{{unreferenced, date=January 2011 A weight transfer or weight change is dancer's movement so that their weight is moved from one supporting foot (or supporting limb/body part) to another one fully or partially.

Walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...

, for example, involves shifting of the body's weight from one foot to another, so freeing the first so that it may be lifted and moved forward. This process is a 'natural' movement in humans and other animals, but is in effect a complex process of

biomechanics Biomechanics is the study of the structure, function and motion of the mechanical aspects of biological systems, at any level from whole organisms to organs, cells and cell organelles, using the methods of mechanics. Biomechanics is a branch of ...

. In the full weight transfer, the

center of gravity In physics, the center of mass of a distribution of mass in space (sometimes referred to as the balance point) is the unique point where the weighted relative position of the distributed mass sums to zero. This is the point to which a force ma ...

becomes vertically projected onto another body part (e.g., foot) freeing the first one so that it may be freely lifted or moved. (In fact, lifting the foot off the ground is a simple test often suggested for the beginners to ensure that they have completed the practiced

dance move Dance moves or dance steps (more complex dance moves are called dance patterns, dance figures, dance movements, or dance variations) are usually isolated, defined, and organized so that beginning dancers can learn and use them independently of each ...

and their weight is on the proper foot.) In partial weight transfer the center of gravity is shifted to project between the old and new support body part. In some dance moves, such as

ball change Ball change is a dance move that consists of two steps: a partial weight transfer on the ball of a foot (placed e.g., behind), followed by a step on the other foot. Kick ball change Kick ball change is a dance move that consists of a kick followed ...

, the force produced by pushing with the new supporting foot at the moment of the partial weight transfer makes it possible to lift the previous support foot for a short time, followed by the drop back onto the first supporting foot subject to the gravity force.

Partner dancing

Control of weight transfers is an important part of the partner dance technique. In general, important components of foot action during a dance step are foot movement, foot placement, and weight transfer. Weight transfers of the leader are important cues in leading and following. Dance technique