Dance figure

A dance figure or even just a figure is a self-contained, planned sequence of movements when dancing .

A dance figure consists of steps . Some of today's figures in ballroom dancing are from the folk dance has been taken. The following list explains the different classes of dance figures and gives important basic figures, both of which are limited to ballroom dancing.

Twists

Spot Turn - a three-step turn ( Latin American dances , salsa )
Pivot Turn (Eng. "Axis rotation")
Spin ( Latin American dances )
Spiral (Eng. "Spiraldrehung") ( Latin American dances )
Hook Turn (German "Hakendrehung") ( Latin American dances )

Winding figures

A wraparound figure is a combination of different turns with simultaneous multiple changes of dance posture. Most of the time, these figures are difficult to understand for the audience and create the impression that the dance partners are being “wrapped up” or “knotted”. Typical are winding figures for the salsa and disco fox , other dances usually know only relatively simple winding figures or their inputs such as:

Pretzel : Discofox, Salsa. The pretzel itself is not yet a wraparound figure, but serves as an entrance for numerous such figures.
Cups : Discofox, Salsa, Latin American dances . The lady is wrapped in her own arm and turned to the side of the gentleman.
Turkish towel : Latin American dances, Discofox, Salsa. The dance partners rub their backs against each other and make movements with their arms as if they were drying their backs with a towel.

Real winding figures are about:

Rope spinning : Discofox.

Case figures

Falling figures are figures in which a dance partner temporarily gives up their own secure stance, but always with at least one foot touching the ground. Fall figures are common in all dances, they often serve the artistic representation of "devotion" to or "dependence" on the dance partner, in show performances they are mainly used as eye catchers.

Dead woman , rock 'n' roll . Here the lady “stiffly as a dead woman” lets herself fall backwards into the arms of the gentleman, only to be raised up again immediately by him.

Lifting figures, lifts, aerials

The swan, a simple rock'n'roll lifting figure.

Below lifting figures, engl. Also called lifts or aerials , one understands (in comparison to rotation figures rather static) figures in which a dance partner leaves the floor completely at times with constant support from the dance partner. These include u. a.

Swan ,
Flieger (known from the movie Dirty Dancing ),
Stütz (also Stemmer, Joch, D-Eis),
C-ice and
candle

from rock 'n' roll.

Rotation figures

Rotational figures are those figures in which one partner leaves the floor and rotates as often as desired around the longitudinal axis of the other partner (usually the gentleman) while maintaining body contact. examples are

Dulaine ,
(A- / C-) sphere ,
Winder and
Plate