The term sway has a specific meaning in the technique of
ballroom dance
Ballroom dance is a set of European partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and te ...
s. Sway describes a dancer's body position in which the entire body gracefully deflects from the vertical, normally away from the
standing foot and the direction of movement.
Entrance to and exit from this position are matters of fine technical detail and differ in various
dance figure
Dance moves or dance steps (more complex dance moves are called dance patterns, dance figures, dance movements, or dance variations) are usually isolated, defined, and organized so that beginning dancers can learn and use them independently of each ...
s.
Sway may be an element of both stationary and moving dance figures. In moving figures, sway is commonly achieved as a natural result of body swing, but small amounts from other sources may be useful as an inflection. Sway comes primarily from an incline of the entire body, but a portion may also come from gradual bending of the trunk. It is customary to consider any bending of the trunk to occur more as a ''stretching'' of one side of the
rib cage
The rib cage or thoracic cage is an endoskeletal enclosure in the thorax of most vertebrates that comprises the ribs, vertebral column and sternum, which protect the vital organs of the thoracic cavity, such as the heart, lungs and great ve ...
more than as a ''compression'' of the other side. This description helps to produce sway without the body line breaking awkwardly at the
waist
The waist is the part of the Human abdomen, abdomen between the rib cage and Hip (anatomy), hips. Normally, it is the narrowest part of the torso.
''Waistline'' refers to the horizontal line where the waist is narrowest, or to the general appe ...
. Substantial
abdominal strength may be needed to fully utilize this technique.
Possible angles of sway range from having the upper body substantially trailing the lower through a movement, to having the upper body a very small amount in advance. The purposes of sway are both better control of dance motion and
aesthetics
Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...
.
See also
*
Glossary of partner dance terms
This is a list of dance terms that are not names of dances or types of dances. See List of dances and List of dance style categories for those.
This glossary lists terms used in various types of ballroom partner dances, leaving out terms of hi ...
References
External links
* {{YouTube, IhE-SVdjb1g, How to dance slow waltz natural turn,running spin turn and syncopated tumble turn: a dance couple showing pronounced sway e.g. at 0:14.
Ballroom dance technique