I have been dancing over a year now as a lead, and I am still a beginner as a follow (2-3 month, but don't have much chance to follow lately, as a guy).
I am trying to learn to follow, so that I can understand how exactly follower's mechanics works, so that I can improvise better. (I need to know exactly where follow's center of gravity is and which way her momentum is going, in order to use it and improvise.)
I am also trying to improve musicality of my dance lately.
So that got me thinking. As a lead, you can lead syncopated moves or breaks, etc (basically not regular 6 count or 8 count PATTERNS), when you want, to the music, if your leading skill allows (and dancing with someone who can follow). However, as a follow, there aren't that much control over it (still do, but not as much).
In any case, so that came to the question of what exactly people enjoy about following. I certainly got to the point of enjoying leading, but not following quite yet, and I can't figure it out myself.
Any thoughts? Inputs are welcome from people who only follow or both lead and follow.
(By the way, why do I even need to learn to follow, to lead better is for another discussion, so please don't go into it here.)
Originally posted Sunday, May 15, 2005 (6 years ago)
And, for the second part of your post, I think as a lead it's exciting when my follow throws in their own styling and variations to a 'normal' move - either a swingout variation, break, slide, whatever that doesn't take away from where I want to do. Then, next time around I'll try to follow what my follow did and that becomes a conversation.
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
Originally posted Sunday, May 15, 2005 (6 years ago)
Thanks, but what I really want to know is this.
What do followers enjoy about following???
I like it, too, when follows starts to play around from 7 to 2 of swingouts, or adjust the move I lead to the music, so musicality-wise it feels better. (so long as it is better. Mere hijacking without any improvement in the dance is not fun.) But that is about what leads enjoy about what follows do. I mainly dance as a lead, so I know what I like in follows. However, since I am not quite a good enough follower to enjoy it, I am curious to find out what exactly followers enjoy about following.
BTW, the other thread is very helpful for learning how to follow. Although that wasn't exactly the reason why I posted this thread, yet, I find it very helpful. Thank you.
Originally posted Monday, May 16, 2005 (6 years ago)
I love it when the leader takes me on a roller coaster ride - I'm traveling from place to place, covering lots of floor, spinning and twisting and doing moves I've never even imagined. There are a few leaders who consistently surprise me with new stuff (that they lead very well) and I honestly have no idea where they're stealing all these great moves from.
Conversely, I rarely enjoy a dance where I don't travel much, either because he's covering my distance and running at me as he leads a swingout, or because he's just having me spin back and forth on a spot without ever really going anywhere. Ugh, that back and forth move where you catch her with your right hand, then left, then right, then left, all without letting the follower spin even once should so be outlawed.
I like it that I can follow without thinking about it with a great leader. I'm concentrating on keeping my balance and timing correct, but it's kind of like meditation in that I'm zoning out. I like it that I get to have a different dance every time, whereas a leader is for the most part limited to what's in his own vocabulary.
Originally posted Monday, May 16, 2005 (6 years ago)
As a beginer follower, I first of all love it when the lead seems happy with me (not totally exasperated).
I also love it when leads do the simple things that really require connection and the follower to be paying attention, but nothing complicated. For example, when a lead is listening to the music and there is a chance for a quick rock step and then a "hold" or something like that which fits into the music, that is thrilling for me. It reminds me that we are dancing TO MUSIC and yet it's not totally complicated.
Getting a bit pickier for the sake of answering the question more thoroughly, it's also fun when a lead throws in a bunch of different things rather than doing 20 swingouts in a row.
Following is fun because it's like a game you play when you are a kid... try your hardest to follow the lead, try to pay attention and go where he's asking... try to pick up on weight shifts, timing, etc. And playing is fun! I love getting to benefit from a leads imagination on the dance floor.
Originally posted Monday, May 16, 2005 (6 years ago)
I've been learning to lead and that's fun in its own right... but at the end of the day, all I really want to do is follow.
I love that I can relax into it. Nothing feels more liberating to me than relaxing, letting go, and letting the music and my partner guide me.
And I love making the dance my own. As a beginner follow, you probably don't realize yet how much room there is for improvisation. There's tons. The feeling of collaboration between working off of both your partner and the music without the stress of being in charge is so wonderful.
Originally posted Monday, May 16, 2005 (6 years ago)
As a follow who both leads and follow... my most favorite thing is musicality! If a guy can lead me through all these advanced moves but doesn't really pay attention to the music... yeah, it makes me think and all but it's not a ton of fun! But when he starts listening and moves me to the music... I can't help but smile.
It's also nice when they let you play a little bit on 7-2... it's even better if they'll play with you... (wow... that sounds bad!)
