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Rotations are defined by a dancer rotating their torso about a (vertical) axis, rather than specific leg, arm or head movements (spotting). Hence, the dominant motion is to rotate your torso — this is often taught as rotating the shoulders or hips.
Spins (pirouettes) and turns are just (large) rotations, with or without a handhold. To make the discussion clearer, the following terms will be used:
Spin: A rotation without a handhold, often called a free-spin, push-spin or flick-spin.
Turn: A rotation with a maintained handhold — one partner provides a stable pivot point for the rotating partner to turn under.
To dance a turn as a follower and allow continuous connection with the leader, the arm to turn under should be at right angles (bent 90 degrees at the elbow) (in a vertical plane) — the upper arm parallel to the floor at shoulder height and the forearm vertical and directly in front of your eye (on the same side as the turning arm). In particular, when dancing a turn the elbow of the turning arm must not drift out to the side of your body (and upwards) as you spin — as this will make you “wider” and more dangerous to dance with (especially if your elbow gets to the height of your partner's face, nose, etc.).
This can be checked as follows: the non-turning arm/hand should be able to hold the turning upper arm comfortably (near to the turning arm's elbow) so that the non-turning arm is also at right angles (bent 90 degrees at the elbow) in a horizontal plane — the upper arm parallel to the floor and pointing straight forwards at shoulder height, the forearm parallel to the floor and parallel to your chest. You should be able to comfortably dance a spin with the arms in this position and the arms should not move relative to your body (and each other).
The wrist of the turning arm should be “cocked back”, i.e. angled slightly backwards towards your head — so that were you to extend your thumb, you would be able to touch the brow of your head.
The fingers of the follower's turning hand should be kept together and curled to form a partial tube (an approximate half cylinder) — so that the leader can fit (and also rotate) two of their fingers pointing vertically down inside the follower's hand. The leader can then lead the turn by drawing a “halo” slightly above the approximate circumference of follower's head, with the leader's fingers rotating inside the follower's handhold as the follower dances their turn. The tubular follower's handhold minimises the risk of the leader losing grip while maximising the leader's ability to be able to lead and maintain connection throughout the entire turn — rather than simply letting the leader to lead the start of the turn and then losing (some) connection until the follower returns back to face.
It should be possible to dance a turn within the space given by a normal open doorway. If you find that you collide against the doorframe as you rotate, then it is probable that, either:
Your forearm is not kept in front of your face.
You are unable to dance a turn on the spot.
Obviously, when a leader dances a turn under their follower's arm, they are leading themselves. When a leader dances a turn their turning arm should be the same as when a follower dances a turn. However, when a leader dances a turn they should initially have their fingers pointing vertically upwards (inside the follower's tubular handhold). As the leader dances the turn their hand will naturally adjust so that their palm is horizontal and facing the ceiling — this is almost like carrying a tray of drinks high in the air.
Your hips (and body) will naturally follow the orientation of your feet. If you place a foot so that it is turned out, and then release you weight so that it is placed solely over that foot, then your hips (and body) will turn to match the turn out of the foot place on the ground.
Dancers will often “prep” (prepare) when they are able to predict that a rotational movement is to going to be danced. Obviously, leaders can accurately predict when they will rotate and can prepare themselves. Followers can prepare themselves when the dance form is such that the lead for a rotational movement is “predictable”, alternatively leaders can obviously lead “preparational” elements to ready their follower for a subsequent rotational movement.
A preparation for a rotational movement is when a dancer creates internal “torsion” — where, for example internal tension is created from the angle of the hips (implicitly defined by the position of the feet) and the angle of the shoulders (implicitly defined by the position of the dance frame and arms). The “torsion” winds a dancer up in such a way that this preparatory rotation opposes the subsequent rotational movement, so that the subsequent rotational movement can be larger, or faster.
One technique to prepare for an anticlockwise rotation, is as follows:
to step forwards on a slightly “turned out” left foot, i.e. slightly anticlockwise to the line of dance (this makes an implicit slight anticlockwise rotation of the hips — this will naturally happen during the rotation). Note, stepping on to a turned out foot also makes it easier to “cheat the turn”.
To generate the torsion the shoulders and dance frame are rotated slightly clockwise — in opposition to the direction of the subsequent rotation.
This technique generates an angular difference between the upper and lower halves of the dancer's body — this can be felt as a slight “rotational stretch” near the diaphragm. When the right foot is released, the hips will naturally rotate to turn to the angle of the turned out left foot. If the shoulders are also rotated to release the torsion (internal tension) this will generate additional energy that can be used to drive the rotation.
