Hand Wave
Intermediate Level
Going deeper — techniques and nuances for experienced dancers
A wave that travels through the hand and fingers — the finest-detail extension of body wave technique, adding delicate visual texture to arm movements.
Intermediate focus
Integrate the hand wave with arm movement. Do an arm wave from shoulder to fingertips — when the wave reaches the wrist, continue it through the hand and out the fingertips. The arm wave and hand wave should be one continuous movement, not two separate actions. Practice the reverse: fingertip wave up through the hand, continuing as an arm wave to the shoulder. Add hand waves to your social dancing during moments when your hand is visible and the music calls for fine detail.
Tips
- •Practice while watching TV — the repetitive, idle practice builds finger independence faster than concentrated drilling
- •Think of your fingers as five separate dancers, each doing a body wave on a one-beat delay from their neighbor
- •Moisturize your hands before practice — dry, stiff skin reduces finger independence (really!)
Common mistakes
- •Moving all fingers at once instead of sequentially — the whole point is the wave traveling through individual fingers
- •Tense hands — hand waves require relaxed fingers with just enough control to move them individually
- •Only waving one direction — practice both outward (wrist to fingertips) and inward (fingertips to wrist)
- •Hand waves that are too large — the movement should be small and elegant, not exaggerated finger gymnastics
Practice drill
Right hand, extended. Wave from wrist through pinky, ring, middle, index, thumb. 4 counts per wave. Repeat 8 times. Reverse direction: thumb, index, middle, ring, pinky, wrist. Repeat 8 times. Speed up to 2 counts per wave. Then 1 count. Switch to left hand. Then both hands simultaneously. The faster you can go while maintaining clear sequential movement, the more useful the hand wave becomes in real-time dancing. Five minutes.