But above everything... smile... if my lead doesn't smile... no way will I truly enjoy the dance!
Originally posted Monday, May 16, 2005 (6 years ago)
what a lot of people already said, but this is something i heard this weekend. i was at a workshop with mike faltasek and frida sagerdahl, and both of them were talking about musicality and rhythm. once you have that, a dance with anyone becomes fun and exciting. sure, someone could lead me in ten swingouts in a row, but every one of them could be different for me if I take advantage of the music and play with it.
i love to follow because, like someone said, every dance is different for me because I am not really limited by my vocabulary. I have danced with super advanced dancers/teachers and I have danced with super beginners. I can have fun with either (although I admittedly have more fun with the advanced dancer).
I love it when, like Sommer said, people surpise me with something I didn't know I could even do, because they lead it so well. It's like, wow! I didn't know I could that! COOL!
And swiveling. I love swiveling. A couple months ago I finally realized that I needed to isolate my hips more on my swivel. I did, and my boyfriend was like, damn, that's hot! A lot of leaders mentioned it, actually.
As a guy, I don't know that swiveling your hips would be as fun (not really having women's hips makes that difficult).
Originally posted Monday, May 16, 2005 (6 years ago)
i love following! i like it when the lead does different types of swingouts and transitions with switches. variety is the spice of dancing! it really makes it fun if he smiles and makes eye contact, so that i know he s having a good time. i appreciate it if he challenges me with moves i haven t mastered yet and is willing to repeat it if i don t get it the first time. it s also nice when he s not afraid to try out new moves he s just learned, even if they re not perfect yet. it shows me that they want to better themselves as a dancer. i like following because it s for the most part, unpredictable. take me for a ride! i don t really know what s coming up next, and i don t have to worry about inventing the next step, i can just go along with whatever he throws out there. i like getting asked to dance. :wink: i enjoy leads who try to make me look good but also take time to show off themselves with spins, slides, etc.
Originally posted Monday, May 16, 2005 (6 years ago)
Quoted from "saracynthia" i was at a workshop with mike faltasek and frida sagerdahl, and both of them were talking about musicality and rhythm. once you have that, a dance with anyone becomes fun and exciting.
Yes! I took their workshop in Greensboro, NC, and I had great time, too. Their musicality class with scatting and coming up with new way of breaking down 8 counts was very eye-opening for me. (my current obsession with musicality/choreography really picked up since then.)
It is nice to dance with anyone with rhythm. So long as a beginner I am dancing with has rhythm, I can lead many things without a problem.
But what I really enjoy is when follow I am dancing with has great musicality, and hit breaks etc. together (without my really leading into improv and do it together spontaneously), that's magical!
:clap:
Quoted from "saracynthia" sure, someone could lead me in ten swingouts in a row, but every one of them could be different for me if I take advantage of the music and play with it.
Ghee. I wish I can dance with you all the time... It's so nice to see follows play from count 7 to 2 of basic swingout, and keep playing with different steps for several swingouts in a row! (When I try to do that, I usually just lead basic swingout, instead of numerous different variation I can lead.)
Having said that, usually if I can play with follow together for 4 swingouts in a row (1 phrase), I would be just happy.
Quoted from "lindylee" it really makes it fun if he smiles and makes eye contact, so that i know he s having a good time
Uhm, I need to work on this. I am so consumed with watching floors for space lately (especially sending out several follows into other people...), I notice that I am not making much of eye contacts these days :spineyes: . Bad habit. (Considering that I was so obsessed with looking into follower's eyes during swingout 3 month ago, it's a quite a swing. I obviously went from one extreme to the other.)
Originally posted Tuesday, May 17, 2005 (6 years ago)
Using my philosophy that dance is a physical conversation.... Entertaining the lead, eliciting a response or reaction from him, responding to his "call", creating a "call of my own" and hoping he's paying enough attention to me to actually respond to it. Filling open space, esp in slow, bluesy songs.
If one approaches dance as a physical conversation, both parties get to call and respond (i.e., "lead" and "follow" - though not in the traditional ways).
The follow has an interesting level of control over the dance. She can choose to follow on a technical level (executing per his demand) OR she can respond to his lead, which can result in playful innovation, a hijack, a "challenge" back to him, a "call" of her own, a witty comeback, etc. Assuming that, your options as a follow are endless. As a lead, you can lead moves or make calls that are ignored by the follow, thus reducing your enjoyment of the dance. No matter how good you are as a lead, if the follow doesn't respond, you probably don't enjoy it as much.