Many teachers will try and explain a form of torsion, by suggesting that you take arms to the side to prepare for a rotation, and then bring the arms in front of you to “drive” the rotation. This can lead to some problems:
It moves the dancer's focus from their shoulders (and hips) to the arms.
Moving the arms will not generate torsion, if the shoulder “breaks”, i.e. if the shoulder is released (so that an arm can be taken behind the line of the body).
Moving arms can generate a lot of change in the dancer's moment of inertia — this large variation needs to be controlled so that the dancer retains their balance.
Rotations are easiest when there is a single unambiguous point to rotate around, and generally the larger the area in contact with the floor, the more friction and hence the harder it becomes to rotate.
The classic demonstration is to show how difficult it is to rotate a chair when it has two (or more) legs on the floor, whereas two fingers can rotate it easily if it only has a single leg on the floor.
If you are lifting your non-supporting foot high to ensure that it doesn't stick to the floor — then it may be a good idea to switch to a different pair of shoes with a sole that isn't so likely to “grab” at the floor if it accidentally touches as you spin.
However, although a single point implies that any rotation should use a single foot, this isn't a good enough condition as the if the weight is such that the foot is flat, then there are two main areas in contact with the floor, i.e. the “ball” of the foot and the “heel” of the foot.
Hence most rotations will be danced with the weight forwards on the foot62, which means that the heel of that foot must be kept off the floor and that the other “non-supporting” foot must also be kept off the floor.
The non-supporting foot should be kept close to the supporting foot when rotating. Note that the distance off the floor doesn't have to be huge, any gap will do — in fact if you keep a large gap between the non-supporting foot and the floor risks tilting your hips and your axis of rotation.
If you let your weight shift as you spin, moving away from the ball of the foot, then this will move your rotational axis — so keep your weight concentrated over the ball of your foot.
As you spin on the ball of one foot, you should find that your free foot should naturally “slot” against the spinning foot, so that the heel of the spinning foot is next to the instep of the free foot.
If you are wearing high heels, then tilt your free foot so that the toe is raised and hence the heel won't protrude as you spin.
One obvious exercise to improve your balance is to practise standing on one leg — and then repeat on the other leg.
This balance exercise can be made more demanding by adding one or more of the following ideas:
Balance on the “ball” of the foot.
Balance on the “ball” of the foot and generate small rotations using your shoulders (or arms and shoulders) and practise maintaining your balance on one foot after the rotation finishes.
Close your eyes — to practise maintaining your balance without visual cues.
Move the other foot, or lower leg, in circles to generate some instability to practise recovering your balance from.
Keep your arms hanging at your sides — so that any corrections are made from changes in your foot, posture, etc.
To build up strong ankles for spinning, stand on one foot and repeatedly bring your weight on to the “ball” of that foot (raising that heel off the ground) and then bring your weight back on to a “flat” foot (lowering that heel to the ground). Repeat the exercise with the other foot.
In essence, stopping the rotation is a reverse process: moving from spinning on one foot with the heel off the floor, to standing on one (flat) foot, and then standing with weight on both feet.
This gives a gradual braking process: as the other ball of foot drops to the floor, then the first heel drops, and then the second heel drops — and weight transfers to both feet. Many rotations have a final (led) braking element where one or both partners fully transfer the weight on to the non-spinning foot, and then step backwards on the free foot (which was the foot originally spun upon).
Dancers can also slow down by increasing their moment of inertia, e.g. by moving their arms away from their body. Momentum from rotations can also be reduced by sinking into your knees slightly, when stopping — this grounding motion may help reduce the tendency to fall backwards when stopping abruptly.
In general, finish your rotation facing your partner and on balance — never rely on your partner to keep your balance (by catching you) — any “over rotation” should be deliberate.
To finish a rotation smoothly, dance the rotation with slightly less energy so that the powered element of the rotation finishes early, and then the remainder of the rotation will gradually slow and be completed using the previously generated “angular momentum”.
If you are dancing a spin and know that you will not finish in a joint handhold, then make a definite finish to the spin. For example, bring the hands down (below waist level) and away from the body as you complete the rotation.
