ACCENT: The stress that is placed on a beat that makes it stronger or louder than the others. The primary accent is on the first beat of the measure. Sometimes there is more than one accent per measure.
ARCH TURN: A twirl done in several dances. Man turns the lady under their arched arms.
BALANCE: A non-traveling step that may be done forward, backward, sideward, or turning. Most frequently used in the Waltz. Has three weight changes.
BOX STEP: The basis for the Waltz, Fox Trot and Rumba. So named for the floor pattern it follows.
BREAK: Drop clasped hands. Generally used to change position.
CHASSƒ: A series of sliding steps, one foot displaces the leading one, moving forward, backward, or sideward.
CLOCKWISE (CW): Refers to direction of dancers around a circle in the direction of the hands of a clock. An individual's or a couple's clockwise turn is RIGHT.
COUNTERCLOCKWISE (CCW): Refers to direction of dancers around a circle in the opposite direction of the hands of a clock. An individual's or a couple's CCW turn is LEFT.
DIRECTION: Indicates where you are putting your foot, or where you are going. (See the code at the bottom of each page and "Directions for Interpreting Dances".)
FAN: A term used to describe a manner of executing a leg motion in which the free leg swings in a whip-like movement around a small pivoting base. Should be a small, subtle action initiated in the hip. Often seen in the Tango.
FLOORCRAFT: The ability to find and dance in one's own space.
FRAME: The structure of closed dance positions based on the shoulders, arms, and torso. The man maintains a secure and confident closed position keeping the lady's shoulders and torso parallel to his.
GRAPEVINE: A combination of alternating sideward crossing or forward and backward steps.
HESITATION: A step often used in the Waltz that has one weight change per measure.
LINDY: A dance done to jazz or swing music. There are three Lindy steps: single, double, and triple.
LINE OF DIRECTION (LOD): Direction of movement of dancers around the circle or room counterclockwise.
MAGIC STEP: A basic step of the American Fox Trot (Slow, Slow, Quick, Quick).
MEASURE: One measure encloses a group of beats made by the regular occurrence of the heavy accent. It represents the underlying beat enclosed between two adjacent bars on a musical staff: 3/4 identifies three beats to a measure; 4/4, four beats to a measure.
MELODIC LINE: The tune of a piece of music; the lyrics in a vocal piece.
PHRASE: A musical term that represents a short division of time in music. Generally it is a group of four or eight measures. In dance, it is a series of movements considered as a unit in a dance group. E.g., the basic Tango step takes one phrase or four measures.
PIVOT: Turn clockwise or counterclockwise on balls of one or both feet.
POSITION: Refers to the couple's relationship: closed, sweetheart, two-hand, etc.
PRESSURE LEAD: A lead in which extra pressure is exerted by the fingers, arm, or body in order to lead the lady into a particular position, step, or rhythm change (e.g., from Magic Step into Box Step in Fox Trot).
QUICK: A rhythm cue. When two steps are taken on one beat, they are called quick steps. When one step is taken on each beat, they are called slow steps.
REVERSE LINE OF DIRECTION: Refers to the direction of movement of dancers around the circle clockwise. This is the opposite diection from the line of direction. Sometimes referred to as "against line of direction".
RHYTHM: See page 1.
RHYTHM PATTERN: The rhythm pattern in a dance is the grouping of beats for the pattern of a dance step. It is determined by the underlying beat. E.g., S S Q Q is the rhythm pattern for the Magic Step; S S Q Q S for the Tango basic.
ROCK STEP: The dancer steps forward (or backward) a short step and then backward (or forward) a short step, producing a "rocking" motion.
SLOW: A rhythm cue equal to two "quicks". See Quick.
SWING: A social or country/western dance done to jazz, rock, or swing music. The triple Lindy is the basis of the dance.
TEMPO: Rate of speed at which the music is played, generally referred to as "beats per minute".
TIME SIGNATURE: A symbol indicating duration of time. (See page 1.)
UNDERLYING BEAT: The steady beat that identifies good dance music. It is generally played by a bass or percussive instrument.