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The closed dance hold in Modern Jive is less constrained than in other dances — since feet and legs are rarely interleaved, and hence footwork rarely needs to be synchronised. In most swing dances, partners can use different footwork even in a closed dance hold, e.g. a leader may single step (or double step) while their follower triple-steps, or vice versa.
In a non-offset (Argentine Tango like) closed dance hold partners are parallel facing each other but will not be offset, sometimes called dancing “heart to heart”. In milonga style, both partners lean their chests forwards together, to form an “A” frame, so that there is an embrace (dance hold) with enough room between their feet so that both partners can walk forwards or backwards on opposite legs without risk of collision.
In a conventional (ballroom dance) closed dance hold partners' bodies will be parallel and slightly offset60 and may be in contact near their midriffs, with the upper body leaning slightly backwards (away from each other). The leader and follower are in the “mush” (also known as cup and saucer position), with feet alternating as follows (from the leader's left to right): leader's left foot, follower's right foot, leader's right foot, follower's left foot. Offsetting the feet allows both partners to take large steps forwards or backwards on opposite legs without treading on each other, or kick safely between each other's feet.
One unusual dance position is for the leader and follower to be offset by half a body width, this allows the leader and follower to step forwards or backwards on the same legs — the effect is similar to a three-legged race where partners face each other.
A closed dance hold with space between partners, similar to a non-offset position but with more room between partners, e.g. like the position at count four of a lindy turn.
In a loose dance hold, partners don't need to be in the mush, i.e. offset from each other, since there is more room for both partners to move, e.g. when walking in dance hold. The leader can use a Lindy Hop dance hold with his right hand high on the follower's left shoulder to lead the follower to walk forwards — the leader can maximise the lead by spreading their fingers (taking care not to bruise their partner). The left-to-right handhold (with compression) can be used to lead the follower to walk backwards. The right hand on the follower's shoulder (with tension) can be used to lead the follower to walk forwards.
The jockey position is an angled looser variation of the closed dance hold, partners are in a loose dance hold, forming a “V”-shape (when viewed from above), i.e. leader's right leg and torso are close to the follower's left leg and torso, whereas there is a larger gap between the leader's left leg and torso and the follower's right leg and torso. The leader can hold the follower's right hand in his left hand (with elbows bent) in a closed version — or without an explicit handhold in an open version.
In jockey position, the leader's right arm should act as a hinge, so that the leader can open and close the dance frame, to increase or decrease the size of the “V”-shape between the leader and the follower.
The leader typically holds the follower's right hand in his left hand, either at eye-height as in ballroom, high as in lindy jig-walks, slightly lower as in Jive, or held at waist height or even on the leader's thigh, as in Blues. The leader should not use his left hand to “drive” the move, but simply provide some slight additional feedback for the lead and follow. It should be possible to lead the moves without using the left-to-right handhold — for example, the leader should be able to release his left hand (and the follower's right hand) in dance hold, when the floor is crowded, to avoid colliding if other dancers are nearby. One useful option is for the leader to use the heel of their left hand (against the heel of the follower's right hand) when in dance hold — as this avoids the possibility of gripping the follower's fingers too tightly.
The hand(s) holding your partner's body should have fingers closed to form a smooth “cup” — if the fingers are splayed apart then the separate fingers may poke your partner. A smooth grip will prevent fingers getting tangled and make releasing your partner from dance hold quick and smooth — improving the lead and follow.
In closed dance holds — the leader holds the follower's back with his right hand and arm, for example, under the follower's left shoulder-blade for a more “formal” Ballroom dance position, on the follower's waist as in a lindy circle, on the follower's left shoulder blade (near their left armpit) as in a lindy swing-out position, at the base of the follower's spine as in salsa, or right around the follower's back as in a tango embrace. The right hand and right arm are used to “guide” the move — maximising the lead for the follower.
The follower places their left hand on top of the leader's right shoulder or upper arm (triceps). If there is a large height difference, since followers must be able to leave closed dance hold quickly. If the follower holds the leader's back, there's a risk of their left arm getting trapped behind the leader's back, or under their right arm. Similarly, if the follower keeps their left palm (heel of their left hand) over the leader's right shoulder against the leader's chest, this allows the follower to “encourage” the leader to keep extra separation.
Both partners should support their own weight at all times especially the weight of their hands and arms — leaning on your partner will make you feel extremely heavy. Even in Blues, or Balboa, the follower shouldn't cling onto the leader, and vice versa of course.
Keep the hands “quiet” in closed dance hold. Similarly, avoid excessive swaying in dance hold, or rocking the left-to-right hands unnecessarily up and down — the slang term is “pumping water” — this normally happens with enthusiastic beginners, the problem is that (irrespective of the “coolness”, or lack thereof) the sheer effort of dancing that way will tire both partners out after only a couple of dances.
