Using Hip Leads in Salsa

[n00bdancer]

I have been thinking about whether I should use hip leads when dancing salsa. I have been dancing for about 3 months.

My first month, I just used hip leads to compensate for a moves I couldn't do properly. For example, sometimes I used a hip lead in favor of using arms to lead an inside turn spin because followers wouldn't spin when I lead with the arm (I ended up figuring it out because I didn't get enough out of the way). In this case, hip lead allowed me to generate the spin that I didn't yet know how to properly execute with another move.

After that, I didn't use hip leads in any dance for about a month because I wasn't sure if followers would be comfortable with it. Now, in my third month, I might use them once or twice in a dance but not often. I never use it at the start of the dance and only use it when there's a connection.

Honestly, I don't think I've really ever had a follower visibly have a problem with me leading them by the hip.

What's your opinion on hip leads or touching the follower's hip / waist? Do you generally avoid or consider them fair game?

 

[1derpalm]

Depends on ypur follow, ypur social status, how you touch when leading it, your anatomy on regards to theirs and if they find you attractive, which may or may not be tied to your social status.
It depends I guess. I have a regular dance partner who loves when I hip lead her, and also enjoys when my right arm in closed ,,is at her mid back or even a tad lower in natural top. Others don't like the hip lead at all.

 

[Offbeat]

Depends on ypur follow, ypur social status, how you touch when leading it, your anatomy on regards to theirs and if they find you attractive, which may or may not be tied to your social status.
It depends I guess. I have a regular dance partner who loves when I hip lead her, and also enjoys when my right arm in closed ,,is at her mid back or even a tad lower in natural top. Others don't like the hip lead at all.

Depends on what you mean by hip lead.

If it is to indicate a turn I use a feather touch with back of my palm. Related by if I want to interrupt/stop the follower coming forward it is back of the palm that would slightly brush against her abdomen/stomach. At waist or below good to use back of palm.

Now if you are going to hold hips with both hands to lead a swivel or swivel walk, that’s a whole different kind of hip lead. I don’t think it is ever taught in classes. It is improvisation. Or you place palm on both sides of hips to bring follower forward (use it more in cha cha) - again it is a signal rather than holding and pulling.

Unrelated but there is a chin lead to lead turn. You need to know where and how to place your finger or two. I rarely use it.

At least I never had a problem ever with any of the above. That doesn’t mean accidents can’t happen or a follower takes it a wrong way. I guess it is an art to do it in an inoffensive manner. Can’t be really taught in a class. Unless there is class that explains what could cause an offence and how to dance in a way you are not causing an unintended offense.

Like you said it all depends on “how” - how you place, how much pressure, your attitude, how you judge level of follower, etc.

 

[Chris_Yannick]

Unrelated but there is a chin lead to lead turn. You need to know where and how to place your finger or two. I rarely use it.

Any type of lead that involves touching the face is really creepy to me. I'm quite aware of what my fingers have touched (bare back, perfumed smothered hands, my own sweat) that introducing face touching is just unhygienic.

Imo, hip leads are generally fine and I initiate hand on hip contact quite often.

Bachata dancers' hands are always around the hip. That kind of contact one can become desensitized to.

 

[1derpalm]

Depends on what you mean by hip lead.

If it is to indicate a turn I use a feather touch with back of my palm. Related by if I want to interrupt/stop the follower coming forward it is back of the palm that would slightly brush against her abdomen/stomach. At waist or below good to use back of palm.

Now if you are going to hold hips with both hands to lead a swivel or swivel walk, that’s a whole different kind of hip lead. I don’t think it is ever taught in classes. It is improvisation. Or you place palm on both sides of hips to bring follower forward (use it more in cha cha) - again it is a signal rather than holding and pulling.

Unrelated but there is a chin lead to lead turn. You need to know where and how to place your finger or two. I rarely use it.

At least I never had a problem ever with any of the above. That doesn’t mean accidents can’t happen or a follower takes it a wrong way. I guess it is an art to do it in an inoffensive manner. Can’t be really taught in a class. Unless there is class that explains what could cause an offence and how to dance in a way you are not causing an unintended offense.

Like you said it all depends on “how” - how you place, how much pressure, your attitude, how you judge level of follower, etc.

I'll never chin lead. I'm to clumsy and don't trust myself. I frequently do the basket, lasso or around the world depending on where you live (cbl turn into check, passing in front of follow across the path and finishing with usually cbl turn). With the hips. Some dot like because of my arm length and they have not a lot of space, my aforementioned partner smiles and comments on how smooth it feels for her. Tbh I chock it up to compatibility.