Creating a strong and powerful twist is not only a move in it’s own right, but also a technique that forms part of other moves and that can be used to add endless variations. But far too many dancers skip the pure basics because they’re too busy moving or developing it into something more fancy. I’ve therefore created a video covering just the basics, including posture, muscles and on the spot variations.
You can view the basic twist technique video here.
I’ve will also share my video which takes this a step further into travelling variations soon.
Word of warning, if you have any knee issues or injuries, please be mindful when trying to perfect this and do listen to your own body. It should not hurt or feel uncomfortable, but any twist like this will create a twist in your knees too. Make sure to maintain the correct poster, including soft knees, throughout.
The ‘stepping out’ variation, may not be suitable for you if your knees don’t like that kind of twist, so you can as an alternative only put your foot down once your hip is twisted to the front. So taking your foot of as you’re twisting your hip back, to minimise the strain. Also, don’t attempt to make your twist too large, as it’s easier to keep your knees safe with smaller twists.
I hope you have fun practising and perfecting your twist, and perhaps also thinking of new ways to teach these safely to others. Do leave me a comment below so I know how you’re getting on, and feel free to share any tips and ideas you have teaching and developing this move at a basic level.
Happy and safe dancing – always 🙂
Dorte
Did you miss my last post? Read it here: One exercise every dancer should do
Thank you for all your videos. I have been dancing for years but still learning a lot from your teaching
Hi Polla, glad to hear my videos are useful for your dance training. We never stop learning really – so keep exploring, developing and improving your dancing 😉