Photo: QuicksilverFX0 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
In ballroom and Latin dance, a lift is any movement in which one dancer has both feet off the floor at the same time, with the assistance or support of their partner — the official definition Carrie Ann Inaba read aloud on Dancing with the Stars in October 2026. Lifts are prohibited in traditional ballroom and Latin styles, where at least one foot should stay grounded.
Accusations of illegal lifts are among the most explosive in the ballroom, because they suggest a couple broke the rules, not just danced badly.