Lock step (dance move)
Lock Step refers to any of dance steps which involve the "locking" of the moving foot: the moving foot crosses in front of or behind the standing foot, stops close to it, and the weight is fuly transferred on the (previously) moving foot. The closeness of the feet so that the lower legs of the dancer are "locked" together crossed is the main difference from other cross-steps used, e.g., in the Grapevine, whwre the moving (crossing) foot travels away from the standing foot and the lower legs are separated.
The term "lock step" or simply "lock" may be applied either to a single "locking" step or to a whole step pattern, e.g., of three steps, such as "step diagonally forward, lock behind, step diagonally forward". The footwork varies depending on the actual dance figure.
Lock steps are popular in Quickstep.
Dance figures
There are several dance figures with names involving the words "lock" or "lock step", as well as several figures that use the lock as part of the pattern.
- Backward Lock Step (Backward Lock)
- Forward Lock Step (Forward Lock)
- Turning Lock
- Syncopated Lock (single or double)
- Samba Locks
- Cruzados Locks
- Natural Twist Turn
- Rumba Cross
- Reverse turns in Viennese Waltz
- Fleckerl
- In Cha-cha-cha, advanced variations of basic figures may involve replacement of the cha-cha-cha chasses with the lock-steps.
- Some Triple Steps in West Coast Swing may be stylized into lock-steps.