Make sure that you have a good, strong, unambiguous upright vertical axis for rotations. It is probably easiest to keep the weight on one leg as you rotate to form a strong axis to rotate about. Obviously, the foot that you are rotating on must be kept under the body. Try to feel that an “axis” passing through that leg, up through that side of the body and up through the shoulder on that side. This notion of a strong axis can be practised by standing with weight definitely on one leg, with the free foot slightly off the floor and close to the foot with weight. In this position it should be possible to rotate by bringing the “free” shoulder forwards or backwards.
Unless the rotation is led (intended) to be a travelling rotation, the rotation axis should be fixed and the rotational should not travel (precession). Obviously, if the rotation has an unintended travelling element (especially spins) you are likely to crash into your partner, other dancers or obstacles. However, if a follower does travel away from the leader when spinning, then it is the leader's responsibility to travel with their follower so that they remain close enough to catch their follower after the spin. If both partners spin and unintentionally travel apart, then this may cause problems — although it does open possibilities for other moves such as a Lindy Hop “Shorty George”, or to add a mimed element to the dance, for example, the lady could beckon (or otherwise encourage) the man to walk towards her — the man could stamp and point commandingly at the floor, to order the lady across (although this might not necessarily be appreciated).
Find (or make) a mark on the floor and dance a rotation with the supporting foot over that mark. After rotating, examine whether (or how far) you have travelled from that mark.
If your body position doesn't change and your rotation is perfect, you should return to the start position after each 360o rotation — this mean that if you start “unbalanced” then even if you do a perfect spin you will be unbalanced at the end of each full 360o rotation, and will probably “fall out” and have to take an extra involuntary step to avoid falling over. If you are only aiming for a single 360o rotation, then it isn't much of a problem if you “fall out of the rotation” as you can easily compensate for any extra involuntary movement. However, if you are aiming to rotate more than once (360+o) then taking an extra involuntary step is unlikely to keep you on spinning on the spot. Hence, a strong upright balanced rotational axis is key.
Given that you will be spinning on a single (ball of) foot, and that the other foot will be off the floor you must adjust your posture to compensate — otherwise lifting the non-spinning foot will tend to cause you to tilt your hips, and hence lean away from the vertical towards the side of the supporting leg. To ensure that your axis remains vertical and that your hips remain horizontal when one leg is lifted from the floor, try to “pull up” your body on the side that you are rotating, which should bring your hips back to the horizontal and keep your rotational axis vertical. For a more graceful style, keep both knees and feet close together.
To help in creating a strong rotational axis, get to the position where you are about to rotate (this may not necessarily be on a “full beat”) and try to lift your non-supporting leg. If you can't lift your non-supporting leg, or you find that you are not balanced, then you need to adjust your dancing so that you can find this balance point.
To help in creating a vertical axis, get to the position where you are about to rotate (this may not necessarily be on a “full beat”) and check that your rotational axis is actually vertical (and that your hips are horizontal) — it may be useful to ask a partner to assess your posture.
Check that your axis is vertical before the spin…
…check that your axis is vertical during the spin…
…check that your axis is vertical after the spin — otherwise you will “fall out of the spin”.
It can be tempting to “lock the knee” in an attempt to generate a strong axis to rotate about — however, a locked knee won't allow you to adjust your balance while spinning. Hence, it is probably easier to keep balanced by dancing the rotation with a relatively straight leg with a “soft knee”, i.e. slightly bent, since this will give you the chance to make rapid adjustments to your balance while spinning.
Obviously, both arms should be kept mirrored and balanced when spinning. Keeping the hands and arms raised above waist height will help raise your centre of gravity, which can also aid rotations.
When spinning, bring your hands together in front of your sternum as you spin will keep your arms symmetric (in an “O”) which in turn will help your balance.
Make sure that your head is centred over your shoulders, which are centred over your hips (pelvis).
Drawing yourself to your full height and keeping your stomach pulled in and tense, should help to create a strong connection between your shoulders and your hips, and hence help to maintain a strong vertical rotational axis. Making yourself taller and thinner will also decrease your moment of inertia — making it easier (faster) to spin.
If your arms (or body) are limp, then they will move as you spin — changing your axis of rotation, and potentially unbalancing you.
Obviously, you must be balanced as the rotation begins, be balanced during the rotation, and be balanced as the rotation finishes and during any exit.
The moment of inertia (I) of a rigid object is the sum of the product of its individual masses (m) and their perpendicular distance from the axis of rotation (d).
I = Sum(m d)
Hence, a tall narrow object (relative to the rotation axis) will have a lower moment of inertia, than would a short wide object (assuming that they are made of the same material).
