Question: Any way to rein in a hazardous leader?

[samina]

If someone's leading me big, to the point of risking crashing me into someone else, I start making my movements smaller - and if I really see myself about to collide with someone, I just stop carrying out the move, although I keep the rhythm and step in place.

this.

the lady can go or not go, and can make movements & steps smaller. so much is up to her, especially in WCS. she holds all the power in partner dance, IMO, because she can simply NOT MOVE in response to a lead.

course, then peach, you might not have had as much fun with the guy!

 

[JustAnotherDancer]

Followers can't always stop a leader from changing the slot 90 degrees... there is one big leader who does this to me, and there is NO WAY that I could stop that change of direction without getting hurt.

On the usually crowded social floor, dancers rely on others around them to be somewhat predictable. When doing a dance that is primarily a slot, and most people are orientated in the same direction, when a couple starts changing it up drastically, a whole lot of people become affected!

When I find myself in a slot that is not in the same direction as most other dancers, I also start paying more attention to the dancers around me so that I don't run into someone.

It is one thing to do some hour glass shaping, or to widen the slot when safe, or to major changes of slot orientation on an uncrowded floor where space allows and one doesn't have to create the space by "pushing" others out...

 

[kayak]

You probably couldn't or shouldn't stop him from leading the 90 degree pattern change. However, there is still a huge difference in size. Turning 90 degrees for a barrel roll is much smaller than throwing in lock step combos. He should be aware enough to make sure that 90 degree move will work and then all should be fine.

When the floor is tight, my partners do a good job of helping me sense how close we are to other couples. Most couples are pretty good about sharing space and not encroaching upon each other no matter how big they are dancing.

 

[megeliz]

My question would be...how many times did you bump into other couples? If you didn't more than once or twice, then I'd say he's not a hazardous leader, and that he's got the floorcraft to take up more space on the floor.

 

[tsb]

If someone's leading me big, to the point of risking crashing me into someone else, I start making my movements smaller - and if I really see myself about to collide with someone, I just stop carrying out the move, although I keep the rhythm and step in place. An experienced leader will be able to tell why I am doing this, and some of them will catch on right away and adjust their style. Some leaders instead make a puzzled face, and then I explain that I was trying to avoid bumping into someone. At that point, if he doesn't get the message and adjust his style, not much else you can do other than choose not to dance with him again.

actually you can stop dancing at that moment and not even finish the song. some may consider that rude, but the purpose of etiquette is avoid giving offense when you don't mean to do so. when you have no intention of dancing with that person ever again, worrying about offending shouldn't be very high on the priority list.

early on in my dance experience, i took a class where there wasn't really enough room for the number of students, and there was a significant amount of contact going on between people who weren't partners. every time we rotated partners, i immediately told my new partner that while i understood that we were supposed to practice the figure taught, i wasn't going to lead it unless we had room to do so without hitting anyone else. i still wasn't a very good leader at that point, but after that particular class, i noticed that more women started asking me to dance. that told me that many women place a premium on being able to trust a partner to look out for their well-being - above their technical ability to lead. some men never understand that.

other people also have little concern for how their actions adversely influence the people around them. if i ran the venue, i'd tell them quite plainly what behavior it was and to change their behavior or leave. while risking having such people drive other customers away is something i could use as a justifiable reason for doing so, i'd do it even if i risked losing business over it. some things are more important than money.

 

[Peaches]

My question would be...how many times did you bump into other couples? If you didn't more than once or twice, then I'd say he's not a hazardous leader, and that he's got the floorcraft to take up more space on the floor.

Never once. I don't know how much was the result of other people taking care to stay out of our way.

 

[tsb]

Never once. I don't know how much was the result of other people taking care to stay out of our way.

if the leader in question has a rep for being careless, you can be sure the other leaders are driving defensively - though they made never say so out loud.