Dance Better Now

Following: dance tips on being a good follow in Latin and ballroom dancing

One of the keys to good ballroom dancing is good following. If you are a follow, then you might have found that you know the dance steps (ballroom dance steps, swing dance steps, Latin dance steps or any type of partner dance), but find that you can’t always work out which step is being led. This can often come from learning through routines. It can also be from a desire to back lead. Sometimes it is just hard and you’re not sure why. Before writing this blog post I spent a solid period learning to follow to explore all the challenges that a follow can have. I now have some insights that can help you. Let me share them with you now.

Do you have a good lead?

I have come across some follows who feel that they are not good follows, but they have been dancing with leads who are not as skilled. This is because the person they were dancing with was at the same beginner level. It’s not that following is easier, it is more that it can be more instinctive. Thus, if you are dancing with a lead who is as experienced as you, and you’re both in the earlier stages of developing your dance ability, then it might be that you actually need a more experienced lead: it might not be you at all. Worth checking this first before you start blaming yourself too much.

Have you done too many routines? Try some pure freestyle!

I have seen a case after case of people touting that fact that they free-styled in studios where there is a large focus on routines for learning. Because free-styling is rare for them, they talk about it like it is a big deal. I have personally danced with ladies who are at a gold level and still have troubles following. The simple fact is that if you practice only routines, then you will never really learn to follow. You will know all the ballroom dance steps, you might even be able to back lead others through each, and even the whole routine, but you will not be able to follow. If you want good dance ability, then you need to practice your following. Do some pure freestyle ballroom dancing (or Latin or swing) and you will develop your ability to follow.

Making yourself freestyle is one of those universal dance tips for many aspects of dance so there’s many reasons to do this when you can.

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Have you danced with only one partner?

Sometimes follows pick up different/wrong signals for a lead - I did this when learning and noticed it when leading. These might be the habits of the one person you always dance with - as long as you dance with them, these mistaken lead signals are not an issue. However, it means that when it comes to ballroom dancing you know it only with one person. This is also common in studios that use routines to teach dance - the routine is drilled with one teacher, and that's the only person you can dance with. The solution is the obvious: group classes and free-styling (that same dance tip again).

Do you want to be a good follow?

I have danced with women, who learned through routines, who have decided that they simply couldn’t follow. They decided that they simply weren’t good follows and that was how it was going to be. This was honest of them in a way; they were not good follows. But they could decide that they wanted to be different (better) when it came to dance, and work on their ability to follow. Do you want to exhibit good dance? If you do, then put the effort in to learn to follow and demand help from your teacher if needed.

Do you know the steps without a lead?

This was one of the more interesting aspect of being a good follow that I discovered.

If you know the ballroom dance steps and know them well (without the lead), then when you are ballroom dancing you can focus on the leads so you can follow easily. I have danced with many who are concentrating so much on the steps that they miss the leads or even back lead. Try to know the steps well. Then all you need is the first lead to perform the figure. You will see you will have good dance ability very quickly.

However, there might (probably will) be when you don’t know the dance steps. Here is a dance tip that is almost the opposite of what I just said for good dance. Try to forget the dance step altogether and simply be led through everything. This was something I found I was doing when following. When I knew the step, all I needed was the first lead, and the rest would come. However, if I did not know, then I went blank and handed myself over to the lead and simply ran on instinct.

This, I found, required some mental agility. You need to quickly determine if you are to execute a dance step you know or simply go mentally blank to follow everything. You might even need to make something up, which is not quite a back lead, but might feel like it. A good lead will accommodate this if it does happen - if free-styling.

Do you have the right contact and know what to be aware of?

I found at times I needed to focus more on the contact I had with the lead or change my awareness of the lead. Sometimes the lead is visual, sometimes it is physical. By being aware of what you can both see and feel, you will be a better follow. Expanding your awareness beyond yourself to your partner in general is one of the best dance tips I can give you for good dance. 

Maybe you’re meant to be a lead

Sometimes we assume we should take on the roles allocated to us by our gender. It has worked for me: I am a man and I enjoy taking the lead. However, you are probably a woman if you are reading this and looking for advice on how to follow. It might be that you’re meant to lead. Just something to consider if you find yourself having issues following and maybe at times you back lead.

Do you trust the lead (and yourself)?