The leader and follower should form a rigid dance frame when in close dance-hold, i.e. if the leader turns the rigidity of the dance frame should be reflected in the follower turning a corresponding amount. There may be problems if either partner under, or overturns — especially with in a Lindy Hop swing-out position where the leader's hand is high on the follower's back. A firm dance frame will also prevent your partner coming too close and stepping on your toes, especially if you are in-line, rather than in the mush. However, pushing or pulling too hard can make you feel uncomfortably heavy to your partner.
The lead in dance hold is by the leader shifting the dance frame by rotating their torso and pulling or pushing slightly with their right hand on the follower's back — the leader shouldn't try to drive the motion by pushing, or pulling, with their left hand.
In the open facing position, partners hold one or more hands while stood apart. The rigidity, or tension in the dance frame is now replaced by compression and tension in the handholds — sometimes called “tone”. For the leader, this compression and tension is essential to help him lead the follower. For the follower, the connection (force-feedback) aids the interpretation of leads, e.g. by keeping compression in the handholds the leader is much less likely to tread on the follower, since they will be at arm's length. If the handholds collapse, i.e. so called jelly, or spaghetti arms, this reduces the effectiveness of the lead. Additionally, if the follower's elbows are pushed behind their body (during the compression phase) then the separation between both partners will reduce, which lets the leader step in closer (and possibly tread on their partner). In general, partners generate tension and compression by moving apart from and towards each other — alternatively, partners can twist slightly away from each other to build tension; and twist slightly towards each other to build up compression.
In open dance hold, the handhold will build up tension as both partners separate from each other, and will build up compression as both partners close together. There should be equal “tone” in the handhold from both partners. The feeling of the tension is similar to pulling on a spring, or strong elastic band, with continuous feedback and the tension gradually increasing. The feeling of the compression is similar to pumping a bicycle tyre, with continuous feedback and the compression gradually increasing. Keep this compression, or tension, building throughout the entire step, rather than say only at the start — keeping the feedback throughout the entire step will give you constant information about your partner's position and speed. Keeping the tension and compression smooth will also help the lead and follow, by enabling both partners to keep their footing, etc. Similarly, keeping the handhold elastic, rather than a fixed length, reduces any whiplash when stepping away.
The follower's hand should be placed on top of the leader's hand — since it is more difficult to lead without a strong grip if the leader's hand is on top of the follower's hand. The conventional open dance handhold is a “hook” grip — the follower's (right) hand forms a loose arch that is placed over the leader's fingers. This arrangement is similar to a “railway-carriage coupling” If the leader pushes their hand / arm forwards, the top (front) of their fingers will press against the heel of the follower's palm. If the leader pulls their hand / arm backwards, then the palm-side of their fingers will pull against the palm side of the follower's fingers. If the handhold collapses, then this subtle lead will be lost, whereas if the handhold is maintained, then the lead will remain while both partners move forwards / backwards. Similarly, if the grip / handhold is tight, then the hands will not move relative to each other and the lead to move forwards or backwards will only be discernible at the elbow, or shoulder. Keep a light handhold, so that the handhold can break quickly — key in moves that could wrench an arm, e.g. Archie Spin.
Try leading with just the first finger, or the first two fingers (rather than using the whole hand) — it generally makes the lead gentler. A one or two finger handhold also helps when a follower grips tightly onto a leader's hand — as the leader's finger(s) will rotate more easily (than their entire hand) in the follower's grip.
A light grip can be useful if your partner insists on jerking the handhold as the connection is likely to break — rather than your arm. Alternatively, try moving closer — to create some “slack” in the arms, and hence reduce the tension in the handhold.
If you dance complex wrap moves, then try to keep the fingers as long as possible, e.g. only keeping the first joints of your fingers bent slightly against the first joints of your partner's fingers, so that the length of the handhold effectively increases.
In open position, handholds should be at waist height of the shorter partner, this makes the hold comfortable for both partners — otherwise, the shorter partner will have to keep their extended arm raised, which gets tiring. If there is a large height difference, then compromise.
In an open dance hold the follower needs to keep a reference point relative to the hands (where the lead will occur) — in some swing dances the follower may keep their centre of gravity (navel) behind the hands — in Modern Jive this is often less useful, since the hands are often kept to the side of the body. Hence, a technique to find a good reference point is for both partners (and the follower in particular) to keep their elbows in towards the body — this has the effect that the follower's arm will be at right angles to their body and hence if the arm is kept at this tangent, the follower can follow angular variations.
There should be a rubber-band effect as the tension is accumulated and released within the handhold.
