Promenade position
Encyclopedia
The promenade position is a dance position
in ballroom and other dance
s. It is described differently in various dance categories.
The man and lady stand in front of each other in body contact
, slightly offset to the left, with the middle of the lady's front connected to the man's right front. The connection
begins at the upper thighs and should continue all of the way up to the middle of the torso. The man's left hand holds the lady's right hand, palm to palm in an upper-hand clasp, with fingers and thumbs closed around partner's hand. The man's right hand must rest on the lady's back, loosely cupped with fingers and thumb together (not spread apart). The man's hand connects to her back on her shoulder blade. His wrist should make contact with her underarm at the junction of her arm and body. This connection should not change from the basic closed position
. The lady's left hand and forearm must be on the man's upper arm. This connection should also not change from the basic closed position.
In International Standard, many skilled ballroom partners strive to keep their shoulder lines close to parallel throughout a promenade, by means of an internal rotational stretch which is one of the more elusive dance concepts. Some expansion of the hold may often be seen, in the form of the leader stretching diagonally forwards and the follower diagonally back, each of course retaining their own largely independent balance. Diagonal movement across the feet and placement of the step of the inside foot into Contra body movement position may reduce the amount of hip turnout required for free movement. With proper foot usage, no sacrifice of motion is required to maintain this position. At the same time other skilled dancers often sacrifice the "narrowness" of the V-shape in favor of the amount of the progressive movement
Some dance move
s started from the PP are Chasse
, weave, and several others whose description includes the words "from PP", e.g., "Cross Hesitation from PP".
Some dance moves that may end in the PP are Open Telemark, Chasse
, but the general relative body positions are basically the same as described above, only the shoulder lines may remain parallel, i.e., one usually do not speak of "V"-shaped bodies position.
Some dance move
s that may involve the PP are Botafogo
s (Samba) and Travelling Spins (Paso Doble).
s the promenade is a side-by-side position, with the intention to move together forward.
The dancers may use various promenade handholds. Some of them are:
, the promenade position is often defined similarly to the square dancing version: it is a side-by-side position with the leader's right arm on the follower's right shoulder, see, e.g., Lindy Basic.
Dance position
Dance position is a position of a dancer or a mutual position of a dance couple assumed during a dance. Describing and mastering proper dance positions is an important part of dance technique....
in ballroom and other dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
s. It is described differently in various dance categories.
Connection
The promenade position is a "V" shaped dance position with the man's right hip and the lady's left hip in contact at the point of the "V", and with the man's left side and the lady's right side slightly open. The lady's feet should be positioned slightly behind the man's. The partners should face each other. Instead, the man's head should be turned to the left, the lady's to the right, in the direction of the opening, towards their joined hands. The direction of travel is toward the opening.The man and lady stand in front of each other in body contact
Body contact (dance)
Body contact is a style of closed position in partner dancing.In some partner dances, the connection between the lead and follow is made by direct body contact, instead of a more open frame made with the arms...
, slightly offset to the left, with the middle of the lady's front connected to the man's right front. The connection
Connection (dance)
Connection is essential to all partner dancing and is the primary means to communicate synchronized dance movement between the lead and follow. It is especially important in Argentine Tango, Lindy Hop, Balboa, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Salsa, Contra dance, Modern Jive and other styles of...
begins at the upper thighs and should continue all of the way up to the middle of the torso. The man's left hand holds the lady's right hand, palm to palm in an upper-hand clasp, with fingers and thumbs closed around partner's hand. The man's right hand must rest on the lady's back, loosely cupped with fingers and thumb together (not spread apart). The man's hand connects to her back on her shoulder blade. His wrist should make contact with her underarm at the junction of her arm and body. This connection should not change from the basic closed position
Closed position
In partner dancing, closed position is a category of positions in which partners hold each other while facing at least approximately toward each other....
. The lady's left hand and forearm must be on the man's upper arm. This connection should also not change from the basic closed position.
