Understanding Leading and Following

[peachexploration]

After you conquer learning the beat, you must master leading and following roles to become a good salsa dancer. Below is a typical explanation for leading and following. What are some other helpful hints you can provide for the lead/follow?


Leading and following is basically communicating without talking, the leader has to communicate to the follower what they want them to do by using the hands and body. Grip and movements should be easy for the follower to read. The leader has to have perfect timing and be firm and delicate enough connection without being too aggresive or to weak.

To be a good follower, you have to allow the leader to give the direction of the dance. The leader will lead you into moves and turn patterns.

[salsachinita]

Eventhough those of us regular club dancers take the lead & follow aspects for granted, generally not enough emphasis is put on this issue during classes.

I attended a workshop over the weekend. There was a helpful excercise:

Guys with cupped palms up, girls with cupped palms down, into the guys' palms, but not gripping eachother.

Both partners lean back, without breaking the connection or losing balance. Natually equal strength is required to keep the balance.

Then lean forward, either partner should fall into each other.

During both these moves, the connected hands should stay in the middle without moving, no tight gripping either.

It's a good thing to remember: equal strength/pressure = good connection 8) .

[SDsalsaguy]

For some related advice on leading* that I'd posted a while back, see this thread (http://www.salsaforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=30#30).


* While this may be about leading, some confirmation by any so minded followers (hint, hint, hint! :wink:) might go a long way...