my instruction mention briefly about body sway.
I find hard to extend one side of the body without lifting the shoulder ...
Does anyone have any tips/exercise to get that done right ?

Thanks,

I find it easiest to engage my lats. Keep the lats pulled down (much like the lat pull machine at a gym,)and rolled in, then stretch from the bottom rib. Try to keep the sides as long as possible. Then again, you should do this in every dance -- those back muscles maintain your connection to your partner.

Unless you can use your hips, and, more importantly, your legs, you really shouldn't be able to generate too much of a tilt in the shoulders -- otherwise you did not have enough of a vertebrae stretch to start.

Like ulfchild says, it's leading with your ribs, only try to maintain your frame from your spine thru your head. Put your arms straight out in line with your shoulders, like an airplane with wings. Now try to do a waltz turning box step (90 degrees each turn)this way and let your ribs take you there. Good luck.

Ack body sway! That cursed cursed movement! As you can tell, I had problems with it as well.

I assume that you mean the Fox Trot body sway that you get from your chasses right? Well, the way that it was described to me was that imagine that as you as moving to your side, you're trying to place your rib cage up on a shelf. You're not leading with the hips or the shoulder, your shoulder moves up slightly to compensate but you're leading with the rib cage.

What I suggest is that you stand in front of a mirror and practicing segragating your body. Keep your feet planted and start practicing leading to each side with your hips...... and then your ribs... and then your shoulders and back down until you can feel each section moving as it's own seperate entity. Hopefully you'll feel them seperately and will be able to add that into your dancing. Take it slow!

~LB

The question everyone should ask themselves before starting each day: Quo Vatamus