Ballroom
In ballroom dances their common trait is that when in promenade position, the dance couple moves (or intends to move) essentially sidewise to the leader's left while partners nearly face each other. Steps of both partners are basically sidewise or diagonally forward with respect to their bodies. Normally the dancers look in the direction of the intended movement.International Standard / American Smooth
In the International Standard and American Smooth dance categories the promenade position is described as a "V" shaped dance position with the man's right hip and the lady's left hip in contact at the point of the "V". The dancer's heads face the open portion of the "V". The intended direction of movement is in this direction as well, with some exceptions.In International Standard, many skilled ballroom partners strive to keep their shoulder lines close to parallel throughout a promenade, by means of an internal rotational stretch which is one of the more elusive dance concepts. Some expansion of the hold may often be seen, in the form of the leader stretching diagonally forwards and the follower diagonally back, each of course retaining their own largely independent balance. Diagonal movement across the feet and placement of the step of the inside foot into Contra body movement position may reduce the amount of hip turnout required for free movement. With proper foot usage, no sacrifice of motion is required to maintain this position. At the same time other skilled dancers often sacrifice the "narrowness" of the V-shape in favor of the amount of the progressive movement
Some dance move
Dance move
Dance moves or dance steps are the building blocks of many dances.More complex dance moves are called dance patterns, dance figures or dance variations....
s started from the PP are Chasse
Chasse
Chasse or chassé rarely chassée is a dance step used in many dances in many variants, all of them being triple-step patterns of gliding character, steps going basically step-together-step. The word came from ballet terminology...
, weave, and several others whose description includes the words "from PP", e.g., "Cross Hesitation from PP".
Some dance moves that may end in the PP are Open Telemark, Chasse
Chasse
Chasse or chassé rarely chassée is a dance step used in many dances in many variants, all of them being triple-step patterns of gliding character, steps going basically step-together-step. The word came from ballet terminology...
Latin / Rhythm
International Latin and American Rhythm dance categories usually do not involve the immediate body contactBody contact (dance)
Body contact is a style of closed position in partner dancing.In some partner dances, the connection between the lead and follow is made by direct body contact, instead of a more open frame made with the arms...
, but the general relative body positions are basically the same as described above, only the shoulder lines may remain parallel, i.e., one usually do not speak of "V"-shaped bodies position.
Some dance move
Dance move
Dance moves or dance steps are the building blocks of many dances.More complex dance moves are called dance patterns, dance figures or dance variations....
s that may involve the PP are Botafogo
Botafogo (dance move)
Botafogo, also sometimes spelt as Bota-fogo or Bota Fogo, is a dance step in Samba. Depending on relative positions and handholds, there are several versions of Botafogos while the basic footwork technique is the same...
s (Samba) and Travelling Spins (Paso Doble).
Square and line dancing, Country/Western
In square danceSquare dance
Square dance is a folk dance with four couples arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, beginning with Couple 1 facing away from the music and going counter-clockwise until getting to Couple 4. Couples 1 and 3 are known as the head couples, while Couples 2 and 4 are the side couples...
s the promenade is a side-by-side position, with the intention to move together forward.
The dancers may use various promenade handholds. Some of them are:
- Basic promenade or Skirt Skater's handhold: The lady extends her left hand horizontally, palm down, across the front of the gent, and he takes it in his left hand. The lady places her right hand at the right side of her waist or slightly behind her right hip, and the gent holds this hand loosely with his right hand. The lady might also use her right hand to hold on to a full skirt with petticoatPetticoatA petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing for women; specifically an undergarment to be worn under a skirt or a dress. The petticoat is a separate garment hanging from the waist ....
s, sway the skirt in time to the music as a flourish (“skirtwork”), or simply place her hand on her waist. In this case, the gent places his right hand on the small of her back. - Skater’s handhold: Both hands are held in front of the partners at waist-level. The left hands are held in front of the gent’s waist; the right hands are held in front of the lady’s waist. The gent’s right arm crosses in front of the lady’s left arm.
- Varsouvienne handholdVarsovienneThe varsovienne, also known as the varsouvienne or varsoviana, is a slow, graceful dance in ¾ time with an accented downbeat in alternate measures. It combines elements of the waltz, mazurka, and polka. The dance originated around 1850 in Warsaw, Poland...
(also called Shadow, Horseshoe, Cape Position): The man holds the woman's left hand with his left hand in front of her left shoulder. The man crosses his right arm behind the woman and holds her right hand with his right hand in front of the woman's right shoulder. The man's arm is held just above the woman's shoulder. - Cuddle or Wrap Position (also called Sweetheart or Sweetheart’s Wrap): The gent wraps his right arm around the lady’s waist; she wraps her left arm around her front to hold his right hand. She wraps her right arm over her left arm and across her front to hold his left hand. Hands are at waist level.
Lindy Hop
In Lindy HopLindy Hop
The Lindy Hop is an American social dance, from the swing dance family. It evolved in Harlem, New York City in the 1920s and '30s and originally evolved with the jazz music of that time. Lindy was a fusion of many dances that preceded it or were popular during its development but is mainly based...
, the promenade position is often defined similarly to the square dancing version: it is a side-by-side position with the leader's right arm on the follower's right shoulder, see, e.g., Lindy Basic.