Arm Styling for Women

One of my main dance goals for this year is to develop and improve my arm styling. Any pointers from you dance teachers or experienced dancers for arm styling -- especially for women?

I would get in touch with a female Pro and get going on privates with her on this subject, as well as any others that you may need.

Carolyn, had great arms, but now she has been spending two hours a week with her Pro, since January, and "arms" is a big issue. In just the last two weeks, she has completely changed where her arms go.

It's not as simple as one might think . . .

Thanks, Vince. I think I'll do just that. Since I'm curious about the topic, I did a google search and found this website

I hold arm styling lessons and group classes frequently. The only tips I can describe online would be 1. Never let your arms drop below your waist..(think like you are standing in a pool and your arms are floating on top of the water in front of you) and 2. Your arms (don't hold me to this) either mimic or move at the same time as your feet. Just one other thing...make sure you don't make weird "poses" with your fingers..we don't need you to get shot for throwing up a "westside" or something..

I actually think I'd agree more with the version in the article Jenn linked to...arm movements come form body movements. Feet might not even enter into the question, i.e., developing a line.

hey I said "don't hold me to it"

The only thing I know for sure is to look out for breaks in my wrists. I have very thin wrists, and boy, oh boy. If they're bent the wrong way, all you can see from a distance is my knobbly wrist bones. MOST unattractive!

Ahha! Now I have a top-level smooth dancer, ex-ballerina for my styling coach. So here's what I can share.

Go to a ballet school and learn the basic arm positions for ballet. They're the same for ballroom, except ballroom has some added body movement. Until then, think of arm movements as engaging the back muscles, but starting from the elbow, and ending out beyond the tips of your fingers.

Also, smooth dance arm movements involve small circles, where Latin dance movements involve large circles, or can be sharp.

I agree with Jonathan, ideally you'd always like any movement (including arms) to start from a torso movement of some kind. Often, the movement of the rib cage creates a mometum that you'll then use to stretch the elbow away from the body, and finally the fingers. That will create a flowing movement, rather than a jerky movement. It's kind of like the energy starts in your ribcage, flows out to your elbow, and finally out to the fingers.

Actually, this is a general principle for all. It is important, though, to keep this in mind when incorporating the more advanced feminine styling, otherwise the movement just won't have the right look.

I may be describing what I learned badly, but of course, will post more after next week's lesson. You'll have to take my word for it, this woman has beautiful arms.

I guess the highlight of the lesson was her showing me Latin arms, versus smooth arms. Then waltz arms, versus foxtrot, versus tango, etc. through all the dances. This girl is good.

Speaking of stuff, I got a puzzled PM. For the record, arm styling is the use of arms as an extension or ornamentation of your dancing. Women or men can do it, but there are some differences between styling for men and women. Hence this thread.

I agree completely with the ballet arms comparison. I did ballet a long time ago and have found that it has prepared me really well for graceful and effortless arms. Sometimes I tend to turn into spaghetti arms when in dance position, trying for that "lightness", but am working on that. :wink:

Have a dancing friend of mine who did a routine late last year, and she asked me for my opinion. The only real criticism I had was her arms were really straight and stiff. I have shown her the ballet arm positions and movements to work on and her instructor has actually complimented her on her arms since!

My styling coach is so good! She told me, for smooth dances, as a rule, to think of creating very small circles with my arms, thinking of the elbow like the origin of the circle, and alowing the novement to flow out the ends of my fingertips.

Also, for any sort of dance, always be aware of the ending point of the arm movement, and make it soft but definitive, before allowing the movement to flow back into the body.

For rhythm dances, the movements can be bigger, and come in closer to the body, than for smooth dances.

I'll take notes at my next lesson, and post more later.

Interesting Topic....

Arm styling is a subjective and somewhat controversial topic in the ballroom world. Everybody likes to see graceful natural armstyling and everyone tries to incorporate it into their own dancing. Oftentimes when I'm out social dancing, I'll see some dancers dancing with armstyling. Sometimes, it is a graceful flow that extends naturally from the body. Oftentimes, it's a jerky, 'karate chop' action that seems rather reflexive and forced. On the social scene, the use of arm styling is often the mark of someone who has been training competitively.

When I first started working with my current coach, I had to unlearn 'arm styling.' While I was always complimented on my arm styling, I had unknowingly learned to shoot them out without thinking thus creating my own version of a more graceful 'karate chop'. He then went on to explain one of his pet peeves: arm styling. To him, arm movement is effortless and comes with good body motion. To him, styling does not come from the arms, but from good quality of movement and most of all.... attitude. He believes this so firmly, he flat out refuses to teach 'arm styling'.

In order to break me of my forced arm styling, he specifically instructed me not to use my arms for a few weeks. As difficult as it was to resist the 'reflex' to shoot my arms out, I perservered. Gradually, I no longer needed to think about it not using my arms anymore. All lessons, practices, and dance activities were enjoyed without any arm styling from me. One day while in a lesson, we were going through our routines when our coach demanded that I start to stretch my body more. Throughout the dance, he kept calling on me to reach with my body further and further until he told me to freeze and look in the mirror. Much to my surprise, my posture was perfect and my arms were extended naturally without thought! :shock:

Since that moment, I've noticed a dramatic improvement in my dancing just by watching my last competition tape. To me, the secret to good arm styling can be found through developing a high quality of movement and not in the specific use of the arms for that purpose.

Back to lurk mode....

Wow. That's interesting. I'll have to ask my coach what she thinks of that. She did spend a lot of time telling me to "reach for the guy" then "look away and reach for the audience." She's big on romance, at least for smooth. I'll have a bunch of questions to ask when I see her Saturday. 8)