I found that when it came to following I needed to trust the lead. And this came to trusting myself as well. If I did not trust the lead or myself, then I found that I tended to back lead more. I would then dance the ballroom dance steps I thought expected and not what was led: not good dance at all. Feel confident that your lead knows enough and that you can respond in a suitable way to whatever lead you get - even if it is not what they expected (it's not really a big deal if it does not work out in this context).

Summary

If you apply the above dance tips, then you will see your ability to follow improve. However, I think it is worth noting what else I have discovered. When it clicks, following can make good dance great. You can start interpreting the ballroom dance steps to style them your own way. When that happens, you’re really ballroom dancing: a good follow is what makes a couple look really good on the dance floor; a good lead only let's it happen. When it comes to ballroom dancing following it often thought of as being the easier out of leading and following. However, while the basics of following can come faster at the start (they do not need the same grasp on ballroom dancing steps) you always need to be switched on when following and you need to overcome some habits that might be holding you back. I am not saying following is harder than leading, but doing both has let me know follow is not easier either.

Take the lead: how to lead in dance

Have you been struggling with leading your partner through dance steps? No matter what you try, when you are waltzing, doing the tango, dancing salsa, doing the two step, slow dancing or trying to swing dance, your partner never seems to know what figure you are trying to lead? You are not alone, many face this challenge when learning how do dance. What have probably discovered is that it is more than simply learning the figures. There is more to leading and how to dance. Let me tell you what it is so that you can start leading better now.

 

Step 1 - do you know your own figures?

I assume that you do. Usually when one starts to wonder about how well they lead it is when one knows the figures, but something is still not working. That's what happened with me. I knew the dance steps, I assumed that meant I knew how to dance, but evidence suggested the opposite. Still, it is wise to double check that you do indeed know the figures. If you are certain that you do, then read on; you're ready to take the lead.

Step 2 - who are you dancing for?

Much of leading comes from mindset- that's what turned it around for me. Once I took on the perspective that I was there to ensure that person I was dancing with was comfortable, able to perform their figures with ease and knew what I was leading, my ability to lead started to improve considerably.

Next time you're about to dance, anything from slow dance to Jive, think about who you are dancing for not just how to dance.

Step 3 - do you know the follow's steps?

This is something that has helped me. Just because you are the lead, you don't need to ignore the follow's steps. By learning these you not only know what the follow needs to do, but you then appreciate what is and is not hard about following. When you know this, you gain a greater appreciation of what a follow needs. From that you will gain a better intuition on how to lead.

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Step 4 - expand your awareness

The follows on from who you choose to dance for and knowing the follow's dance steps. Once you have these 2 sorted, you are ready to expand your awareness to the follow. When your awareness expands like this, you will almost feel like you are not leading, but simply moving. It is a little like riding a surfboard, a motor bike or a horse. You get that sense of connection, but this time it is with a person so it's more intense. There are 2 things you can do to expand your awareness, which is a key to how to dance.

Step 4a - visualise

When you lead a follow, imagine what you expect to happen next. Doing this in your head as you practice dance moves alone can also help. If you can "see" where the follow is and what they are doing, even if you're not looking at them, then you will have a better understanding of how to lead them. This is ideal for when you do a fan in rumba or cha cha or maybe a back to back in jive or swing.

Step 4b - feel

This is the same as visualising, but you focus more on what you feel. Try to feel your follow, where they are moving to and where their weight is. This is especially ideal for slow dance, tango and waltz where there is a lot of body contact.

Step 5 - Do you know what a "strong" lead is?

This is something that seems to arise from the differences in the way men and women talk and that usually women file while men lead. I recall myself and other men thinking that if their leads were any stronger, then they would be lifting their partners and carrying them around the dance floor. Men often think of strength as a physical thing. Women usually mean clarity when they talk about strength. Much like a strong signal in communications, not matter the surrounding noise, the message is clear. When leading think more about clarity, direction and goals than about physical strength.

Summary

Leading is a major part of how to dance. It requires more than dance steps. You need to become more aware of the follow and be clear with what you want – not forceful. This is true of all dances, two step, slow dancing, samba, salsa, foxtrot and all the others. Once you focus on understanding the needs of the follow, you awareness will increase and you will naturally take the lead.

 Click here to get a free e-book on how to dance better