Dance partnering

Dance partnering is dancing performed by a pair of dancers, typically a male and a female, in which the pair strives to achieve a harmony of coordinated movements so that the audience remains unaware of the mechanics.

It relies on the application of partnering dance techniques that facilitate coordinated movements by a pair of dancers.

In many partner dances (e.g., ballroom dance) the male dancer typically assumes the role of lead and provides guidance to his typically female partner, the follower.

This may simply be a matter of guiding his partner to the next fixed position during a set routine, or in free-form dances may include deciding and communicating the sequence of figures to be danced on the fly.

In a ballet pas de deux, the male dancer may provide support for his partner when she performs balancing feats that would be difficult or impossible without assistance.