Do follows have to generally work harder in a salsa dance?

[artimalid]

Sort of a newbee question...

A lead can sort of coast and take shortcuts such as not having to step the left foot forward, or lead smaller steps. Do leads have more gateways for syncopation or easier salsa? A lead can just save some steps during some cross body leads, or they can also just stand and let the follow come to them on certain moves. It feels as if follows need to always do their steps let alone the numerous spins they mostly have to meet in a dance. I feel as if I can sneak in not having to do my steps but of course not to the point where I confuse the follow. I can sometimes lead without having to do the complete basic and literally just walk if the follow is very dutiful with their steps. But I'm not trying to disrespect anyone, more like just trying to conserve and save energy a bit as I get arthritis so might have to dance through pain sometimes. But I don't think I look lazy as I can do syncos or isos w/ upper body shimmies making it look like I'm actually doing the basic. I'm not a good follow so I wonder if they can also do the same, skip steps, save a bit of energy, coast a bit but make it look like its a complete basic... Leads also have to think about the movements, leading and more so I think it's as equal for both. I just try to lead for them to shine but it feels like I'm making them work too hard as I can sometimes just be idle and show direction, I like to be a little bit gentle with my lead

 

[Al Israel]

Top notch follows don't autopilot steps, thereby allowing the lead more flexibility. Small steps are better for both, especially backward. Weight transfers can replace most steps. But the follow depends on the lead.

As a lead I like to change my step and lead size according to what is happening in the music - part of song, bpm, energy of singer and instruments. I also love traveling (big steps) so if the dance floor is open I usually utilize it, any beams jutting out of the ground, or friends nearby I can troll mid dance.

 

[Chris_Yannick]

A good test is to record yourself dancing and look back at it.

If you like what you see and what you feel and how you look are aligned, then great.

I always 'felt' pretty good while dancing and felt that I was moving around alot, but then I took a look at myself on video and saw that I was barely moving. Even my stepping, which I thought was clear as day, looked non existent. Plus. Lots of other movements either looked weird or weren't visible.

But this is something very few leads will ever do. If it scares you, then probably something could use some correcting.

Coming around to your question, I prefer not to use shortcuts in my dancing. I feel a responsiility to myself to be the best dancer I can be whether my partner can feel it or not.

But this stems from my desire to become a real dancer and not simply a leader.

I can't say whether leads are more prone to being lazy as many are still thinking of how to make the dance feel nice and that thinking interferes with their body's ability to move.

For me, having fun means feeling unrestricted and being able to do complex, coordinated movements with my body while simultaneously expressing the music, but that is a personal preference.