Your best dances/steps/tips for learning lead and follow

[WorksForShoes]

In response to a couple of threads' discussions about lead and follow, I thought I'd start one posing the question which dances, steps, and tips you found most useful for advancing your understanding of lead and follow.

(Yes, I know the answer is "all of them". :grin

Specifically, and my own two cents, is that DH and I often can learn a new lead/follow concept through tango. For me, tango always seems so black and white that I know exactly what was intended most of the time. We learned simple pivots first in tango, while sometimes I'm still saying in waltz or foxtrot "was that a pivot or a spin turn we just did?"

As far as steps, and DH will LHAO if he sees this, the foxtrot grapevine was very helpful in learning to feel the continual toe-toe-toe action and the movement sideways in the chasse, so that was where I learned that putting my heels down as a follower puts the brakes on a movement.

As far as tips, again the idea that if I initiate putting my heel(s) down when the leader didn't lead that, I've put the breaks on our movement and I feel like I'm backleading. That was a key understanding.

What moments furthered your understanding of lead and follow?

 

[etp777]

Foxtrot has probably been one of my most useful so far, because there are several pairs (or sets of three) patterns we learn that start the same, so force me to be really clear on my lead throughout to make sure follow knows what I'm trying to do.

 

[tangotime]

simple pivots first in tango, while sometimes I'm still saying in waltz or foxtrot "was that a pivot or a spin turn we just did?"

Actually - a combination of both ( pivot and spin )

 

[Zhena]

One thing that helps me in both lead and follow is to work with two similar moves at the same time. Our group classes are frequently arranged so that we learn two or more related elements. When the students are comfortable with each one separately, the teacher starts the music and has the leaders mix them up. This reduces the follower's assumptions and helps the leader internalize the actions that signal the lead. The teachers also generally approve of leaders who throw in other moves (whether or not they are related to the moves being taught) as long as the follower isn't thrown off - the follower should already know or be able to easily follow the "extra" move (teaching the follower compeltely new moves is frowned upon). This happens both in our ballroom and our Hungarian classes.

DH and I make a point of asking about the lead and follow for related moves in our private lessons. I also work on waiting for the lead and responding only to the signals given without anticipating. This is still not easy for me, even after 3 years.

 

[NielsenE]

Yup. I always loved the following two sets of figures to have beginning leaders/followers work on their skills:

in Rumba/Cha-Cha: Hand-to-Hands/New yorkers. rather than the canonical 3 of one then spot turn, mix them up together

in american tango: reverse turn, reverse turn with outside swivels, reverse turn to cortes. wonderful little nuances of the lead

 

[White Chacha]

W - Open impetus vs spin turn
Q - Chasse reverse turn vs quick open reverse

All the heel turns for the ladies - forces the leader to pay attention
to what the follower's doing.

Lots more.

 

[Terpsichorean Clod]

Pre-bronze American foxtrot with no rise/fall
I think it's a good starting point since you worry about leading/following only in two dimensions. It's also a good way for the follower to work on not putting her heel down prematurely when walking backward.