5 Essential Ballroom Moves to Master as an Intermediate Dancer

You’ve nailed the basics—now it’s time to elevate your ballroom dancing with these five must-know moves. Whether you’re preparing for competitions or just want to impress on the social floor, mastering these techniques will add polish, fluidity, and confidence to your dancing.

1. The Tango Corte (Argentine Tango)

A dramatic pause-and-sweep motion where the leader stops the follower mid-step, creating tension before redirecting their movement. Perfect for musical accents in Argentine Tango.

Key points:

• Maintain close embrace but keep spines aligned
• Leader uses subtle chest lead to signal the stop
• Follower maintains balance through core engagement

2. The Waltz Hesitation

This graceful pause in the middle of Waltz momentum adds sophistication. It’s all about controlled suspension—think of floating mid-air for one beat.

Why it matters: Teaches weight transfer control essential for all smooth dances.

3. Quickstep Lock Step

The signature move of competitive Quickstep, this syncopated "lock-and-go" pattern builds speed while maintaining precision.

Practice hack: Start slowly without music, focusing on clean foot placement before adding tempo.

4. Rumba Cuban Motion with Turns

Intermediate dancers often struggle with maintaining hip action during turns. This drill improves body isolation:

1. Practice basic Cuban motion in place
2. Add quarter turns while keeping hips fluid
3. Progress to full turns with controlled slow counts

5. Viennese Waltz Fleckerl

The mesmerizing rotational move that separates casual from committed Viennese Waltz dancers. Requires perfect partnership synchronization.

Common mistake: Leaning inward—instead, maintain upright posture while rotating around a shared axis.