Switching between leader and follower roles?

[Sagitta]

The other day a dance instructor told me that it is easier for a leader to learn the follower role, then for a follower to learn to be a leader. From your experience is this true? If so, or if not, why?

[Laura]

I took a 4-month class in Bronze Standard as a leader. I had been dancing as a follower for about a year and a half at that point. It was so difficult, but I'm really glad I did it. It felt like trying to learn to write with my left hand (I'm right-handed). I gained a huge appreciation for what leaders have to do. The women in the class really liked dancing with me, which was quite gratifying.

I haven't practiced leading in years, though, so I've forgotten everything I learned by now.

[danceguy]

One of my new teachers dances both leader and follower, and I must say she is quite skilled at both. Its very rare among Salsa teachers I've found...but as a student you can learn so much from someone with that depth of knowledge!

I've never tried to be a follower...perhaps I should sometime. ;)

SG

[Laura]

I think everyone should try the other role once. I don't mean like at one dance session, but like take a multi-week beginner group class in the other role, and see how it goes. It will really teach you a lot about what your partner needs to do and feel in order to dance well. It also gives you a lot of appreciation for what the other person does.

[youngsta]

I can do some pretty basic following (basic, cbl, simple turns), the problem is my brain is programmed to be a lead so I'm no fun to dance with :lol: I do learn the followers footwork so I can figure out the best timing for various leads.

[Hank]

I started learning to follow after about 10 years of dancing. Dances that are done primarily in open position, such as west coast swing, east coast swing, nightclub style cha cha, and hustle, I found very easy to learn to follow. All of the technique that I had already learned leading transferred directly, and I was following virtually every pattern that I knew how to lead with less than an hour of instruction per dance.

Dances done exclusively in closed position, such as international foxtrot, waltz, or tango, I found much more difficult to follow, and they required quite a few hours before I felt comfortable. I'll never be completely comfortable because of the height difference.

This mirrored my experience learning to lead. Leading in closed position while moving around the floor in body contact was much harder than leading in open position in a fixed location.

[tasche]

When I was a teen they used to teach us both parts more for the females benefit so we'd have someone to dance with. I was a leader a good deal of the time as most girls didn't want to ahve to dance the "boys" part

[tasche]

Opps I guess I better say that I think if you learn both at the same time its alot easier than picking it up later

[Dancegal]

In the swing/lindy scene, I see very few men interested in learning to follow, but lots of women learning to lead (must be to even the lead/follow ratio...). We even had a role reversal class and no men signed up. Thankfully, some beginning follows chose to be follows while some of us led.

[squirrel]

for me it wasn't so difficult to learn how to lead, since I usually tend to :) - guys hated me for it!
it is lots of fun and I sincerely advise everyone out there to learn both roles!
of course, it helps my teaching a lot!
I know guys usually do not learn how to follow, but in the club I go to, there are some who can do it! not so bad, I like watching, it's fun!

[Tasek]

Every once in a while i'll try a dance as a follow; i'm not that good (I nominate myself for the "understatement of the year"-award) though at some time in the future I would like to take a class as a follow.

But the times I've tried dancing as a follow have shown me that they're quite different experiences, whether you're dancing as a follow or as a lead.

[Sabor]

whatever feels fun needs to be done! 8) .. i think switching roles adds to the fun and makes one a better dancer.

[DWise1]

When I was a teen they used to teach us both parts more for the females benefit so we'd have someone to dance with. I was a leader a good deal of the time as most girls didn't want to ahve to dance the "boys" part
I encountered one disadvantage to that. A woman in my classes kept trying to lead. She blamed it on her dance classes in high school where, because she was the tallest girl, she was always assigned the role of the leader.

From "Some Like It Hot", Jack Lemon (as "Daphne") dancing the night away with playboy Joe E. Brown:
Joe: Daphne, you're leading again.