The angular momentum (a) of a rigid object is the product of its moment of inertia (I) and its angular velocity (v).
a = I v
In an isolated system, angular momentum (a) is conserved — hence, if the moment of inertia (I) were to be reduced the angular velocity would necessarily increase, and vice versa.
Although a dancer is not a strictly isolated system, since they will be subject to other forces such as friction, they can still apply the conservation of angular momentum to change how they rotate by modifying their moment of inertia. This is the technique that ice-skaters use to spin faster from a slow spin with a large moment of inertia, e.g. with their arms stretched away from their body, and then increase their rotational speed by reducing their moment of inertia, e.g. by drawing their arms in to their body.
Similarly, dancers can spin slower from a fast spin with a low moment of inertia, e.g. with their arms close to their body, by decreasing their rotational speed by increasing their moment of inertia, e.g. taking their arms away from their body.
It is difficult to generate a rotation without preparation — sometimes called “torqueing”, “winding up” or “prepping” (preparing). Preparation for rotations is to rotate slightly in the opposite direction, either by twisting/swinging arms or by taking a small step to “push off” — Modern Jive is often taught with suggested footwork, although there doesn't have to be specific footwork.
If arms are used to generate energy for rotation, then take both arms to the right to prepare for an anticlockwise rotation, or take both arms to the left to prepare for a clockwise rotation. However, take care to keep the arms in the same horizontal plane, if you raise your arms the vertical impetus may unbalance you.
If you are well-balanced, then rotations should not require much energy. If you power into a spin too aggressively with too much energy it can unbalance you.
The start of a rotation can be cheated by placing the foot that will be rotated on, so that it points in the direction that the rotation is to occur, effectively reducing the angle to rotate. This technique does not tend to appreciably change the dynamic of the move.
The end of a rotation can be cheated by completing the rotation in the subsequent step, effectively splitting the rotation into two smaller pieces. This technique will change the dynamic of the move when dancing to slow music as it will tend to smooth the movement — however this is less apparent when dancing to fast music.
A single (360o) rotation in Modern Jive will take one count (or two musical beats) and often include a step back that is led after the rotation for an additional count (or two more musical beats). A double (720o) rotation in Modern Jive will also take one count (or two musical beats) and often include a step back that is led after the rotation for an additional count (or two more musical beats). Two consecutive single (360o) rotations in Modern Jive will take two counts (or four musical beats) and often include a step back that is led after the rotation for an additional count (or two more musical beats).
Body position when rotating should be low, smooth and horizontal — there is no need to pirouette balletically, rising up “en pointe”. Feet should be close together when rotating to give a unique axis about which to turn.
If you are not cooking, the kitchen is probably the best room in the house to practise — with luck it will have a wide expanse of smooth floor on which to practise rotating — wearing socks can reduce the friction when rotating on linoleum (or modern equivalent).
The head, shoulders and hips should ideally be vertically above each other while rotating, i.e. symmetric with respect to the axis of rotation. In the first instance, arms and legs should be symmetrical with respect to the axis of rotation. If limbs are held asymmetrically, e.g. rotating on one leg held out to the side, this tends to move the rotation axis as you rotate, making it more difficult to rotate “on the spot”. Similarly, moving your head will shift your axis of rotation — looking at the ground will drop your head and tend to shift your weight forwards — looking up will lift your head and tend to shift your weight backwards.
If you keep arms at your sides then your partner can't catch or stop you.
To improve your rotating overtrain — train for doubles and dance singles, train for triples and dance doubles.
One set of footwork that can be used for basic rotations63 on the spot is:
Left (right) foot forwards and (consequently) right (left) foot back.
To start rotating anti-clockwise (clockwise) on the left (right) foot, whilst bringing the right (left) foot so that both feet are close together. Weight remains on the left (right) foot, and the rotation will be about an axis that passes through that leg, the right (left) foot remains slightly off the floor.
Stop the rotation by braking by placing weight onto the free right (left) foot, in-place.
Leaders if you wish to step away; and followers if you are led to step away — then step backwards onto the left (right) foot returning to the opposite starting position, i.e. right (left) foot forwards and (consequently) left (right) foot back.
Note: some followers will automatically step backwards thinking that it is part of the rotation, but strictly speaking the step backwards should be led! For example, a leader might wish to lead a step-in, a clockwise turn, an anticlockwise turn, and finally a step back — giving an effect similar to an Alemana turn.
