Open Hold
Intermediate Level
Going deeper — techniques and nuances for experienced dancers
A partner position connected only through the hands, creating space for turns, shines, and independent movement.
Intermediate focus
Add the second hand (leader's right to follower's left) and practice maintaining both connections during basic steps and turns. The challenge is keeping consistent tension in both arms while your body moves. For turns: the lead comes from a slight horizontal pull on one hand — not a yank, not an arm crank. Think of it as drawing a circle in the air with your hand while your partner travels around it.
Tips
- •The key to open-hold turns: keep your leading hand at a consistent height and trace small circles. Your partner will orbit around that point naturally.
- •When in doubt, connect with just one hand. Two-handed open hold is harder to manage and offers less freedom for both partners.
- •Practice your open-hold tension by holding a rubber band between your hands and your partner's. It should stay taut but never snap — that's the right amount of connection.
Common mistakes
- •The 'arm crank' — yanking your partner's arm to initiate a turn instead of using a smooth, circular guide.
- •Limp hands — without frame tone in your arms, leads evaporate before they reach your partner.
- •Pulling your partner toward you instead of guiding them around you — open-hold turns are circular, not linear.
- •Holding too tight — your partner needs to be able to spin their hand inside your grip during turns.
Practice drill
Face your partner in single-hand open hold. Leader: do nothing but basic steps and gentle circular hand guides for an entire song. No turns, no patterns — just explore how your hand movement translates through the connection to your partner's movement. Follower: respond only to what you feel in the hand. This builds the sensitivity you need for complex open-hold patterns.