Whether you are preparing for your first dance as husband and wife or you watch Dancing with the Stars and just want to learn the basic steps, ballroom dancing can be a challenge but it is one that can easily be overcome with the right instructions. In this segment, you will learn the basic arm placement, the box waltz and the left-box turn.
The Closed Position arm placement:
The Closed Position is the most commonly used position in ballroom dancing. Start by facing each other, leaving about six inches between the man and the woman. The man should place his right hand just below his partner’s shoulder blade, with his thumb right where her arm meets her body. His right arm should be perpendicular to his body, forming a perfect ninety degree angle.
By now, his arm should be in full contact with her left arm. The woman’s left arm should rest on the man’s right arm. Her left hand should grasp his shoulder, with her thumb on the inside of his shoulder and her fingers on the outside.
Now the woman should place her right hand in her partner’s left hand, between his thumb and forefinger. Once their hands are joined, their hands should be level with the shorter partner’s eyes. This is the completed Closed position. Now we are ready to move on to the Box Waltz steps.
The Box Waltz:
These steps will be broken down into 6 counts. The man leads and the woman follows, doing the exact opposite of the man. For Step 1, the man will step forward with his left foot while the woman will step backward with her right foot. Then he will step to his right with his left foot as she steps to her left with her left foot. This is Step 2. He will then pull his left foot to meet his right as she pulls her right foot to meet her left and they have just completed the first three steps.
For Step 4, the man will step backward with his right foot while pulling the woman to step forward with her left foot. He will then step to his left with his left foot as she steps to her right with her right foot and complete Step 5. Step 6 is simple. He will pull his right foot to meet his left foot as she pulls her left foot to meet her right. This is the box step. Refer to Diagram 1 to view the steps of the Box Waltz.
The Left-Box Turn:
The Left-Box Turn is a little more complex than the basic Box Waltz. This consists of 2 sets of 6 counts, a total of 12 steps each. This is still in the shape of a box but now the man will turn on each side of the box. Instead of stepping straight forward with his left foot, he will step to the left and so his back is to the inside of the box. The woman’s first step is with her right foot again but she will pivot to her right so that her back is facing out of the box. This is the couple’s Step 1. In Step 2, the man will step to the right with his right foot, continuing to keep his back facing inside the box. The woman will match him with her left foot and step to her left. Step 3 is complete when he has brought his left foot to meet his right and she has brought her right foot to meet her left.
Step 4 is another turn. The man steps with his right foot and pivots again so that his back is to the outside of the box and the woman steps with her left foot and pivots so that her back is to the inside of the box. For Step 5, he will step to his left with his left foot and she will step to her right with her right foot. Complete Step 6 by the man bringing his right foot to meet his left and the woman bringing her left foot to meet her right. This is the first sequence of 6 steps in the Left-Box Turn.
The second set of 6 steps starts exactly as the first sequence. The man steps with his left foot, pivoting to his left so that his back is once again facing the inside of the box. The woman will step with her right foot to her right, following the man’s lead. This is the second Step 1. The second Step 2 is just like the first Step 2. He will step to his right with his right foot and she will step to her left with her left foot. Then they will finish Step 3 by him bringing his left foot to meet his right and her bring her right foot to meet her left.
The final turn is initiated by Step 4. The man steps to his right with his right foot and pivots so that his back is facing out of the box. He will pull the woman with him as she steps to her left with her left foot. Step 5 immediately follows as he steps to the left with his left foot and she mirrors him to her right. Step 6 will bring them back to the starting position as he brings his right foot to meet his left and she brings her left foot to meet her right. Refer to Diagram 2 for the steps in the Left-Box Turn.
Reading all the steps in an article can only take you so far so definitely refer to the diagrams to show you the exact steps. It can be a useful tool to place masking tape on the floor in a box shape to see where you should stand. Enjoy these simple dance steps. Once you have mastered these basic moves, come back to learn more complex moves like the Progressive Movement and different arm placements. Enjoy!