Note: The foot that your weight is on while rotating is the same foot that (optionally) steps backwards.
Coincidentally, this footwork is similar to the footwork used to do single rotations in Salsa.
Obviously other complex rotations and footwork options are possible where the “non-axis” shoulder goes backwards64 This type of rotation may seem odd, but it's commonly used, for example when a follower rotates clockwise in hold (twists out) in a first move — the follower will turn clockwise, but their weight will be on their left leg (because the right shoulder goes backwards) — the right foot is free as it is taken backwards. Spins and turns can be danced “backwards” which can remove the need to transfer weight — but may be a confusing concept for beginners.
Theoretically, multiple rotations should still be done on the ball of one foot. In practice, most rotations will be danced with both feet close to each other and near to the floor. This means that the spare non-pivot foot be used to both keep balanced and to help propel the rotation, by pushing on the floor (sometimes called paddling round). A slight variation is to place the non-pivot foot on the ground at the end of each complete rotation (360o), this can be used to keep your balance and can be used to end the rotation facing your original direction.
When leading a rotation, i.e. a turn or a spin, make it progressive — don't accelerate your partner abruptly, it will probably put them off balance. Similarly, when actively leading a turn, build the speed of the turn as the tension in the handhold increases.
If the follower is not in front of the leader when they finish rotating (i.e. after the spin or turn), then the leader should move to close the gap, so that the entry into the next move is closer to the usual starting point (and hence more fluid).
Can lose connection if spin or turn your partner — may be better to step around.
Don't duck when turning.
Turns and spins over multiple beats needn't only be split into equal amounts of rotation — use the parts of the move with most power to drive the turn. E.g. lindy circle, do more turn on the 3+4 step, than on the 5, 6. Obviously, if there is not enough time to make the complete turn, extra “adjustments” can be added afterwards.
Keeping hands out wide, can help your balance when moving, turning and spinning.
Don't look at your feet when spinning, or turning.
Spins (and turns) can either be led counter to the previous motion (preparation), e.g. an American Spin; or be led as a continuation of the previous motion, e.g. a Spot Turn. Counter spins (and turns), like the American Spin are often led using a “ball and socket” grip — the leader cups his hand, while the follower makes a fist — providing a handhold that can separate quickly, which also keeps tension in the follower's arm. Alternatively, some men use their left hand to provide a signal, by blocking the follower's travel forwards.
When leading the follower into a turn or spin from a closed dance hold, the leader should give the follower enough room to be able to release their hand from the leader's shoulder, and for the follower to be able to turn or spin easily. If the leader keeps the follower in tightly, this may result in him locking their arm, and vice versa. Conversely, the follower must keep their arm on top of the leader's arm (not let their arm go behind the leader's body), so that the follower doesn't “lock” against the leader when exiting dance hold.
When leading a travelling rotation, the leader should lead the follower to travel, before leading the follower to rotate.
The turning partner must be upright before they turn, or spin, e.g. the dipped or dropped partner must be brought back to a vertical position, before leading them into a turn, or spin.
Keep the handhold at waist height; if the leading hand is raised or begins to raise, then the follower may anticipate and dance a turn, rather than spinning.
Need momentum / angle to lead a spin, very difficult to lead from a static “line-abreast” especially at arm's length. Use the body's momentum to lead the spin — difficult to lead this at a distance. Needs preparation.
When the spin is led, the leader should be leading the follower to spin about their centre of mass, rather than some external point. It is important to adjust for the follower's velocity if they are travelling, so that the point that the follower spins about also travels at a similar velocity.
All spins need to be led horizontally, to avoid tilting the follower. Leading a spin upwards means that the follower's axis of rotation will be tilted putting them off balance; there will be less energy imparted in the desired horizontal direction.
Need a “clean” release, preferably with a smooth gradual build-up. “Frisbee”, or ball-and-socket handholds and leads, especially clockwise spins led left-to-right hands, or anticlockwise spins led right-to-right, etc.
A short, sharp lead does not provide enough time for a follower to plant a foot and locate an axis about which to turn, and will probably cause them to shift their weight unexpectedly. The leader should start the spin as early as possible, to give the follower time to position themselves well, and to locate a suitable axis about which to spin. When leading a (free) spin the leader should use a smooth lead, to avoid unbalancing the follower. One way to make this lead smoother is to keep the handhold relatively rigid (tense), and for the leader to use their body weight (or the momentum from preceding preparation moves) to spin the follower. For the tension in the leader's handhold to be converted into a spin, the follower should also keep tension in their arm, otherwise the lead will simply move their arm limply. Flat spins, lead as a Frisbee.
