Understanding Leading and Following

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.

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) .

For some related advice on leading* that I'd posted a while back, see this thread.


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

Just wanted to state that the oldest thread I found in SF has a post referring to an even older thread not being around, meaning we have crossed the spacetime continuum.
Yes, I'm bored, and yes, my son makes me watch Star Trek with him sometimes.

Thanks for reading, you can all go on with your lifes now.

I think you've boldly gone where no man has gone before.

SDsalsaguy said:

For some related advice on leading* that I'd posted a while back, see this thread.


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

Click to expand...

Latinjazz said:

Just wanted to state that the oldest thread I found in SF has a post referring to an even older thread not being around, meaning we have crossed the spacetime continuum.
Yes, I'm bored, and yes, my son makes me watch Star Trek with him sometimes.

Thanks for reading, you can all go on with your lifes now.

Click to expand...

I think he was referring to this older post/thread also dated April 7th, 2004:



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But the oldest post and thread I found is this welcome thread started by @David on Feb 24th, 2004:


That took me a few minutes after reading your post. I wonder if there is an older thread or post than above

Your turn @Latinjazz !!

Offbeat said:

I think he was referring to this older post/thread also dated April 7th, 2004:

Lead Your Partner, Not Patterns!

By request I'm reposting this from Dance Forums. Some advice for newer leaders: remember, you’re leading your partner, not just patterns! Many people seem to make the mistake of thinking that a good leader is someone who can make any partner, of any level, do any pattern…nothing could be...

www.salsaforums.com

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But the oldest post and thread I found is this welcome thread started by @David on Feb 24th, 2004:

Welcome to the Salsa Forums

If you happen to find this forum, feel free to "pop in" and say "hi", but as you can see we are just getting started here. If you are interested in helping to build a community here, please let me know. In the meantime, I invite you to check out the Dance Forums, which has a large Salsa...

www.salsaforums.com

That took me a few minutes after reading your post. I wonder if there is an older thread or post than above

Your turn @Latinjazz !!

Click to expand...

I don't even know how you did it! You won!

BTW the first poster on the salsaforums - @David, is still the oldest/earliest of surviving active members on here

Offbeat said:

BTW the first poster on the salsaforums - @David, is still the oldest/earliest of surviving active members on here

Click to expand...

I sure hope so! We'd all be in trouble if he left