How to Dance a Basic Bronze American Cha Cha Routine - Lady's Arm Styling

Arm styling is crucial to the cha-cha

Arm styling is crucial to any routine once you have the feet figured out, and nowhere is it more important than the lady's part. Below is a description of arm styling for the lady in the following basic bronze American cha-cha routine: (1) basic, (2) cross body, (3) cross over, (4) spot turn, (5) chase, (6) three cha-chas back, (7) three cha-chas forward.

Things You'll Need

• Dance shoes
• Mirror

Instructions

1. Begin in closed position with standard frame holds. Your first basic will remain in closed hold until you do the cross body.

2. For cross body, raise your left arm in the air as you do the chasse forward. Your arm should be straight and fingers spread out with wrist bent. Your middle finger and thumb should be in such a position as if you are "picking a fruit" with them, whereas your other fingers should be spread out and toned.

3. Step across on beats 2 and 3 of the cross body, and bring your left arm down and around your face. Think of your elbow bending and leading the way in this circular path.

4. Chasse to your left on beats 4 and 1, and keep your left arm in front of you at about waist height and concave, as if you were grabbing a beach ball with it. The hand retains the same wrist and finger styling that you had before the cross body.

5. 

   On the cross-over break, take your left hand out and begin to do a quick, clockwise loop before taking it behind you in a straight line with wrist bent.

6. When you recover, bring your left arm back into that concave position. Before the spot turn, you will make contact with your partner with the left and release the right. This contact is with the palms, and it is as if you are "pushing" each other away (though refrain from using any real force). This allows you to style the spot turn by going through that push contact and extending your left arm outward (here you may point if you like, or keep the standard wrist and finger styling). Your right arm will just stay out and follow your body.

7. Realize that once you enter the chase pattern, you are not connected to your partner anymore and must use both of your arms. The simple rule for this is to follow your shoulder line. If you are performing a forward chasse with your left foot, then your left shoulder is also more forward, and as a result, you would have your left arm forward and right arm back. For extra styling, you can do a cheeky tap on your partner's back right before you turn around and run away in the chase.

8. Relax. Once your partner picks up the frame again and does the three cha-cha-chas, it is relatively simple since these are done in closed position and require no arm styling.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice isolating the joints in your arm and getting them to move outward one at a time (i.e., shoulder, elbow, wrist, fingers).

• A general rule of thumb for styling is to never show your palm to the outside world, so when in doubt, keep the back of your hand facing outside.

Resources

• National Dance Council of America
• USA Dance