Put equal weight on both feet. Keep your knees flexible and your torso squared evenly with your hips. There is not a set position your feet must be in to do the twist, but if your legs are too close together, the movements might seem too stiff. Similarly, if your legs are too far apart, you might be able to balance yourself better but ultimately have difficulty keeping the beat. Use the shoulder-width rule as a guideline but experiment with different stances until you find one that feels natural and comfortable. Gently budge one foot ahead of the other. The front foot should not be a full length ahead of the back foot, and there should be some overlap between them. Note that this is technically optional, even though it is fairly standard. You can still do the twist while keeping both feet in the same place. Extend both arms outward and away from the body. Don't extend them straight out. You should keep them bent slightly at the elbow. Imagine your arms are in a runner's position, but looser. The upper part of your arms should be held close to the body, and your elbows should point inward just a bit. The lower part of your arms should be held diagonally out and upward. Keep your wrists and hands loose. As you twist, your arms will follow the movement of your hips. As your weight shifts to one side and your waist twists back, the arm of that same side will naturally move downward and back. To keep balance, the other arm should move upward and forward. Swing your hips dramatically from side to side. As you twist your hips, your waist and legs should also twist or rotate from side to side in a similar manner. Rotate your torso as you rock your hips. As you rock or swing your hips to the right side, your torso and waist need to rotate toward your front right side. As you do this, your right leg also needs to shift forward. When you rock your hips to the left, the left side of your waist needs to rotate forward as the right side shifts back. Your left legs should shift forward as it follows the natural movement of your hips and waist. As you rock from side to side, shift your center of gravity or body weight so that it is supported by the ball of your foot. You should alternate from foot to foot, placing your weight over one foot as you twist to that side and over to the other foot as you twist back. The important thing to remember as you twist is to keep your body down. By shifting your weight from side to side, your body will usually have a natural tendency to stay low. This is further supported by keeping your legs gently bent at the knees. Staying low is important if you want to do the dance correctly, but it also helps you to maintain your balance more effectively. You need to be on the rhythm of the song you dance to. To help maintain the rhythm of the dance, make sure that each full twist lands on a beat. Take it slow at first if you have a hard time picking it up. Instead of dancing with music in the background, practice in silence and count the beats out loud as you twist back and forth. Practice in front of a body length mirror. Doing so grants you the chance to watch your moves as you practice.

Summary: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Move one foot forward. Hold your arms away from the body. Twist your hips. Shift your body weight. Dance to the beat.

Peonies are incredible plants, but they require deep root development before they can bloom. This means that fully-bloomed peonies will die if you plant them without giving the roots time to develop. Purchase peony roots in the fall so that you can plant them in 2-8 weeks before the first frost of the season. This will give the plants plenty of time to settle into the soil. Peonies actually need a cold winter to grow and bloom. If you plant them in the spring or summer before exposing them to a cold winter, they may never grow. Peonies don't do well when they're transplanted to new locations. Take particular care when selecting a location for your flowers so that you get it right the first time. If you live in a slightly warmer part of the world, get tree peonies. They only require 100-300 hours of cold weather a year to adequately grow. You can't grow peonies where you live if you don't regularly experience near-freezing temperatures in the winter. Peonies require a lot of direct sunlight to reach maturity. Select a part of your garden that isn't covered or under shade to ensure that your plants have plenty of access to the sun. Peonies will tolerate a little shade, but putting them under a tree or awning is a surefire way to keep your flowers from blooming. Peonies typically need 6-8 hours of sun a day. You can grow peonies in a pot indoors, but peonies require a lot of sun and a lot room to grow. It is extremely difficult to keep peonies alive in an indoor pot and is not recommended. If you do want to plant peonies indoors, use a pot that is at least 1ft (30cm) deep and 1ft (30cm) wide for each plant. If you're keeping your flowers indoors, put them next to an east-facing window so that they have adequate exposure to sunlight throughout the day. Peony roots will grow deep and wide. These flowers do not like to compete with the roots of other plants. Select a location in your yard where there are no other nearby plants or obstructions. Ideally, there should be no other plant or tree within 34ft (0.911.22m) of each of your peonies. If you're planting peonies that have already begun to bloom or flower, plant them in the early spring to ensure that they fully bloom before winter comes. Don't stick the peonies in a totally isolated area, though. It's good to have some shrubs, trees, or buildings nearby to break up the wind and protect your flowers from strong gusts. Peonies do best in well-draining soil. Avoid planting peonies in parts of your yard where water tends to pool or settle. If you're using your native soil, look for sandy, looser sections of soil. If you don't have the right type of soil in your yard, buy a well-draining planting soil from your local gardening store and use it to supplement the soil in your yard. Peonies can do fine in clay soil so long as it isn't too compacted. A mixture of bark, peat moss, and perlite will create a simple well-draining mix.
Summary: Purchase peony roots in the early fall before the first frost. Select a part of your yard or garden that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. Avoid planting your peonies near any other trees, flowers, or shrubs. Look for a section of your yard with well-draining soil.