What is the best way to practice holding the correct frame for a woman? I've only been dancing for 6 months and my frame seems very stiff. Thank you.

Hi Waltztime
I may not be the best person to answer this, as i'm a man, but i've had a lot of problems with my frame and posture because i played tennis for decades, and if you look at the posture of tennis players, you will know what i mean.
Is your problem only stiffness? First, you almost certainly aren't stiff at all, it's just the you don't know waht to do. since you've been dancing only 6 months, that's normal. It'll take you a long time (many years, i'm afraid) to get a really good frame.
What works for me is the following:
Pick a very short segment of relatively basic steps (say, natural turn, link step, reverse turn in slow waltz)and concentrate on dancing these steps very well, with correct body shape and alignment with your partner. Get your coach or teacher to help you with this. This will tell you WHAT to do, and if you practise sensibly, you'll get used to HOW to do it. Eventually, it will become natural, and you can relax into it, as it were.
I found that even when i relaxed, i didn't know what to do, so still looked very stiff.
Your partner has a part to play too. He mustn't hold you in a vice-like grip. Only a teacher can sort out your hold as a couple.
But don't worry too much. Get the basics of foot- and leg-work, timing, movement, posture and working with your partner correct. That's enough to be going on with. Everything else will follow

For begginers it's difficult to feel the difference between body tone and tension,try to imagine that you are only using enougth strengh just to keep the arms up,make sure the elbows arn't pushed straight out but are slightly rounded,bring the elbows forward and up into position thie gives a longer knee line with less strain in the back of the neck. Hope this helps,don't let the man hold you to tight or not give you the fredom to move. Good Luck Dave

Knee = Neck.

To whome it may cocern. It doesn't matter what country a person goes to there is always a common mistake made by the average dancer. Not the finalists of a major championship, they have learned otherwise they wouldn't be there. The common mistake is not turning the shoulder and body equally. Natural Turn, if you are not aware your left shoulder will creep slightly ahead of the rest of your body, now there is a slight twist in the spine. When you finish, feet together is the left side over the left foot, and the right side equally over the right foot. It doesn't matter whether this is a Double Reverse or whatever the same rule applies. Try twisting the shoulders in a dance frame. It can't happen. If anyone would like to make a frame try a little over a metre of copper tubing, bend then pad it.

"The common mistake is not turning the shoulder and body equally. Natural Turn, if you are not aware your left shoulder will creep slightly ahead of the rest of your body, now there is a slight twist in the spine. When you finish, feet together is the left side over the left foot, and the right side equally over the right foot. It doesn't matter whether this is a Double Reverse or whatever the same rule applies. Try twisting the shoulders in a dance frame. It can't happen. If anyone would like to make a frame try a little over a metre of copper tubing, bend then pad it."

You need to find a real teacher, as what you claim as faults are actually virtues.

You got that wrong ,the body does not complete the turn untill you lower and take the next step yet the feet can be backing the line of dance, but I would agree that the left shoulder must always remain over the left hip.

Dave. If it is possible look at Richard Gleave and John Wood as well as Steven Hillier and Marcus Hilton. All doing the first three of a Natural Turn in the Waltz. See the difference. I think you might be with Richard Gleave and Steven.

If your partner is holding you too tightly my coach offered a solution. When she was training, her partner was made to hold a shoe brush, bristles to his palm. Within one lesson, he had learned the proper pressure to apply.

WannaB10Dancer.I like that one.You do mean the man's right hand, or is it both hands. Just for interest. I went to a lecture given by a former top international dancer. He held his palm towards me and got me to push my fingers against his palm. He showed me what the pressure of ten was. Then asked out of ten give me the pressure between a couple. I pushed to about 50% He said ease off , and some more. In the end i was down to the count of about one. No more than that he said. That is all you need for a connection and sometimes only our thighs are touching. This means the lady must know her own steps, and as a man don't try to do the ladies steps for her. It looks and is heavy if you do.