When leading push spins (or other push moves) keep the fingers together to provide a solid base for the follower to push against — if the leader spreads their fingers during a push away, then the leader's and follower's fingers may become tangled during the push.
When leading a push against the follower's free arm for them to rotate, e.g. for the follower to (free) spin — a Left-Handed Hatchback or comb-duck-spin — then the push should be slightly downwards, if the follower's arm is flicked up it may hit nearby dancers (in the face). When leading spins (push-spins) the lead should be smooth but unambiguous, so that the push breaks any grip between the hands.
The lead for an unwrapping move, e.g. Wurlitzer, should be a push away at the same height.
I don't tend to deliberately spot when dancing — I get dizzy from rapidly rotating my head — but maybe I just need more practise.
Proponents of spotting suggest:
Spotting can help dancers finish a spin facing a given direction/their partner.
Visual cues from spotting might reduce dizziness, by overriding the cues due to the motion of fluid spinning in the semi-circular canals in the inner ear.
Spotting [Spotting] is a technique whereby the dancer rotates their head in a different manner to their body; the dancer keeps their head stationary (looking at a “spot”) as their body begins to rotate, and then quickly rotate their head independently of their body (to bring the “spot” back in to view), and then keep their head stationary (looking at the “spot”) as their finishes the rotation.
To practise spotting, pick a location at head height in front of you. Keep looking at the chosen spot, move around slowly. When you are unable to keep your chosen location in view, rotate your head around — and keep shuffling round to finish the rotation.
As you acclimatise to spotting, speed up gradually until you reach “normal” spinning speed.
Don't lead a (free) spin that you can't catch.
Note that it is the leader who does the catching — the follower leaves their hand relatively static — it is difficult to catch a moving target, both will be more likely to miss.
Must always catch any spins from the follower — even if you miss the hand catch, grab the other hand, or the follower's hips, or shoulders — this is important in case the follower is spinning in the wrong direction, or is off-balance. Being prepared to catch wayward spins is even more important when dancing with beginners, or when dancing in confined conditions, especially in classes where everyone will be moving together.
When catching and leading the follower forwards, e.g. to enter a dance hold (again) the leader must catch and pull the follower's shoulder — not behind their lower back — otherwise the leader may force the follower's back to arch backwards when pulling them forwards, if this is forced repeatedly the follower may develop back problems.
There are other varieties of spins:
Salsa dancers often use a “hook-spin”; similar to a small, tight rondé.
Jackson spins: also called smurfs, there's a preparation phase in the step(s) before the spin where the feet (legs) are crossed and the spinner turns quickly to uncross them. Important to cross the legs low below the knee to avoid crushing body parts painfully.
Can spin faster by getting a tighter cross, i.e. slightly on the toes.
Not normally led — might be choreography, or improvisation.
Body roll: a processional spin, where the hips rotate off-axis — all the time a separate turn, or spin is performed.
Not normally led — might be improvisation.
To reduce friction
Keep on the balls of the feet.
Keep the diaphragm raised.
Spotting.
There are several reasons why hip/shoulder spins can be problematic:
Leaders/followers are not so used to leading/following them.
Followers have less scope for recovering their balance: if the leader pushes the hand up/down, then the follower can more easily drop/lift their hand. If the leader pushes the follower's hip/shoulder up/down, then it's harder for the follower to compensate.
Push spins are easier to release cleanly and smoothly. Hip spins can be awkward to release hands from the follower's hip, as hands may be liable to get caught in clothing, etc.
To lead a smooth hip-spin you need to be able to “drag” the follower's hip to “follow through” the rotation — so that the lead is clearly rotational, and not just pulling the follower backwards. It is easiest to lead this by pulling back against the follower's hip-bone, as this is a good (safe) place to transfer torque.
In addition, a sweaty hand/midriff combination may not be able to generate enough “drag” — so sometimes a jean belt tab can be a “safer” leading option here?
If the hip spin is a travelling one, then even more lead than normal will be required. The easiest hip spin is probably a Spinning Top where the follower spins in-place, and the leader can kneel and more easily lead the hip spin by using both of the follower's hips.
The main lead for all turns is to raise the hand above head height — if the hand isn't above head height then don't turn!
