Advanced
Drop
Advanced Level
Full mastery — nuance, personal expression, and artistry
A controlled lowering of the follower toward or to the floor — where gravity becomes your dance partner.
Tips
- •Leader: your quads and glutes do the work. If your arms or back are sore after drops, you're using the wrong muscles.
- •Follower: the moment you feel scared, tense up and communicate it. A dropped trust is harder to repair than a dropped body.
- •Practice drops at the end of practice sessions when you're warm, not at the beginning when muscles are cold and stiff.
Common mistakes
- •Leader using upper body strength instead of leg strength — this strains the back and limits capacity
- •Going to the floor before mastering drops to knee and thigh level
- •Follower not maintaining body tension during the descent, becoming dead weight
- •No communication before attempting a drop for the first time with a partner
- •Attempting drops on a slippery floor or in inappropriate footwear
Practice drill
Progressive drop drill: 10 dips to hip level, 10 to knee level, 5 to calf level. At each depth, both partners rate comfort on 1-5. Only progress when both partners rate 4+. This drill should span multiple practice sessions, not a single hour.