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Dips play a major role in many social dance styles as well as in Latin Ball Room as the classic way to end a dance with style. The dip is the perfect last period at the end of a successful dance. In modern social dances like Brazilian Zouk and Bachata Sensual, dips play a major part combined with body rolls inside the dance.

In Cuban Salsa, dips are not that common. I know of no well-known Rueda couple move or named figure having a dip at the end or a dip inside the move. But dips are likely to show up in dance shows and in demo dances as well as on the social dance floor.

There are several reasons why “end of dance” dips are not that common:

1. Dips can be dangerous for a Follow’s back. Ask permission!
2. Follows that are not good at dips often hate them as awkward.
3. Only a sub-set of songs have an Outro that makes dips possible.
4. Dance venues often have DJs that overlap music.
5. Unknown music is very common at social dancing.

The Stand-Up Dip

For many years I didn’t use dips that much for the reasons just mentioned. Then I discovered the Stand-Up Dip. It has so many advantages that make it easier to use:

1. It is safe with any Follow.
2. It is relatively easy to time and execute.
3. It also works well as Quick Dip within the dance.
4. All Follows like them.
5. Never ends in complete disaster.

Same video at YouTube

Timing and Execution

The Stand-Up Dip is easiest as part of Dile Que No: “1-2-3” and freeze. The left hand can be lifted high straight up or in an angel. The Follow can have both feed on the ground or lift one leg or she can even bend it. The Lead should look at the Follow but the Follow can look away during the dip and first look at the Lead as she comes up again after the dip. Many options.

It takes training and experience to time and execute any dip with perfection even when dancing to music where one knows that it ends with a good dip opportunity. It is of cause even more difficult when one first knows at the very end if the song has a useful Outro. Sometimes a dip can be made to work even after a song has finished or as it fades out! But that takes additional training.

One of the benefits of the Stand-Up Dip is that it gives you a lot of experience in timing and execution. It soon becomes very tempting also to start using more advanced dips.