There are different types of turns, depending whether the hand turned under also provides the lead for the direction for the follower to rotate. For example, when leading the follower to turn out from a First Move the direction to rotate is mainly lead by the leader pushing on the follower's waist (or back). Alternatively, the Return relies on the direction of the lead coming from the same (single) handhold, especially if the counter-motion from the previous move hasn't obviously wound the follower up for the turn.
If there is no other lead to indicate the direction to turn, then the turning hand must also lead the direction for the follower to turn, e.g. initially by pushing or pulling slightly in the appropriate direction off to one side. Once the follower starts to rotate, the leader should take the hands directly over the follower's head so that they are not pushed off-balance.
When leading the turn, don't forget to polish your follower's halo!
Leading multiple turns (in a single step) on a single handhold requires a clear lead as early as possible, so that the follower has the maximum time to dance their turn. For example, the leader can describe a small “halo” directly above the follower's head to clearly lead the follower's turn(s). The speed and number of times that the leader “draws” the halo indicates the speed and the number of turns that the leader wishes the follower to perform.
When leading multiple travelling turns, the leader's hand will still describe a small “halo” directly above the follower's head — from the follower's viewpoint. However, from a fixed viewpoint the leader's hand will describe a series of loops.
When a leader dances a turn, they should take the hands definitely over their own head — otherwise, the action of lifting the hands may be interpreted by the follower as a lead for the follower to turn.
A follower should be able to dance a turn with minimal impetus from a leader. One exercise to practise this is for a follower to dance a single turn, with the same arm and body position as if they were led (i.e. with their hand in the correct position) but without physical contact with the leader. Obviously, at the end of the turn the follower should be balanced, and should be close to their start position.
Turns should be led with fingertip or palm contact, to maintain the handhold, so that the grip rotates freely. Don't ever lock thumbs during a turn, it can be extremely awkward, and possibly rather painful.
When leading turns the handhold should be roughly a hand's breadth above the turning partners head, to avoid pulling them off-balance — rather than keeping the handhold as high as possible.
When one partner is turning, the stationary partner should keep the “pivot” handhold over the turning partner's axis of rotation (basically over the turning partner's head, or slightly in front of their face) — not out to the side. If the “pivot” handhold is out to the side, then the turning partner may be pushed off-balance, affecting the stability of the spinning partner at worst, or at least spoiling the “look” of the move.
Similarly, the stationary partner must not “stir” the handhold to “help” their partner to rotate. Stirring the handhold gives an ever-changing pivot point for the spinning partner — which will probably slow the spin.
Stirring makes it more difficult for the spinning partner to remain “in-place”, as the changing position of the pivot will tend to move them around.
At higher speeds, keeping the pivot handhold still and in the correct place becomes increasingly important for safe and rapid turns.
When leading double-handed turns, keep both sets of hands close together — firstly, it reduces the risk of hands and arms getting tangled during the turn; secondly, it means that there will be a well-defined pivot point to turn under; thirdly, bringing the hands close together is a hint that the next step may be a turn.
If the hands are uncrossed, then a single turn will naturally cause the hands to cross each other. If the hands are uncrossed, then a double turn will naturally cause the hands and arms to “doubly cross each other” — forming a Cajun little window, as in the Cajun Window. If the hands are uncrossed, triple and other turns will naturally cause the hands and arms to become too twisted, so that they are effectively impossible to dance,
One simple technique is for the stationary partner to allow the turning partner's hands to rotate freely inside their (stationary) hands, until the turn is completed — however this technique can somewhat disconnect the partners until the turn finishes. A more advanced technique is for the leader to “slip the follower's hand” as follows:
As the follower turns and the hands start to cross, the leader brings both of their hands close together above the follower's head.
The leader moves the follower's hand from their left hand and quickly places that (follower's) hand onto the follower's other wrist (the leader then releases his left hand). The leader brings his left hand high in its original position above the follower's head, next to their right hand that holds one of the follower's hands.
The leader continues leading the follower to turn (multiple times) using only their right hand.
As the leader finishes leading the turn, they use their left hand to collect the follower's hand from the follower's other wrist.
This technique allows the leader to lead multiple turns while maintaining a strong lead and follow connection, and to allow the turn to be finished without tangled hands — plus, there's a certain degree of fun in using the quickness of the hand(s) to deceive the eye (as with practise the hand change shouldn't be noticeable).
Alternatively the leader can simply release one of the follower's hands and then collect it at the end of the turn. However, this technique will look more polished if the follower still keeps the released hand high near to the remaining hand hold, rather than dropping it to waist level — it also makes it easier for the leader to gather than free hand back into a hold at the end of the turn.
