Pendulum
in Seoul 🇰🇷
A swinging weight transfer where the follower swings side to side like a pendulum — rhythmic, hypnotic, and deceptively technical.
Why it matters
The pendulum teaches momentum management. Unlike discrete figures that start and stop, the pendulum is a continuous oscillation. Leaders learn to work with momentum rather than against it — adding energy to increase the swing, absorbing energy to decrease it. Followers learn to commit their weight fully to the arc, trusting the leader to redirect. It's one of the first figures that genuinely feel like physics rather than choreography.
The pendulum is a lateral weight transfer figure where the follower swings from one side to the other in an arc, like a clock pendulum. The leader anchors the center point while the follower's body traces the arc, typically in close or semi-close hold. The movement can be small (a gentle sway) or large (a sweeping swing from one side to the other). What makes the pendulum distinctive is its continuous, rhythmic quality — once initiated, it builds its own momentum, and the leader's job shifts from creating movement to shaping and eventually stopping it.
Beginner
In close hold, leader: shift the follower gently to your right, then redirect to your left, then right again. Keep the rhythm steady — swing, swing, swing. The follower should feel like she's rocking side to side in a hammock. Start small, barely visible. The timing should match the music's pulse. Don't try to go big yet; let the momentum build naturally over several repetitions.
Intermediate
Increase the amplitude of the swing. The follower should travel further with each pendulum, until she's stepping fully to each side. Add a body wave at the end point of each swing — the wave starts as the pendulum hits its apex and reverses. Practice leading the pendulum to gradually slow down and stop, and to gradually speed up. Tempo control is the intermediate skill here.
Advanced
Use the pendulum as a setup for other figures. At the apex of a large swing, redirect into a turn, a lean, or a dip. The stored momentum from the pendulum provides energy for the next figure. Play with asymmetric pendulums: large swing left, small swing right, large left again — this creates a lilting, waltz-like quality. Chain pendulums with level changes: swing low, swing high, swing low.
Practice drill
Close hold. Pendulum for 32 counts at a constant amplitude. Then 16 counts gradually increasing amplitude. Then 16 counts gradually decreasing to stillness. This 64-count drill teaches you to start, grow, shrink, and stop a pendulum — the complete lifecycle. Repeat until the transitions are seamless.
Pendulum in Seoul
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