This is what I aspire to.... Still working on it.... sigh
Originally posted Tuesday, May 17, 2005 (6 years ago)
Quoted from "yes." submitting.
then not.
I bow to the superlative contribution. Such perfection in such brevity, ahh...
That's your answer, Tom.
It's the giving up of control only to seize it back and then return it in turn. Freed of the demands of leading, you may enjoy the pure reactive dancing following offers. Being a man, you will probably prefer to lead more often, but it's fun to let someone else be in charge -- or even better, trade the lead back and forth during a song.
Not being a heterosexual female, the following won't help you, but I offer it anyway as the truth:
What do I like about following? The flirting. The coy rhythmic embrace and release with strong, handsome men. To be perfectly un-PC about it, the clearly defined and rather anachronistic gender roles. The idea that I -- brassy, brash, bossy -- can quite literally be swept off my feet and guided into position, then POW break out and come back to find him again, waiting for me, anticipating my action and ready for the next move, the next collaboration, the next showoff step, the perfect break, the way we can delight each other with expected and unexpected moments... yeah.... That's what I'm talking about.
And not all dances are like that. But i'll practice all I can... I'll have 100 nice/ok dances... I'll take classes and give lessons and do whatever it takes to get those handful of moment per night that make it all worthwhile -- and then some. And I try to give back every bit of excitement I draw... the energy, the appreciation ... and hope against hope I can do it again next week. Schweet.
Originally posted Tuesday, May 17, 2005 (6 years ago)
Very nicely put, Amy (seriously). Very helpful, detailed explanation of things that I, too, was considering. You have a knack for explaining the fine points of interpersonal relations.
Originally posted Friday, May 27, 2005 (6 years ago)
I like the challenge of following. The challenge of adapting my connection for heavy/medium & light leads. The challenge of connecting so completely that I know exactly what the guy is trying to do whether I've danced with him once or a hundred million times, whether he's from LA, DC, Seattle, Austin, GA, Tulsa, San Francisco...etc.
Dancing with different guys means that I dance differently with each guy. It not only challenges my ability to follow but my ability to match each guy I dan't with. If the guy dances with high energy I do too, low energy, westie-style...whatever I get to match it so that his moves and our connection works properly.
I also like it because followers put the pizazz in the dance. As Peter from MN says "The guy starts the move, the girl finishes it." I get to style & be muscial too I just get to do it within the movement the guy is creating for me (most of the time).
Originally posted Monday, May 30, 2005 (6 years ago)
I most like to follow when given room to slip in some of my "girl [= follow] moves"; danceterbators, who merely use the follow at the end of his/her arm for leverage as opposed to engaging in the previously mentioned conversation, take all the fun out of following.
Originally posted Tuesday, May 31, 2005 (6 years ago)
Quoted from "jennylynn" I most like to follow when given room to slip in some of my "girl [= follow] moves"; danceterbators, who merely use the follow at the end of his/her arm for leverage as opposed to engaging in the previously mentioned conversation, take all the fun out of following.
Haha, danceterbators! So true!
A friend of mine made a shirt once that said "DANCETERBATION" with a red circle around it and a big line through it like the "no smoking" sign. Then he wore it dancing. It was great! :lol:
Originally posted Friday, June 3, 2005 (6 years ago)
Echoing what some other have said, I love being in the moment. I'm in the moment as much as possible when I lead--maybe even too much--but it's impossible to be completely in the moment and still lead.
I also get a big kick out of it when a couple of leaders start stealing me back and forth. For some reason, it seems to be more acceptable to do that when two guys are dancing. But that's OK. I love it when they boys fight over me...
Originally posted Wednesday, June 8, 2005 (6 years ago)
Apologies in advance for stepping on any feminist sensibilities. :)
But honestly, what I love the most about following is giving up control. I'm a single mom, I work full time.. All day long, it's nothing but decisions and responsibilities. And while I'm fully capable of juggling everything, it's nice to just be led for a while. It's very zen for me.
Originally posted Friday, June 10, 2005 (6 years ago)
Quoted from "TomHopper" Thanks, but what I really want to know is this.
What do followers enjoy about following???
With a good lead, or just with a lead with which I have a good connection:
The zen of it. My brain shuffles to the side, reconfigures, lets go. I throw in fancier footwork/bodywork because I'm not thinking, I'm just reacting to the music and having fun.
This is why I love exchanges. There are a lot of good dancers there, and then dancing until 5am throws you into a sleep-deprived trancy state.
Originally posted Friday, June 10, 2005 (6 years ago)
Quoted from "Syzygy" This is why I love exchanges. There are a lot of good dancers there, and then dancing until 5am throws you into a sleep-deprived trancy state.
