Turns are a huge part of any dance, and spot turns are probably the most common of the lot. So it’s amazing how few dancers know how to do it properly. As I’m sure you know, a poorly executed turn can lead to wrenched arms, loss of balance, or even a nasty fall. Here then, is a quick look at the basics for leading and following a smooth and comfortable spot turn.
Hang on, what’s a spot turn again??
A spot turn is ‘officially’ a turn made around a spot between the couple, (for instance, the spot turn in salsa, or the spot turn combination in bolero.) However, it also is used informally to refer to any turn in place, like the underarm turn in salsa. In this case, the ‘spot’ the person turn around is one of their feet, which remains in place to keep them from traveling away from their partner.
The underarm turn is simpler, so we’ll cover that first (the other will be explained next week).
Prepping for the Turn
EVERY action you lead must have a ‘prep action’ to let your partner know what you’re doing and smooth out the movement. The simplest version of this is to raise the right or left hand (depending on which arm she’s turning under) a few beats before the turn itself.
Your hand may need to rotate in your follower palm to make the turn easier. Here’s a couple examples:
Your aim is to provide just enough connection so her hand doesn’t slip away, but loose enough so it can still rotate with her body.
Leaders, NEVER squeeze your partner’s hand while she is turning - her wrist may get twisted and cause injury.
The Ryan Gosling Method
What’s the most common mistake followers make when making a turn? I’ll give you a hint:
Remember that the leader raising his hand only tells you a turn is coming, not that it’s happening. To keep you connected with your partner and ready to move when the turn actually starts, I employ the Ryan Gosling Method (or your favourite cute celebrity).
Imagine a picture of your heartthrob tied to the back of the wrist of your elevated hand, which will be positioned in front of the shoulder on the same side. No matter what, keep the picture in front of you until the turn comes to a close. (Of course, you want to keep a light connection into your partners hand so you can feel when he turns you.) You’ll find that you cannot turn on your own, or ignore the lead to turn, without loosing site of your fantasy love.
Circling the Halo
When leading the turn, less is more. A small circle over her head will get her around just as much as a giant caldron stir. So imagine a glowing halo just over your partner’s head and using your forearm only, circle it with your connected hand to lead her around.
Make the circle just above her head, so you’re not making her have to limbo underneath it, or declaring her a boxing champion 😉
Leaders can practice the turn without their footwork initially, to get used to the timing of the hand movement. Just make sure you give her room to turn! We’ll take a look at true spot turns next week.
Good blog
Nice article.
Thank you.