International Waltz: Improving Your Technique

Step 1: Positioning of the head

This may not seem like something worth worrying about but it's crucial to get right to improve your waltz skills.

The leader - to be able to lead - needs to see for both people. You should look over the follower's right shoulder and have your eye line slightly higher than normal.

The correct head position for the follower is this: you should look over the leader's right shoulder, have your chin rotated to the left and tilted slightly upwards.

Step 2: Positioning of the hands and arms

The leader's right hand is essentially the steering wheel. It should rest lightly on the follower's left shoulder blade. The hand shouldn't wander to the follower's right shoulder, neck or backside!

And remember that although as a leader you need to guide your partner, you shouldn't hold her so tightly that she has difficulty breathing!

The leader's left arm and follower's right are held up, just for show. The leader should not use this arm to lead as his partner's shoulder wouldn't last too long.

To avoid those ugly 'spaghetti arms' maintain your hands a little higher than the lady's shoulder and keep your elbows up.

Finally the follower's left hand rests lightly on her partner's right shoulder and left elbow on top of his. However, this doesn't mean you can relax and lean lazily on him as if propping up a bar, make sure you support your own weight.

The grip, don't interlock your fingers.

Step 3: Your posture

However much of a novice dancer you are, you should at least try and look like you know what you're doing- and one way to achieve this is by working on your posture.

Try not to slouch and look as though you're returning home from a drunken night out.

Aim to keep your shoulders down, tummy pulled in, pelvis tipped slightly forwards and chest open, without forgetting to breathe!

Step 4: Legs and feet - the rise and fall

This feature of the waltz gives it life and that all important touch of sophistication. Use the beginning of the basic steps to practise this.

You lower on one, start to rise on two, continue to rise on three and lower at the end of three.

This applies throughout the whole of a basic sequence except in the drag step.

Step 5: Directions

The directions are set by the leader.

Every dance floor has four walls - whether it's round, square or oblong - remembering that the line of dance is always anti-clockwise.

You always start facing diagonally to a wall - not to a corner or to the centre of the dance floor.

If you don't follow these rules you'll get completely lost.