dancer's learning experience. Any novice dancer may initially be intimidated by the spins and turns. But in reality spins and turns are simple to learn once the figure is broken down into basics.
How To Make A Side Leading Turn Without Getting Dizzy
The Side Leading Turn technique is the first type of spins and turns to learn before other versions. Some dancers may call this Three Step Turn. However, the Three Step Turn in the International Syllabus is something quite different from what is being discussed here. The Side Leading Turns are widely seen in Latin American choreography. An example of such turn can be seen after the first few and subsequent bars of Cha Cha Cha routine here in this demonstration video.
Side Leading Turn is not the same as spinning on one leg although it looks like it when done fast. Of course, once the basic side leading turn technique is mastered, one leg spin can be attempted. For the time being, it is more important to understand the logic of a Side Leading Turn. Dancing is about illusion in most cases. Some dance figures may look complicated to watch, but technically they are much simpler than one would imagine.
The Step Guide
- Take a Side Step to right, (a 1/4 turn has already been made) then dance a Hip Twist to right.
- Make 3/8 of a turn to right.
- Transfer weight from right foot to the left.
- Complete a 7/8 turn to right with another side step.
- Repeat the figure to the left if desired.
- Practice slowly initially to understand the logic of the turn.
- Once the technique is mastered, speed up the movements gradually. Increase to full power once confident.
- Spin and turn according to music.
The Required Technique And Theory
- A good understanding of the transfer of weight to the appropriate foot.
- Body isolation causes the various parts of the body to move at different time resulting in sharper and more controlled turns. Always turn the shoulder and upper body, twist the hip and release to complete the change of direction.
- Head spotting helps a dancer to stay focused and oriented. The head turns to face the intended direction and stays in that direction until you cannot stay any more. Then quickly switch the head to the new direction last. I.e. after the body, hip twist. If the head is focused, there should be no dizziness at all.
- Stay toned up in the core. Never slouch. The axis of the spine must be maintained. Imagine somebody pulls hair up at the top of the head.
How To Stop A Side Leading Turn With Style
After the last side step, transfer all weight to the right foot. However, there should be some remaining momentum from the previous series of spins and turns in the upper body. Do not stop the body right away to avoid losing balance. In fact, utilize all the remaining forces by stretching the arms only in the last bar to create a line and utilize remaining energy following the body.
This would actually help to balance and look less abrupt in the halting of the spin. The utilization of the leftover energy also helps to fill up the music in addition to impressive lines. This is the reason why competitors usually pose after a series of spins and turns, apart from just looking good.
For those who are interested to delve deep into more complicated technique of the spins and turns, they can visit this website. Otherwise, understanding the logic given in this article is quite sufficient.
