Sweetheart
Beginner Level
The foundation — what every new dancer needs to know
A side-by-side hold with crossed arms in front — like walking hand-in-hand, but with structure and intention.
Beginner focus
From open position, leader: raise your left hand and guide the follower into a right turn underneath it. As she completes the turn, catch her other hand so you end up side by side with arms crossed — your right hand holding her right, your left holding her left, both sets crossed in front of her. Walk forward together in basic timing. Feel how both hand connections give you a stereo signal of her movement.
Tips
- •Think of the arm cross like holding two jump ropes loosely — tension without grip, connection without control.
- •Leader: glance at your hand positions during practice. Your right hand should hold her right, your left holds her left. Burn this into muscle memory.
- •Use a mirror to check alignment. You should look like you're about to take a stroll together, not like you're doing a trust exercise.
Common mistakes
- •Crossing the arms at chest height instead of waist height — this restricts movement and feels claustrophobic
- •Gripping the hands tightly because the crossed position feels unstable — relax the fingers
- •Leader walking too far ahead of the follower instead of staying side by side
- •Forgetting which hand holds which during the entry, creating a tangled mess
Practice drill
Practice the entry from open position into sweetheart 15 times, then add an exit back to open position. Once that's clean, chain: open → sweetheart → cuddle → open. This triangle teaches you three fundamental transitions that recur in every combination you'll ever learn.