Originally posted Friday, June 10, 2005 (6 years ago)
Well I think it is very nice when I lindy lead can tell that I am new to what the lindy is but that I still know a thing or two about dancing. It is a very kind gesture to throw some triple time six count into the lindy dance. Like putting some loose ballroom in betweeen a lindy dance to help work me into things. And since I only follow I can't say that I like one more than another. I would not like to lead because there is too much to think about. But I don't like following when I feel trapped. And the wind mill step is a good example of that. And since some people may have different names for it I mean that step where the man touches your shoulder and then you touch him back.
Originally posted Monday, June 13, 2005 (6 years ago)
I hate the windmill, but there are variations where no back or shoulder touching is involved, but where the lead will alternate his hands on the followers hand/wrist to have kind of the same "go this way, no this way, no this way" effect. What is the general feeling towards this kind of move?
Originally posted Monday, June 13, 2005 (6 years ago)
Quoted from "Maisie"
And since some people may have different names for it I mean that step where the man touches your shoulder and then you touch him back.
shudder
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what do you enjoy about following?
I have been dancing over a year now as a lead, and I am still a beginner as a follow (2-3 month, but don't have much chance to follow lately, as a guy). I am trying to learn to follow, so that I can understand how exactly follower's mechanics works, so that I can improvise better. (I need to know exactly where follow's center of gravity is and which way her momentum is going, in order to use it and improvise.)
I am also trying to improve musicality of my dance lately.
So that got me thinking. As a lead, you can lead syncopated moves or breaks, etc (basically not regular 6 count or 8 count PATTERNS), when you want, to the music, if your leading skill allows (and dancing with someone who can follow). However, as a follow, there aren't that much control over it (still do, but not as much).
In any case, so that came to the question of what exactly people enjoy about following. I certainly got to the point of enjoying leading, but not following quite yet, and I can't figure it out myself.
Any thoughts? Inputs are welcome from people who only follow or both lead and follow.
(By the way, why do I even need to learn to follow, to lead better is for another discussion, so please don't go into it here.)
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This thread will start you off
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
And, for the second part of your post, I think as a lead it's exciting when my follow throws in their own styling and variations to a 'normal' move - either a swingout variation, break, slide, whatever that doesn't take away from where I want to do. Then, next time around I'll try to follow what my follow did and that becomes a conversation.
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
Thanks, but what I really want to know is this.
What do followers enjoy about following???
I like it, too, when follows starts to play around from 7 to 2 of swingouts, or adjust the move I lead to the music, so musicality-wise it feels better. (so long as it is better. Mere hijacking without any improvement in the dance is not fun.) But that is about what leads enjoy about what follows do. I mainly dance as a lead, so I know what I like in follows. However, since I am not quite a good enough follower to enjoy it, I am curious to find out what exactly followers enjoy about following.
BTW, the other thread is very helpful for learning how to follow. Although that wasn't exactly the reason why I posted this thread, yet, I find it very helpful. Thank you.
Also I can state the question this way.
When do you enjoy the dance as a follow? or What would you like do your lead to do, in order to enjoy the dance as a follow?
I love it when the leader takes me on a roller coaster ride - I'm traveling from place to place, covering lots of floor, spinning and twisting and doing moves I've never even imagined. There are a few leaders who consistently surprise me with new stuff (that they lead very well) and I honestly have no idea where they're stealing all these great moves from.
Conversely, I rarely enjoy a dance where I don't travel much, either because he's covering my distance and running at me as he leads a swingout, or because he's just having me spin back and forth on a spot without ever really going anywhere. Ugh, that back and forth move where you catch her with your right hand, then left, then right, then left, all without letting the follower spin even once should so be outlawed.
I like it that I can follow without thinking about it with a great leader. I'm concentrating on keeping my balance and timing correct, but it's kind of like meditation in that I'm zoning out. I like it that I get to have a different dance every time, whereas a leader is for the most part limited to what's in his own vocabulary.
As a beginer follower, I first of all love it when the lead seems happy with me (not totally exasperated).
I also love it when leads do the simple things that really require connection and the follower to be paying attention, but nothing complicated. For example, when a lead is listening to the music and there is a chance for a quick rock step and then a "hold" or something like that which fits into the music, that is thrilling for me. It reminds me that we are dancing TO MUSIC and yet it's not totally complicated.
Getting a bit pickier for the sake of answering the question more thoroughly, it's also fun when a lead throws in a bunch of different things rather than doing 20 swingouts in a row.
