Fan
Beginner Level
The foundation — what every new dancer needs to know
An open-position figure where the follower sweeps outward like a fan unfolding — spacious, visual, and musically satisfying.
Beginner focus
From open position, leader: on count 1, guide the follower to your left with your left hand while stepping back with your right foot. Let her travel on a curved path, arm extending naturally. On count 5, begin guiding her back toward you with a gentle tension change — don't pull, invite. She should arrive back in front of you by count 8. Keep the movement smooth and curved, never straight-line.
Tips
- •Leader: think of the single-hand connection as a compass needle. You set the direction; the follower provides the movement.
- •The beauty of the fan is in the follower's free arm — follower, let it extend naturally, don't force a styling position.
- •Practice with a loose fist (no thumb grip) to ensure you're leading with frame tension, not hand grip.
Common mistakes
- •Pulling the follower back in with force instead of using a tension invitation
- •Sending the follower on a straight line instead of a curved arc — fans are circular
- •Follower adding momentum and overshooting the fan, ending up too far from the leader
- •Dropping the connection at the far point of the fan
Practice drill
Put on a song with clear melodic phrasing. Fan on every phrase start, return on every phrase end. Do this for an entire song. You'll develop an instinct for when a fan 'fits' musically — it's almost always at moments of musical expansion or breath.