It is faster to lead an inside turn when the leader's hand is under the follower's hand, but at speed it can sometimes be rather awkward to change grip, and often it is simpler to lead a spin and collect a new “clean” grip rather than leading a turn, with a very fast change of grip.
Tall leaders should turn under their own hands, arms, or elbows so that they can turn under the joint handhold — rather than trying to lift their hands and possibly trying to lift their follower. Similarly, tall leaders should also lower joint hands off their shoulders, if leaving them there would strain their follower, e.g. in a Butterfly or Teapot. Similarly, when dancing a Comb, then let go “early” — don't try and hold on — many moves can be released quickly and you'll still keep the move flowing, but without having to stop in an awkward position. And yes, It may be easier to slightly “race ahead” in a class to avoid having to stop in a position that needs your partner to use a stepladder.
One other technique is to dance “crazy legs” — this is a lindy move with bent legs, that can be used to dance slightly lower.
Finally, think about hamming up the situation — lead moves from a kneeling position — or make a real point of limboing in a step under, etc.
Followers should not step backwards out of a turn unless led to explicitly by their leader65. Leaders may wish to smoothly join a turn in to the next move, which may be disrupted if a follower immediately steps backwards. Additionally, the leader may wish to dance a turn under the joint hands themselves (possibly more than once) — this option becomes more difficult to dance if the follower steps backwards, since stepping backwards will effectively lower the hands.
If you have to duck under the arms for a turn, then either:
the leader hasn't led a turn.
the leader is not raising the hands high enough for a turn.
if there is enough room, and a turn was led and it's a duck “just to be safe”, i.e. out of habit, then try to avoid this as it will make the turn harder and will probably spoil your posture and the overall look of the move.
There should be enough tone in the arms during a turn so that the leader can halt the turn part way, which is useful for leading stops (breaks) during turns. Being able to halt turns, also aids a couple's floor craft, as it allows the leader to be able to prevent collisions, when the follower turns.
Followers can emphasize turns, especially in swing dancing by slightly overturning and then coming back to face — “work that skirt”.
In a turn, keep the arm in front of the face, so that the elbow stays in close, rather than drifting out to the side — which may be more likely to collide with the leader. Similarly, be careful not to hit your partner (in the face) when doing a turn close to them, e.g. in dance hold, or when travelling past your partner.
When turning — the hand / palm faces the ceiling, with the static partner's hand “atop”, i.e. palm down with no “real” grip, so that the hands can swivel freely — basically, the turning partner's arm and hand is almost as if it were carrying a tray (overhead) — the static partner's hand would be the tray.
The non-turning partner needs to keep the pivot point above the turning partner as the turning partner travels.
Travelling turns are simpler to lead by the leader stepping off the follower's line and leading the follower to travel forwards in a slot and then turn to face the leader, rather than the leader staying in-place and leading the follower in a combined circular travelling motion turning around themselves. The slotted technique is faster, since the follower has a smaller distance to travel, since they travel along the diameter of the circle, rather than around its circumference.
It may help your spinning to try to straighten your posture, e.g. by raising the diaphragm, and holding yourself erect. Don't raise the “spare” foot too high; it can always be used as a stabiliser if you wobble, if it is close to the floor. The leader can only drive the spin if the follower keeps their spinning hand and arm rigid, there will be less torque transferred if the follower's arm is limp.
Dizziness, from turning too much. Try leading an opposite handed spin. A turn or spin in the opposite direction to previous motions will cancel the fluid motion in the inner ear's semi-circular canals and therefore reduce feelings of dizziness.
Spotting. Leads need to watch their partner. Leaders have more time to prepare to spin. Follow-on spins, e.g. Spot Turn. Opposite spins, e.g. American Spin.
62It is possible to do “heel turns” (they are sometimes done in ballroom “spin turns”) but most (formal) shoe heels have a sharp edge which means that the rotation will probably be unstable after about 180o.
63These basic rotations are called a “pirouette en dedans”, i.e. inward rotations — standing on the left leg and turning anticlockwise, or standing on the right leg and turning clockwise.
64These more complex rotations are called a “pirouette en dehors”, i.e. outward rotations — standing on the left leg and turning clockwise, or standing on the right leg and turning anticlockwise.
65If you can not dance a turn without stepping backwards, then it may be that you are unbalanced when you rotate, or have been led off balance during the turn.
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