I was told of a good excercise just recently to do solo. That is to put your right arm behind the back under the left shoulder blade, keeping the elbow out. Left arm as is normal. Now try a spin turn. Doesn't that keep the shoulders square and stop the spine from twisting out of shape. Ladies use the other arm. Even if both postures are good it is one to try for the Tango.

Nope, it causes the shoulder to bunch forward. If the lady adopts this shoulder position there will be nothing for the man's hand to connect to.

Anonymous. If the lady were to put her left hand under the right shoulder blade and the left elbow in line with the back of the body. How could she, or he bunch the shoulders. It will pull the shoulder back. The whole point of this exercise is to keep the shoulders in line, especially when turning, and if you were to do a 180 degree turn both shoulders will do just that. The proof is to try. If it is difficult to do, then a look at the footwork might be needed. Try an Overturned Spin Turn as man to finish backing LOD.

Your arm positions should not be affected by what figure you are dancing - they are not handles to torque your body with. Until that habit is broken (I remember it took a while) there's not much point in worrying about where your arms are, as it's going to be a constant struggle. But once it is broken, keeping the right arm position is not much harder than finding it in the first place.

However the drill you suggest results in a fautly arm position. You must not have your elbows in line with your body - doing so will make the shoulders cave forwards and create nothing for the man's right hand to connect to. The elbows need to be slightly in front of the back of your body, so that your elbow-back-elbow forms a gentle curve. If you want a drill for the right position, put your fingertips on your sternum.

Note that most men have their left arm far too forward - if this is the case and the lady puts her right elbow in front of her back where it belongs, the hold will be very open on that side. The fix is for the man to bring his elbow back until it is just in front of his back, definitely no further forward than the lady's!

Commonly the wrong position gets set up as the hold is taken - the man puts his hand up, the lady takes it and then rushes inside of it - and thus inside her own frame. She needs to stop moving forward on her own the instant their hands meet, and come into him only as he draws his left hand back to its ultimate position.

Anonymous. The excersise described has nothing to do with the final position of the arm, elbows. In the excercise the right or left elbow is behind the body with the shoulders in line. This we all know would not be correct, except for the shoulders being in line, That's what it's all about. Not allowing one shoulder or the other to be out of line. Which is why as you stated The man's arm in many cases is too far forward. The excercise is also excellent in Latin if there is any trouble spinning. It makes one aware that the whole side must come around and not to twist out of line.

C'mon people, it's a suggested exercize. If you dont like a different approach to a common problem, dont do it and move on to something else. Owen

Exercises that create distored positions are dangerous. They can be usefull tools, but must only be used by those who understand the danger.

Very good point, Anon!!!!

Jerry

Anonymous, I agree with what you said here.1. the elbows and body made a slight curve forward.( they are not in same plane ) 2. lady should stop for a while to get the next signal for further connection.
3. treat elbows and body lines fixed throughout the dance . the rotation occurred around the spine. ( for me, it is not easy to maitain in feather step, step 3 . I have to very concentrate to avoid deforming )
Last night , my teacher asked me to response a transient slight relaxation on my right shoulder to create an interesting effect in Spanish drag ( in Tango.) ,I noted I need more exercises about my shoulder movement although I did it at that time.
I hope I can do better forward and backward movemnt over the region near my sternal angle level.( like in back check ) . What do you advise me ?
Thanks.
ylchen

To keep the shoulders down, practice putting you body in the position you want to achieve, and then letting the shoulders feel heavy. Relax and really feel where the strain is, breathe, try to let the tension flow out of you - the physical tensions and the emotional tension too. You don't have to be anywhere near a dancefloor to do this - it can be waiting for the bus or whatever, subtly with your arms hanging at your sides you can still practice letting your shoulders relax down.

Plus when you get good at it, it's good for letting go of stress while waiting for the music to start in the competition.