Whip
Intermediate Level
Going deeper — techniques and nuances for experienced dancers
A sharp, accelerating lead that sends the follower outward or into a turn with a crack-the-whip energy transfer.
Intermediate focus
Apply the whip to turns: load on counts 1-2, release into a spin on counts 3-4. The follower's turn should have noticeably more energy and speed than a regular led turn. Practice whips in both directions and with different endpoints — whip into a turn, whip into a fan, whip into a sliding door. The loading phase is where the skill lives: too short and the follower isn't prepared, too long and the energy dissipates.
Tips
- •Think of the whip like a slingshot: pull back, load, release. If you skip the pull-back, you have no power.
- •The speed curve should be exponential, not linear. Start slow, finish fast — never the other way around.
- •Practice the loading phase by itself: draw the follower toward you and hold. If she feels off balance at the loaded point, your angle or force needs adjustment.
Common mistakes
- •Applying sudden force without a loading phase — this is a push, not a whip
- •Loading too aggressively, pulling the follower off balance before the release
- •Not timing the release to the music — whips should land on accents
- •Follower bracing against the whip instead of receiving and riding the momentum
Practice drill
Whip into a single turn, 10 reps. Follower: rate the smoothness on 1-5. Adjust the loading phase until every turn scores at least 4. Then try whip into a double turn — the loading phase needs more energy. Notice how the preparation, not the release, determines the turn quality.