How to Properly Keep Your Shoulders Down For Ballroom Dance

Learn how to keep your shoulders down while dancing ballroom, without creating back and shoulder tension.
MindBodyBallroom has taken a new shape! Amber is now helping artists and creatives (especially ballroom dancers) to expand their expressive range, in an authentic way.
For more information about Amber's Expressive Embodiment sessions, visit:
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[@veramentegina]

wow, even most ballet teachers can't explain this correctly. wonderful job!! thank you!!

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Thank you :) Great to hear that it was helpful!

[@bodon2306]

One word - excellent

[@danpisula3531]

I always tell my wife when we watch the pro's do the simplest techniques that always look so nice and its because they have such a beautiful frame. Thanks for your tips.

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Thank you Dan! Frame is definitely important, especially in quickly communicating the intent/response of your movement to your partner. I'm happy to hear that you found it helpful :)

[@susanwesterberg5976]

Thank you so much for a very clear explanation. I've been told a thousand times to relax and keep my shoulders down but no matter how hard I try, I keep hearing : relax your shoulders! It is super frustrating! . Nobody has explained what you just described! Im definitely gping to will try this and see how it goes!

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Hi Susan! I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the video. I hope it helps with your dancing :)

[@bodon2306]

I hear you!! I've decided it's stress - anxious to cope with steps, to hear the beat and then follow! This was really interesting

[@user-fu8ys5br3i]

Super helpful. I have been suffering from shoulder soreness for months. No one every explained it like this. Thanks!

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Wonderful :) I'm happy to hear it was helpful!

[@alesandra2631]

I practiced this one month and had instant result. Now one month later, I'm back to study and remember more. Great video! Thanks.

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Wonderful! Thank you for sharing your results :)

[@johnberger3372]

Thank you very much for the helpful video. It makes sense Please keep your videos coming. I'm a fan already!

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Fabulous! Thank you for your feedback John :)

[@morghann21313]

This was fantastic! Thank you :)

[@BennyDro]

Excellent video Amber! Great info delivered clearly and concisely. Looking forward to more videos :)

[@dancngirl1979]

Thank you Benoit!

[@jeffreymatthews1265]

I'm so glad I found your channel! Between yoga and Latin dance, I struggle with the frame/shoulders. I'm going to give this technique a whirl!

[@dancngirl1979]

Fantastic! Have fun with it :)

[@annal6109]

Shoulders, something I work on a lot. Thanks for the great points Amber!

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Anytime :) Thanks for watching!

[@mikesrimando5176]

Wow! That’s amazing... very helpful tips... thank you so much for ur teaching.

[@Mindbodyballroom]

My pleasure :) I'm happy you found it helpful!

[@galbi6615]

thank you so much for the wonderful info. I wish I could have found your web site earlier so I would not have gone through all the stress but still could not find a way to keep my shoulders down

[@Mindbodyballroom]

I'm happy to hear that it was so helpful, Elleye! Wishing you all the best with your dancing :)

[@househoney]

That is a very helpful video. I've had trouble with my right shoulder not lining up properly with my left shoulder as I open up and adjust my head. This, I think will help that.

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Great to hear that you found the video helpful Alexis! All the best with your dancing :)

[@barbaraday3464]

Truly a brilliant opportunity to use these precious words to enhance dance, and in addition to be mindful of your body and its placement when dealing with clients and other physical endeavors. I have discovered while training and practicing yoga that having more awareness of what is behind me creates more space in my body.

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Fantastic!

[@redfoxie3054]

You are wonderful and very beautiful:) Thank you for the video!

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Thank you Mari! I'm happy you enjoyed it!

[@guyrestivo]

Amber..thank you so much for this informative and well spoken video...you are a wonderful teacher!...believe it or not I came here not for dance but for my golf swing(no disrespect)...there are so many moving body parts , muscles, correct positions and synchronisation that must be performed correctly to hit a proper shot and I 'll be looking for more of your videos to crossover into golf..thanks YOU again..guy

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Thank you Guy for your kind feedback! If you have any ideas or requests for movement videos for golfers, please email them to [e-mail] and I'll see what I can do.

[@andresoares7414]

Looking forward for more videos. :)

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Thank you Andre!

[@clipsue]

Très intéressant Amber, ça va être bon pour moi !

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Excellent!

[@ballroomwithalexey3951]

Thank you for very helpful information 👍🏻

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Your welcome :) I'm happy to hear that you found it helpful!

[@KCKing-dp6pj]

At6:08 , roll the shoulder back, if you could show your hand and let us see how you roll the shoulder back, which will be helpful. Thanks.

[@barbarajonesgalaty1065]

very helpful for the frame

[@Mindbodyballroom]

+Barbara Jones Galaty Great!

[@user-lv3yf6my9x]

At last one clever and beautiful woman explains this on youtube. Bless you! I'm not a dancer, but I knew this from a different source and use it for a half a year in my work and I can say, that it's a really good point to start an arm movement and probably the most correct anatomically. Only one thing is maybe a bit different is that I'm used to think that the top of my breast (where this 2 bumps are attached) should always ''look" up, but maybe it's not that right....Anyway I can say that when a woman has a correct horizontal clavicles it looks umf...so much sexier;)

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Thank you :) :)

[@luisaallman4711]

Excelente!!!i ahhhh now i got it

[@Mindbodyballroom]

That's great to hear Luisa :) Thank you for sharing!

[@francinegirard2374]

C'est une très bonne prise de conscience pour une économie d'énergie appréciable car effectivement, une compensation peut s'installer quand l'effort est sollicité. Ce sont souvent ces asynergies semblables que les malades pulmonaires développent sans sans rendre compte en utilisant leurs muscles accessoires. Merci beaucoup , très intéressant Amber!

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Merci Francine :)

[@chrisgaskell3706]

Hi, I hope you do not mind but I have copied your link to some archery sites as I believe that there is a great cross over in ballroom stance and the the archery form. I am an ex dancer and was amazed to feel how natural archery was for a ballroom dancer with regards to stance and posture. Loved your video.

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Sounds great Chris :) Body movement principles are the same no matter what form they're applied to. Wishing you all the best with your archery pursuits!

[@chrisgaskell3706]

It concerns me with what I have seen recently in the stance of the lady/follower in standard dance, the over exaggerating of what seems to be leaning backwards and the strain on the neck in particular. I have seen in the past, as it is several years since I went to a competition. But to see ladies rubbing their necks as they were walking off the floor, which had obviously been under strain whilst dancing. These weren't beginners but good amateur dancers in championship finals. What do you feel about the new body forms that seem to be in vogue and backed by professional teachers?

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Yes, unfortunately body mechanics are not well understood in ballroom dance, or in any form of dance really. There are very few coaches who are educated in body mechanics. Traditionally dance is taught by getting students to copying an image without an understanding of a healthy physical way of achieving it. Slowly, slowly an understanding of body mechanics is making its way into dance of all forms. Hopefully, it will save the necks (backs, etc) of many female ballroom dancers in the future :)

[@merypoza738]

That was VERY helpful- thanx! I think I would've ended up hurting myself if I hadn't seen this video.....

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Fantastic :) Thanks for sharing your feedback!

[@rogelee-TW]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@Mindbodyballroom]

Thank you Roger! I'm glad you liked it :)