How to Do the Man's Footwork in a Right Underarm Turn

The right underarm turn is a great turn you can use to spice up your portfolio of patterns anytime you go social dancing or if you are writing a routine with a partner. It is a fun turn that is not often seen, but can lead to other interesting and popular patterns. Below is a detailed explanation of the specific footwork for the man's part of the pattern.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dance shoes

1. Begin with your weight over your left foot and your right foot pointed to the left. The first step is with left foot across to the right in a diagonal approximately 45 degrees from forward. Make sure this is a forward walk and your weight is fully over that left foot.

2. Continue by transferring weight back onto your right foot. At this point note that your left foot should release in a point as your weight fully occupies your right foot.

3. Pass your left foot under your body so that it passes your right and finish by placing it to the left side with full weight. You should now be facing the same way you began with the exception that your weight is fully over your left, rather than your right.

Tips & Warnings

• This type of turn can be generalized to most Latin dances that contain underarm turns. Experiment with different dances for extra practice.

Resources

• National Dance Council of America
• USA Dance