Sway Revisited

Sway is an important part of any Standard Ballroom dance.  It gives a certain musicality to the dance that couldn't be possible without it.  It allows us to continue moving and lets our energy flow even if our feet come to a close.

Like I mentioned in a (much) earlier post, sway is often meant to counterbalance sideways movement.  Because of this counterbalancing, sway allows us to make an even LARGER sideways step than we could initially, because it prevents us from moving our weight past the catching foot and losing our balance.  This larger step in turn helps our motions become more defined and flow better into the next motion, instead of stopping and killing our momentum.  Sway essentially allows us to store energy and lets us release it when we need it.

Hopefully I will be making a few posts on how to best achieve sway in your own dancing!  But this gives you a good idea of why it is important.

-Aaron Mullen