If you can post video of these two measures to YouTube and paste the link here, we can give you some very specific ideas measure by measure.
In more general terms, here are six things to consider about arm styling:
(1) Arms will almost always look awkward when they don't reflect the movement or position of the body. To get a sense of what will look natural, pay attention to what the body does (in particular, the top block of weight from ribcage to shoulders) in response to the overall movement, and allow the arms to become a natural extension of that movement.
(2) The basic neutral position of the arms when held out to the sides (i.e. "Second position") will be gently sloping forward and downward from the shoulders, slightly rounded. Allowing one or both arms to extend straight outward or backward will result in a broken or "pinched" look, while allowing the arms to drift slightly upward will appear weak.
(3) Arms will tend to look flimsy when you allow your hands to cross the centerline of your body. To maintain volume of space, imagine you are carrying an orange in each armpit.
(4) With twisted shapes of the body (e.g. CBMP), be especially aware of broken arm lines. The body tends to exaggerate the twist by overextending the arms. If you are twisting to the right, for example, the right arm will tend to want to pinch backwards. Be aware of your sternum relative to each elbow point in these situations, and make sure it is exactly halfway between them. If it seems as though your arm should stretch farther back in space, make sure to rotate your ribcage farther accordingly.
(5) Try to identify the nature of each movement in the following terms: (1) Stretching, (2) contracting, (3) twisting, (4) bending, (5) maintaining, or (6) gesturing. (This is a slightly altered and simplified version of a concept described by Ruud Vermeij in his book entitled "Latin: Thinking, Sensing and Doing"). When you have clarity about the nature of each movement, you will be much more effective at producing it. For starters, be especially aware of the first two, stretching and contracting. As an exercise, go through each beat of your dance routine, identifying every action as either an extension or a contraction (or, in certain cases, maintaining).
(6) The timing of the arms can be the most important aspect of their appearance. In slow, sustained movements, as is often the style in Waltz, it is a common mistake to finish extending the line of the arm(s) well before the end of the allotted time. Make sure you use the entire time to produce the extending action itself, only finishing the line at the very last moment. (Advanced dancers will, in fact, overlap the end of one action with the beginning of the next, such that the line does not finish until the very beginning of the next movement). Likewise, it is a common mistake to take too long and neglect to finish the extension of the line. Make sure all extended lines are ultimately completed.
Don't be surprised when you see advanced dancers break any (or many) of the "rules" I've outlined above, and still somehow manage to make it work. The more you understand the nature of body and arm positions, the more you'll be able to constructively analyze what makes certain things work. Exceptions abound, but there's always a reason for each one.
For example, when the body and arms are fully contracted, it makes perfect sense to allow them to wrap around the body and cross the centerline. Therefore, a contracting movement can often override the rule about crossing the centerline with the arms. Bottom line: If you break a rule, make sure (a) you're aware of it, and (b) you have a good reason.
I hope this helps. Again, if you have a chance, post a video to YouTube and we'll help some more!
Regards,
Jonathan Atkinson
www.ballroomdancers.com
