Leverage
Beginner Level
The foundation — what every new dancer needs to know
Using your body weight against your partner's resistance to create power, speed, or dramatic movement through the connection.
Beginner focus
Try this: stand in open hold with your partner, arms nearly straight. Leader: step to the right while keeping the hand connection. Your body moving right while the hand stays centered creates leverage — the follower naturally follows without any push or pull. That's leverage at its simplest: your body weight moving in a direction, transmitted through a connected limb. No muscle required.
Tips
- •Think of your arms as ropes, not arms. Ropes can only pull (create tension/leverage) — they can't push. This mental model prevents arm-pushing habits.
- •The longer the lever, the less force you need but the more precision you need. Start with short-lever moves and gradually extend.
- •Always maintain a micro-bend in your elbow, even at full extension. A locked elbow joint under leverage is an injury waiting to happen.
Common mistakes
- •Confusing leverage with force — leverage is about distance and body weight, not arm strength.
- •Maintaining maximum leverage throughout a pattern — you need to release leverage to maintain control at the end of a movement.
- •Not maintaining frame structure at full extension — a bent arm has no leverage. The arm must be toned and nearly straight.
- •Using leverage without considering the follower's balance — leverage moves the partner's center of gravity, so you must account for their stability.
Practice drill
In single-hand open hold, try leading your partner in a full circle around you using only your body weight shift. Step in a circle yourself — your partner orbits around the connection point. No arm pulling at all. If your partner stops orbiting, your leverage has failed. Adjust your body positioning until the orbit is smooth and continuous. This teaches pure leverage mechanics.