How To Do A Perfect Ballroom Pivot
Many people choose ballroom styles of dancing because they love the associated romance and elegance. Others choose them thinking that they’re the easy option because they might be slower than some of the fast and furious latin steps.
However, most ballroom styles consist of multiple rotations around the dance floor, and if you lose your head in a spin, it could be a disaster. So to help you master this technique, we’ve compiled some top tips to perfecting the ballroom pivot.
Maintain the frame
In ballroom dancing, it’s critical to maintain the correct frame and connection points throughout the spin. This typically means staying close to your partner, right side to right side, and making sure your feet slot in between each other. This will help keep you working as one unit as you spin and will improve your overall technique.
Perfect partnership
The man will lead a pivot and the lady should follow, but if both partners don’t move seamlessly together, then the turn will not work. Any small error by either party will be exaggerated by the pairing, so both partners need to take full responsibility for executing the perfect pivot rather than relying on the other.
Watch your weight
It’s particularly important to hold your core strong in a turn to ensure that you keep your weight central. Leaning into or out of the turn will pull your partner out of position and will make it much harder to complete a successful revolution.
Spotting
Try the ballerina’s trick of spotting if you’re mastering the multiple spins of the Viennese Waltz; it will help prevent disorientation and ensure you maintain the correct direction of movement. They key is to focus on one point in the room and maintain eye contact until the last minute when you whip your head around to refocus on the same spot. Alternately you can try looking up to the ceiling, but do not, under any circumstances, look down at your feet, as this will invariably tip you off balance.
Relax into the turn
It may be easier to say than do, but the best thing to do is relax. Any unwanted tension in your body will not only look unsightly, but will also be likely to pull you off course and cause hesitation in your move. Try and enjoy your partner’s hold and relax into the romance of the move.
Practice, practice, practice
As with any dance steps, the key to perfecting a turn is simply repetition and practice. The more times you try and fail to do a neat turn, the more you will learn how much power you need behind the driving steps to achieve the 180 or 360 degrees. With experience you will overcome the dizziness and perfect the pivot.
Nothing beats personal tuition, so try a free dance class at Arthur Murray Crows Nest and relax under our expert guidance. We’ll help you master the art of turning along with all the other steps and have you spinning with confidence in no time.