Frame

In a partner dance the frame is the shape you and your partner hold together: the position of the arms, the tone in the upper back, and the gentle connection between you. It is not a rigid pose. Think of it as a firm but springy structure that keeps you moving as one unit rather than two people who happen to be holding hands.

The frame is also how the lead and follow communicate. Because the two dancers are connected through it, a small change in one body is felt by the other, which is how direction and timing pass between partners without a word. A common beginner mistake is to make the frame with the arms alone; the strength actually comes from the back and the core, with the arms simply keeping the shape.