Promenade position

What does “Promenade position” mean?

The promenade position is described differently in various dance categories. See also counter promenade position . In ballroom dances their common trait is that the dance couple moves (or intends to move) essentially sidewise to the leader's left while partners nearly face each other, with the leader's right side of the body and the follower's left side of the body are closer than the respective opposite sides (forming a V-shape when looking from above). 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. In square dances it is a close side-by-side position in various handholds with the general intention to move together forward, "in promenade ". In American tango , the partners shift their shoulders, hips and heads to a variable degree less and up to 90 to that of their original position, while their feet: man's left; lady's right are rotated respectively leftward and rightward to make a "V" (to the left/right). This exact position is also called semi-open in some dance books, by some authors and teachers, especially in American Smooth Ballroom dance. The shift in Argentine/salon style tango is less pronounced and more individualized: the hold similarly variable but usually very close especially in the upper body, less in the hips. In some swing dances ( East Coast , triple-count, country , or single-count), the feet are more opened/rotated in their respective directions to lie parallel to each other and exactly perpendicular to their original Closed position placement. The intention, is for the position to anticipate a change in direction of movement, to direct each partner of the couple/partnership, and to lead the follower to step in the direction of the rotation between their bodies; similarly for the counter promenade position .

Definition adapted from Glossary of partner dance terms on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Nearby terms