All ballroom dancers are aware that when two bodies rotate together, one partner is on the outside of the turn while the other is on the inside of the turn. But what does this mean in practical terms? This post explores the concept of the exchange of dynamics in ballroom dancing.
Even in our beginner lessons we discuss the fact that the person on the outside of the turn has to travel a greater distance in the same amount of time as the person on the inside of turn. In a Waltz Reverse (left) Turn, this isn’t too much of an issue, because your partner is positioned to your right side. But in Natural (right) turns, this becomes a challenge because the person on the outside has to get past their partner. As a result, that partner steps slightly larger while the partner on the inside of the turn steps slightly smaller to keep everything easy for both partners.
At higher levels of dancing, with greater rotation and more volume of movement, this becomes much more of an issue. Suddenly, physics becomes a natural part of dancing. I’ll never forget a private lesson on the Viennese Waltz with multi-time world champion Arunas Bizokas. His awareness of the physics of the couple’s rotational energy was off the scale. He casually referred to the rotational kinetic energy of the couple in terms of torque and angular momentum as if he were a mathematical prodigy. I had never thought of dance teachers as being math experts, but in this case it helped me to better understand the dynamics of rotational forces. Take continuous pivots, for example. Once balanced, angular momentum stabilizes, maintaining constant rotational speed.
Exploring the Change of Dynamics
Let’s look at a simple and very basic figure: the Natural Turn in Waltz, although the principles that are covered in this article refer to all dances.
The first foot to step back becomes, at the moment of placement on the floor, the center of rotation not only for that partner, but for the couple’s balance. Remember that there are three centers of balance whenever a couple is joined together. Each partner has their unique center of balance, plus there is one for the couple as a whole.
The person who is on the outside of the turn (the one going forward) must drive through their partner. They can’t go around their partner. In essence, they go through the center of their partner’s body (that person creates space for this but we’ll get to this shortly). They lower to allow gravity to assist with energy, and use their feet to drive forward. After step one, they swing through that leg with pendulum swing to extend the foot to the other side of their partner, moving through free space. Swing energy cannot begin with the feet side by side. It has to move forward or backward to create a proper swing. For example, the pendulum of a grandfather clock cannot begin to swing when it is hanging straight down. The swing starts from one side and moves in a straight line. But because the body is rotating to the right through the time of the swing, that action ends with the feet side by side and the body in the center. This is only possible if the foot (and body) is able to move into free space.
At the top of the rotation, there must be a pickup of the center of levity. This involves a significant amount of control. We do not lock the legs to rise. Instead, we lift the spine and the rib cage, connected to breathing, to maximize the rising action.
There is now an exchange of dynamics within the ballroom dancing partnership. It is not unlike two people running with a ball and passing the ball to the other player as they run. One partner now passes the energy torch to their partner as they switch from one person on the inside of turn becoming the one on the outside of the next turn, and vice versa.
During that initial rotation that we have discussed, the person on the inside of the turn must assist their partner to drive through their position. They do this by inviting their partner to fill the space that they were occupying. They need to create free space that their partner can travel through. They invite with hips and head moving out of the way, while rotating the body. At the same time, they must keep the center of projection to the partner. If they fail to do this, they will collapse the frame and interfere with the dynamics of the center of rotation. For example, they might bring their head weight into the center of rotation. The center of projection is usually, and certainly in this case, created through the use of the rib cage. It is lifted with the spine, keeping the head weight properly aligned, to join their partner with the center of levity.
In essence, the person moving backwards uses the turn of their body and the sway of the swing to let their partner move elegantly into the space that has been created by rotation. They also use control at the top of the swing, as the exchange of dynamics is applied once again for the next movement.
For beginners, this is too much information to take in, but if you’re an experienced dancer you should be able to think about and apply these principles as you practice.
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