(Bachata) Aitor y Angelica Bachata Workshop - Under Arm Turn Technique

“The moment she starts the turn, you use the hand connection to change the height of her shoulders.”

CONTEXTDemonstrating how to tilt your partner through the hand connection as the underarm turn begins

“You lead with the guy's body, not with the hand.”

The core principle — lead with the whole body's movement rather than the hand

“Once the two shoulders are at different heights, the head drops on its own — that's just gravity.”

On why the head comes down naturally in a tilt

“In this turn the only connection is this one hand. So the follow has to put a little weight into it — that's how the leader knows what's going on.”

On reading each other through a single hand connection during an underarm turn

“Once I've turned all the way around to face him, he feels it through my weight.”

CONTEXTOn how the follow lets the leader know the turn is finished

“If you don't give weight, the guy can't feel where the girl is. You've gotta give as much weight as you can.”

On why the follow's weight transfer through the hand connection matters

“It's not about dropping your head — it's about closing your chest, your abs.”

A correction on tilt: close the abdomen instead of the common mistake of dropping the head

“At the same time, you have to keep the frame. Otherwise it gets hard for the guy to lead.”

Why you keep the frame in a tilt instead of just leaning the upper body

“Close the chest first, bend the knees, and tuck the hips in. The hips go forward, not back.”

The exact order of body alignment in a tilt

“Aíto uses underarm turns not just in shadow position — these days they show up in basic position all the time too. It's a must-have that comes back several times in one song.”

Explaining the trend: underarm turns aren't limited to shadow position anymore, they're all over basic position too.

“The moment the girl starts her turn, you should already be looking at her left shoulder. You have to catch that shoulder — no exceptions.”

CONTEXTWhere the leader's eyes and hand need to be ready at the start of the turn

“Once her head is comfortable, that's when you close her chest.”

CONTEXTOn timing the move from the tilt into the next step — closing the chest

“The basic has to keep going even while you're turning. Same for the guy, same for the girl.”

Stressing that you can't drop the basic step even mid underarm turn

“The girl is spinning, so she has no idea where the guy is. That's why the guy has to keep watching her.”

On where the lead looks during a turn — and whose job that is

“With the speed and the position of his hand, the guy decides how far apart you are and how she's going to turn.”

On how much information the lead's hand carries in an underarm turn

“Once I've made the connection and I lift up, she knows something's about to change.”

CONTEXTUsing a hand signal to tell the follow a transition is coming

“You lead just the start of the movement and don't put any pressure past that. And you don't lead it super fast either.”

On leading only the beginning of the turn and leaving the rest to the follow

“After one turn, you just end it. And then the girl catches you.”

CONTEXTOn how you tell the girl the turn is over

“Once the guy turns her, the girl has to keep turning until he finishes it.”

The principle of who decides how long a turn lasts and when it ends

“When the guy comes in and the distance closes, you end up catching him automatically.”

CONTEXTWhat happens when the leader closes the distance while you're turning in frame

“If the distance doesn't close, you just keep turning — and when the guy says come closer, you go closer.”

CONTEXTHow the follow reads and responds to changes in distance from the leader

“If you want to keep her turning, the guy has to give her a little space. With no space, she starts feeling like she has to grab onto him.”

On why space matters for keeping a turn going

“Don't tilt straight forward — always go to the side first, then close the chest.”

Restating the order of the tilt: side first, then chest

“It should be the guy who catches the girl.”

The principle that the leader is the one who takes the hand at the end of a turn

“This one short sequence has every single fundamental principle of the underarm turn everybody's doing right now.”

CONTEXTWrapping up: the short sequence they just learned packs in the core principles of the trendy underarm turn.

“You have to keep enough distance. Without the distance, there's zero interest in it.”

Why distance matters when building a rompe delantero side to side in shadow position

“If the guy's wave goes too far forward, the girl loses her axis.”

How the leader's body wave after a turn affects the follow's balance

“The girl can take small steps. If you're moving with the guy, it's not wrong.”

Reassurance that a short stride is fine for the follow

“If you lead her too far out, she has to walk way too much. So the lead happens pretty much on the spot.”

On how much range the lead should cover when changing direction with cross-back steps

“You want to keep your eyes on the follow as long as you possibly can, right up until she's all the way around.”

CONTEXTThat flounder-eyes habit — never losing sight of your partner, holding the gaze even mid-turn.

“No matter how complicated the pattern gets, Aíto handles all of it. That's what makes Aíto the best out there in social dancing.”

CONTEXTCHOA's verdict after watching Aíto stay tuned in to the partner and hold the connection even through the busiest patterns.