Promenade (dance Move) - Dance Position and Handholds

Dance Position and Handholds

When executing the move, partners stand side-by-side in a promenade position, and act as a single unit. Customarily the man (or gent) stands to the left of the lady, his right hip touching or almost touching her left hip. Note that this promenade position is not the same as that promenade position defined in ballroom dances.

They might take any of a number of different promenade handholds. These are generally determined by the specific dance or local dance traditions. Some of these different handholds are:

• Basic promenade or Skirt Skater's handhold: The lady extends her left hand horizontally, palm down, across the front of the gent, and he takes it in his left hand. The lady places her right hand at the right side of her waist or slightly behind her right hip, and the gent holds this hand loosely with his right hand. The lady might also use her right hand to hold on to a full skirt with petticoats, sway the skirt in time to the music as a flourish (“skirtwork”), or simply place her hand on her waist. In this case, the gent places his right hand on the small of her back.
• Skater’s handhold: Both hands are held in front of the partners at waist-level. The left hands are held in front of the gent’s waist; the right hands are held in front of the lady’s waist. The gent’s right arm crosses in front of the lady’s left arm.
• Varsouvienne handhold (also called Shadow, Horseshoe, Cape Position): The man holds the woman's left hand with his left hand in front of her left shoulder. The man crosses his right arm behind the woman and holds her right hand with his right hand in front of the woman's right shoulder. The man's arm is held just above the woman's shoulder.
• Cuddle or Wrap Position (also called Sweetheart or Sweetheart’s Wrap): The gent wraps his right arm around the lady’s waist; she wraps her left arm around her front to hold his right hand. She wraps her right arm over her left arm and across her front to hold his left hand. Hands are at waist level.