Position your right arm away from your body with your elbow pointing slightly to the side. Women, your left arm should rest gently on the man s upper arm with your thumb along the inside of his arm and your fingers draped over his shoulder. The joined hands should be raised to the eye level of the shorter partner. These free hands should not be used to push and pull. Leading is done primarily through the man s right hand on the woman s back.
Resistance is essential for a good dance team.
If the body is limp, it won t be able to sense which direction it should move in and the response time will be delayed. Resistance is achieved by keeping the shoulder, wrist and elbow firm. When dancing, resistance should be maintained for forward, backward and sideward motion. The exceptions are to upward and downward motion. Here, resistance should not be used in order to allow for smooth turns.