4. Natural Spin Turn

In the teaching of Waltz, the Natural Spin Turn is often thought of as the precursor to more advanced Pivots, as it consists of the first half of a natural turn followed by an under-turned pivot.

The figure normally begins with the first three steps of the basic Natural Turn. From there, two pivoting steps are taken down the line of dance, finishing with a third step taken toward diagonal center (man backing), ceasing the rotation.

To understand the mechanics of a Natural Spin Turn, it is important to be aware of the differences between what is commonly referred to as a pivot and a pivoting action. Both types of movement are present in the Spin Turn, and must be executed properly and at the appropriate time, in order to produce a smooth and comfortable result.

There are two common variations of amount of turn used for this figure. The first, considered the basic version, is 7/8 of a turn. This is typically taken along line of dance, finishing with man backing diagonal center.

The second version is the under-turned Spin Turn, and is is very useful for turning a corner (see #4b below).

4b. Underturned Spin

This common variation of the Spin Turn limits the rotation, resulting in different alignments. When the typical amalgamation of Spin Turn to 4-6 Reverse Turn is used, the normal Spin Turn ends with man facing diagonal wall. The underturned Spin results in a diagonal center alignment, opening up many more possibilities of figures to follow.

In addition to adding variety, other benefits of this variation include:

• Turning a corner: At a corner, the finished alignment of diagonal center becomes diagonal wall of the new line of dance. The underturned version therefore leaves the dancer with the same alignment at a corner as he would have had if dancing the normal Spin Turn along the side of the room.
• A stepping stone: With less rotation overall, the underturned Spin is a nice tool to introduce the concept of pivots to the beginning student.
• Underturning the Spin Turn is also an easy method to introduce the Reverse Pivot to a student. Because the two figures turn in opposite directions, both must be equally underturned, making the Reverse Pivot a less intimidating prospect for a beginner.

Note the differences in how the turn breaks down over steps 4-6 in each version of the Spin Turn. A common mistake is to rotate the full amount (1/2 to left) on step 4, then only 1/8 more over 5-6. This results in an awkward checked type of movement toward the end of the pattern. When underturning the Spin Turn, it is best to divide the rotation more equally -- 3/8 on step 4, then 1/4 over 5-6 -- for the smoothest and most natural action.