| lateral movement | Movement to the side. |
| Latin hip motion | The characteristic movement of the hips found in the Latin and Rhythm dances. It is achieved by rotating the hips around the spine. |
| Latin | A subset of the International Style of Ballroom Dancing which includes Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, and Jive. |
| Latin walks | Forward or backward walks taken with Latin Hip Motion. |
| leading | Effective communication of intended actions on the part of the man, through the use of his own body movements, and through one or more connections to his partner (physical and/or visual). |
| Left Cross Turn | A half-turn to the left, consisting of 3 steps, where the left foot crosses in front of the right foot on the third step. This is also known in Viennese Waltz and International Tango as a Basic Reverse Turn, but is often specified as a Cross-Turn when differentiating it from a basic Closed Reverse (Chasse) Turn. |
| leg swing | A pendulum-type swinging action of the leg underneath the hip. |
| Lindy | The grandfather of all forms of Swing, named after Charles Lindberg, and originating at the Savoy ballroom in the 1930's as a modified form of Charleston done in dance position. Lindy Hop is currently enjoying a revival with a new generation of swing clubs, musicians, and dancers. |
| Lindy timing | 8-count timing as found in many of the Lindy basic actions, taken as follows: 1, 2, 3&4, 5, 6, 7&8, or 1&2, 3, 4, 5&6, 7, 8. The 8-count timing is used in almost all forms of swing, but is most commonly referred with this terminology in ballroom Swing and Jive. |
| line | Lines, real or imaginary, created by the positioning of the various body parts in a visually pleasing manner. |
| line dancing | A type of non-partner dancing, primarily associated with the Country & Western genre, where a group of people will dance through a pre-choreographed sequence of movements in unison. The choreography is generally simple, as it is intended for mass-consumption. Examples of Line Dances are the Electric Slide, the Tush-Push, and the Slappin' Leather. |
| linear | Movement which follows a straight direction, as opposed to movement which is rotational. |
| line of dance | The counterclockwise flow of traffic around the dance floor. The Line of Dance represents the general direction of movement overall, and is only pertinent to dances that travel continuously around the floor, such as Foxtrot, Waltz, Tango, and Samba. |
| lowering | The lowering of the body from a position of rise, through the action of the ankles/feet. Not to be confused with compression. |
| line | A pose which creates pleasing body lines. |
