Easy/Difficult Dances to Lead

[pygmalion]

Just curious, leads. Are there any dances you find more difficult to lead than others? Why? Tempo of music? Complexity of patterns? Any thoughts?

[ballroomboilergirl]

I'm going to go with the same answer I gave for "Difficult Steps to Lead"...the Samba. I really have no clue why Dave and I struggle with this one so much...come to think of it, my old partner used to struggle with it too :?: The explanation I can think of is that it lacks a lot of the easy-to-lead steps that the cha-cha and rumba have, such as crossover breaks. Plus samba just has a beat all its own...jive is very similar to swing, american and international cha are almost identical, rumba and bolero are the same...I guess a lot of leads aren't used to the unique rhythm it has. Both of my partners have hated it, which is unfortunate because I really like it :? Anyone else out there struggle with samba?

[Spitfire]

I'm not sure about the most difficult, but I find Rumba very easy to lead. When I'm dancing a Rumba with those who are new to dancing they tend to adjust to it pretty quickly; even when I attempt more intermediate patterns.

Probably because since the movements are fairly slow a quick execution is not necessary.

[Sagitta]

Plus samba just has a beat all its own...jive is very similar to swing, american and international cha are almost identical, rumba and bolero are the same...I guess a lot of leads aren't used to the unique rhythm it has. Both of my partners have hated it, which is unfortunate because I really like it :? Anyone else out there struggle with samba?

On and off BBG as I don't get to do it often. I get it, then I don't.

In general the slower the dance the easier it is to lead as you have more time to execute.

[tsb]

Just curious, leads. Are there any dances you find more difficult to lead than others? Why? Tempo of music? Complexity of patterns? Any thoughts?

if someone who is a dancer doesn't know a certain dance that i'm comfortable with, i'm pretty confident that i can get that person to master the basic footwork by the end of a song - except for a west coast swing.

IMO the most extensive lead & follow skills are demonstrated by the best wcs dancers.

[pygmalion]

That's interesting, tsb. Is it because of the mix of six and eight-count patterns, or something else, that you think WCS lead/follow is most complex?

[KevinL]

That's interesting, tsb. Is it because of the mix of six and eight-count patterns, or something else, that you think WCS lead/follow is most complex?
The mixture of timing obviously makes a difference, but it's also partially the fact that the lead and follow parts are completely different. The leaders mostly stay in one spot, and the followers walk back and forth. Since the steps aren't mirror-image your partner can't get any information about what they are supposed to do. This applies to other dances as well, of course.

[tsb]

That's interesting, tsb. Is it because of the mix of six and eight-count patterns, or something else, that you think WCS lead/follow is most complex?
The mixture of timing obviously makes a difference, but it's also partially the fact that the lead and follow parts are completely different. The leaders mostly stay in one spot, and the followers walk back and forth. Since the steps aren't mirror-image your partner can't get any information about what they are supposed to do. This applies to other dances as well, of course.

it's not the 6 vs. 8 count variations in the slot as much as the change of step sequence on the sugarpush/pass vs. the whip: 1-2 3&4 5&6 vs 1-2 3&4 5-6 7&8...

which is a nice segue to the original question here - because in reality a great number of passes & whips utilize more the original 6 or 8 counts. personally, with a good tune, seldom will fewer than 12-16 counts elapse between the initiations of a new figure when i'm dancing with a good partner, with the start of each new figure being a function of the phrasing and breaks within the music. the extra beats may go into styling at the end of the slot or in the additional steps it takes to traverse and reach the end of the slot.

then there's the... 'elastic/syncopated'' feel in the connection and in the footwork - ".....one.....and two three....&four" vs. one! two! three! & four!. i like to compare it to moving a railroad car back and forth along the tracks.

and going back to my original thoughts, i've had female friends relate accounts of when guys who persisted in wanting to dance with them even when they said they didn't know the step, would just shrug and move on if it was a wcs.

[danceguy]

Hmm, I'm a little late on this thread but the most challenging dance for me to lead is actually Lindy. If the follow doesn't cooperate at the start of a Swing Out...then it becomes really difficult to go through the motions.

I took lessons only for a few months, and most of the followers either stepped forward and anticipated my lead, gave me the old noodle arm syndrome, didn't let me pull them, let go, stomped on my feet...it was really really frustrating to say the least. I have encountered situations like this in just about all of the dance styles I've studied, but for some reason Lindy seemed more difficult than most.

Best,

SG