Skip to main content
Dance acrobatics4 minutes

Lift timing during takeoff: Lifting off in sync

By Bernhard De LucaUpdated

In short
  • Perfect timing for lifts during takeoff requires perfectly synchronized breathing between both partners right before the ascent.
  • The joint takeoff is initiated by a clear, non-verbal signal or precise counting in time with the music.
  • The lifter and the flyer must reach the lowest point of the squat at exactly the same time to utilize their elastic energy together.
  • As soon as the upward movement begins, the flyer engages their core tension while the lifter extends the momentum in a straight line upwards.

Find your partner for lifts

Here you can find like-minded people who want to work on perfect synchronicity with you and share the fascination of dance acrobatics.

Join for free
Find your partner for lifts

If lifts feel clumsy, it is rarely due to a lack of strength. It is almost always a question of timing, which is created through shared breathing and a precise impulse.

What you need for timing training

  • A dance partner with a good sense of rhythm
  • A non-slip training floor
  • Comfortable, form-fitting training clothes
  • Basic knowledge of the planned lift

The invisible connection before takeoff

Anyone who has ever seen a spectacular lift often assumes it is pure muscle power behind it. But in the practice of partner acrobatics, a completely different factor determines success or failure: the exact interaction at the moment of takeoff. If the movement is not initiated at the exact same time, the energy dissipates and the figure feels heavy and uncontrolled. The key lies in coordinating breathing and a precise, shared rhythm. Only when the base and the flyer act in the exact same fraction of a second does the weightlessness that defines successful acrobatics emerge.

A synchronous jump in dance is based on the subtle perception of the other person. Before any physical strength is applied, both partners must internalize the same beat. To develop this intuition, it helps to first focus on the basics of movement coordination, as taught for example in the Cunningham technique for precision in dance. Only when the joint preparation works blindly does the transition into the air succeed without loss of power.

4 steps to a synchronized start

  1. Synchronizing your breathing

    Stand in the starting position and begin to consciously breathe deeply into your belly. Adjust your breathing rate so that you are breathing completely in sync, in order to harmonize your heart rate and muscle tension.

  2. Initiate the squat at the same time

    Lower yourselves together in a controlled manner while exhaling. This "plié" serves as an elastic spring: it must be performed by both partners at exactly the same depth and at the same tempo to optimally bundle the energy.

  3. Synchronizing the impulse

    Use a short, agreed-upon signal such as an emphasized inhalation or a light pressure of the hand. Push off the floor explosively at that exact moment to carry the rising energy into the lift together.

  4. Stabilizing the upward movement

    As soon as the upward movement begins, the flyer stabilizes their core, while the base extends the movement straight upwards. The built-up energy now carries the move into the air almost by itself.

Acro-Dance courses near you

Find the right course to take your technique and timing in partner dance to the next level.

View all matching courses

The direct comparison for the perfect start

Like this

  • Inhale and exhale together to feel the rhythm
  • Share the lowest point of the squat exactly
  • Guide the upward force in a straight line upwards

Not like this

  • Jumping off in an uncoordinated way and without prior agreement
  • Performing the squat at different times
  • Leaning away from each other during the jump

A look at the phases of a synchronous jump

Before the jump

Preparation

At the jump

During

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Breathing is the most important timing mechanism for synchronicity. By exhaling together during the descent and inhaling explosively during the jump, both partners coordinate their muscle tension and movement rhythm without words.

You might also like

Read more