How to Hold Your Frame in Ballroom Dancing

The short answer: your Ballroom frame doesn't start in your arms. If you have an arm problem, you actually have a hip problem. Your arms are a by-product of how your body is stacked, from the pelvis, through the core and rib cage, up to the shoulders. Build that structure first, then place your arms in relation to your spine and your partner.

What are the four pillars of dancing?

Technique, mechanics, expression and musicality. Everybody wants the musicality and the expression, to be in total control, balance and harmony with the music. But first we must master our technique and understand the mechanics. Technique is how you do a step or a figure: footwork, foot positions, alignment, CBM, CBMP, rise and fall. Mechanics is how your body moves that technique: how you hold your body, which muscle groups you use, and what you do to create more power or more control.

Why is an arm problem really a hip problem?

Because the problem is in the structure of your body, from the pelvis through the core, up through the rib cage to the shoulders, not in the arms themselves. The arms are a by-product of what I call stacking in the body. When you stack your body effectively and correctly from the hips up, your posture comes from there, not from stretching the upper body and trying to hold it up without breathing for four minutes.

How do you build a strong Ballroom frame?

In this short live Q&A I answer the question for women as well as men:

1. Start in the pelvis: build a good base in your pelvis and lift up from there. That's where your posture actually starts.
2. Stack from the hips up: through the core and rib cage to the shoulders.
3. Let the arms follow: when the stacking is right, the arms are a by-product of it.
4. Then place the arms: in the right position in relation to your spine, and to the height, width and depth between you and your partner.

Common mistakes

• Trying to fix the arms on their own when the real problem is the structure from the pelvis up.
• Stretching the upper body and holding it up without breathing.
• Chasing musicality and expression before mastering the technique and understanding the mechanics.
• Letting the pelvis tilt or go backwards as you move.

Try this in your next practice

Stand in front of a mirror and do some basic pliés, like in ballet, holding your arms in a fixed position for the length of a song. Then, as you dance around to the music, pay attention to how your pelvis is balanced. Is it tilting? Is it going backwards?

Frequently asked questions

Is this lesson for men or women?

Both. Holding your Ballroom frame comes from the same structure for women as well as men.

Why do my arms get tired or drop in Ballroom hold?

Usually it's a structural problem in the hips and core, not the arms. Fix your posture from the pelvis up and the arms have something to sit on.

What is the difference between technique and mechanics?

Technique is the technical requirements for how you do a step or figure, like footwork, alignment, CBM and rise and fall. Mechanics is how your body moves to produce that technique, including which muscle groups you use.

Does arm position still matter?

Yes. Your arms still need to be in the right position in relation to your spine and your partner. Fix the structure first, then the arms.

What exercise helps my Ballroom frame?

Basic pliés in front of a mirror, holding your arms in a fixed position for the length of a song.

Related lessons

• World-class posture for Ballroom dancing
• Perfect balance for Ballroom and Latin dancers
• How to use your feet in Ballroom dancing
• Footwork and foot positions in Ballroom dancing

Vaughan Liddicoat is a 4 time World Professional 10 Dance representative for Australia, an accredited coach and the founder of Ballroom Mastery. He has a passion for dance and wants to help you become the best dancer you can be and have an amazing time doing it.