In the starting position both partners face each other, about two cubits apart, for example, with a left-to-right handhold, which is comfortable at approximately waist height, elbows should be bent.
From the start position the leader leads the follower to step backwards (on the follower's left foot) by pushing slightly backwards with his left hand against their right hand, as the leader steps backwards with weight on their right foot.
There should be some “tone” in the handhold, so that the follower can detect the leader's lead. Note that the follower should “resist”, so that the hands remain equi-distant from both partners — if the follower does not resist, then the lead collapses with the follower's hand going backwards, and the leader's going forwards.
Some teachers teach circling the hands as part of their franchise branding:
The C for Ceroc®.
Some teachers use as an semi-circle (sometimes called a “C”) to signal that partners should step apart (or that the follower is to step backwards). The semi-circle is performed outwards from the leader's viewpoint; the man's left hand will rotate anti-clockwise (up–left–down–right–up), and the man's right hand will rotate clockwise (up–right–down–left–up). This hand circling can be reversed, to signal that partners should step together (or that the follower is to step forwards). The semi-circle is performed inwards from the leader's viewpoint; the man's left hand will rotate clockwise (down–left–up–right–down), and the man's right hand will rotate anti-clockwise (down–right–up–left–down).
Hand circling (and pushing away) can provide some information — it provides an obvious indication of the beat for both partners to “reset” and step apart, i.e. that one move finishes as a new move starts. Generally, the speed that the hand is circled and its size (to a lesser extent), is indicative of the speed of the move — or a consequence that the step apart will be necessarily quicker.
Modern Jive is the only dance style that uses a semi-circle to signal that partners should step apart61 (or that the follower is to step backwards) — if circling the hands becomes an ingrained habit, then it may cause you problems when dancing other styles, e.g. Lindy Hop , or West Coast Swing .
Hand circling cannot be assumed by a follower as the only lead for them to step backwards. Obviously, if the leader doesn't hold the follower's hand, then the leader cannot lead a hand circle — hence any lead for the follower to step backwards, can not be led with a “C” when the follower's hand is placed on a part of the leader's body, e.g. chest, shoulder, hip, etc. If a leader wishes to step forwards as they lead their follower to step backwards (e.g. a Manhattan) then this lead is more difficult if the leader must also lead a hand circle.
Some teachers suggest (ironically) that circling the hands should be interpreted by the follower as a lead to dance a cartwheel.
Circling the hands is a matter of taste, but it can cause problems if taken to extremes in Modern Jive For example, circling the hands makes it difficult to maintain a strong connection in the handhold. Similarly, circling the hands can hide, or mask more subtle leads — these extra movements are termed a “noisy lead”. Some teachers argue that a follower should keep a known orientation to their hand, which means that any circling motion in a single handhold should cause a follower to swivel.
Some teachers suggest that circling should be avoided, and that a step away is best led as a simple push, and a step towards as a simple pull. However, a pull/push technique requires a good connection in the handhold — but it does maintain that connection in the handhold.
A push away (without a hand circle) also provides information — it provides an obvious indication of the beat for both partners to step apart, and the amount of compression in the handhold is indicative of the speed that partners should step apart.
Because, hand circling disrupts the connection in the handhold and a push/pull technique requires a good connection in the handhold, the two techniques are not compatible. Hence, followers should adopt the technique used by their leader.
Lunges aren't simply a large step in a particular direction — they can look more stylish by contrasting the lowering motion with a preceding rise, i.e. so that the both partners raise slightly, before the lunge onto the leg (and necessarily lowering). If the follower's weight is moved sideways during a slight lift / lower, then this should also encourage the follower to lunge in the led direction.
Using an arm diagonally down across the follower's back works well for leading a “swaying” lunge, etc.
Special case. Some moves need a secure base, and firm grip, especially swivels and twisting moves. The handhold for swivels is often at (or near) shoulder height, with a firm grip — switching the grip from an uncrossed double handhold can be achieved by sweeping the hands out and up in an arc. The leader's hands are outside of the follower's.
If there is a good lead and follow connection, then it should be possible to keep the momentum gained from entering into the sway / basket position and to use that so that both partners walk backwards for an arbitrary number of steps (possibly with a slight pressure on the follower's right hip and the leader's right arm moving backwards from the follower's back — as a cue for the follower to walk backwards). Only when the leader leads the move to finish (i.e. by the leaders right arm remaining stationary behind the follower's back) should the follower stop (and then be led to exit the move).
60The slang term for the offset ballroom dance closed position is “boob to buttons” — especially if the leader is wearing a shirt.
61Salsa dancers will often use loose, relaxed inward hand circles as a cue that the current (basic) step is to be continued rather than some other variation.
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