Following is fun because it's like a game you play when you are a kid... try your hardest to follow the lead, try to pay attention and go where he's asking... try to pick up on weight shifts, timing, etc. And playing is fun! I love getting to benefit from a leads imagination on the dance floor.
I've been learning to lead and that's fun in its own right... but at the end of the day, all I really want to do is follow.
I love that I can relax into it. Nothing feels more liberating to me than relaxing, letting go, and letting the music and my partner guide me.
And I love making the dance my own. As a beginner follow, you probably don't realize yet how much room there is for improvisation. There's tons. The feeling of collaboration between working off of both your partner and the music without the stress of being in charge is so wonderful.
As a follow who both leads and follow... my most favorite thing is musicality! If a guy can lead me through all these advanced moves but doesn't really pay attention to the music... yeah, it makes me think and all but it's not a ton of fun! But when he starts listening and moves me to the music... I can't help but smile.
It's also nice when they let you play a little bit on 7-2... it's even better if they'll play with you... (wow... that sounds bad!)
But above everything... smile... if my lead doesn't smile... no way will I truly enjoy the dance!
what a lot of people already said, but this is something i heard this weekend. i was at a workshop with mike faltasek and frida sagerdahl, and both of them were talking about musicality and rhythm. once you have that, a dance with anyone becomes fun and exciting. sure, someone could lead me in ten swingouts in a row, but every one of them could be different for me if I take advantage of the music and play with it.
i love to follow because, like someone said, every dance is different for me because I am not really limited by my vocabulary. I have danced with super advanced dancers/teachers and I have danced with super beginners. I can have fun with either (although I admittedly have more fun with the advanced dancer).
I love it when, like Sommer said, people surpise me with something I didn't know I could even do, because they lead it so well. It's like, wow! I didn't know I could that! COOL!
And swiveling. I love swiveling. A couple months ago I finally realized that I needed to isolate my hips more on my swivel. I did, and my boyfriend was like, damn, that's hot! A lot of leaders mentioned it, actually.
As a guy, I don't know that swiveling your hips would be as fun (not really having women's hips makes that difficult).
i love following! i like it when the lead does different types of swingouts and transitions with switches. variety is the spice of dancing! it really makes it fun if he smiles and makes eye contact, so that i know he s having a good time. i appreciate it if he challenges me with moves i haven t mastered yet and is willing to repeat it if i don t get it the first time. it s also nice when he s not afraid to try out new moves he s just learned, even if they re not perfect yet. it shows me that they want to better themselves as a dancer. i like following because it s for the most part, unpredictable. take me for a ride! i don t really know what s coming up next, and i don t have to worry about inventing the next step, i can just go along with whatever he throws out there. i like getting asked to dance. :wink: i enjoy leads who try to make me look good but also take time to show off themselves with spins, slides, etc.
Yes! I took their workshop in Greensboro, NC, and I had great time, too. Their musicality class with scatting and coming up with new way of breaking down 8 counts was very eye-opening for me. (my current obsession with musicality/choreography really picked up since then.) It is nice to dance with anyone with rhythm. So long as a beginner I am dancing with has rhythm, I can lead many things without a problem. But what I really enjoy is when follow I am dancing with has great musicality, and hit breaks etc. together (without my really leading into improv and do it together spontaneously), that's magical! :clap:
Ghee. I wish I can dance with you all the time... It's so nice to see follows play from count 7 to 2 of basic swingout, and keep playing with different steps for several swingouts in a row! (When I try to do that, I usually just lead basic swingout, instead of numerous different variation I can lead.) Having said that, usually if I can play with follow together for 4 swingouts in a row (1 phrase), I would be just happy.
Uhm, I need to work on this. I am so consumed with watching floors for space lately (especially sending out several follows into other people...), I notice that I am not making much of eye contacts these days :spineyes: . Bad habit. (Considering that I was so obsessed with looking into follower's eyes during swingout 3 month ago, it's a quite a swing. I obviously went from one extreme to the other.)
submitting. then not.
Using my philosophy that dance is a physical conversation.... Entertaining the lead, eliciting a response or reaction from him, responding to his "call", creating a "call of my own" and hoping he's paying enough attention to me to actually respond to it. Filling open space, esp in slow, bluesy songs.
If one approaches dance as a physical conversation, both parties get to call and respond (i.e., "lead" and "follow" - though not in the traditional ways).
The follow has an interesting level of control over the dance. She can choose to follow on a technical level (executing per his demand) OR she can respond to his lead, which can result in playful innovation, a hijack, a "challenge" back to him, a "call" of her own, a witty comeback, etc. Assuming that, your options as a follow are endless. As a lead, you can lead moves or make calls that are ignored by the follow, thus reducing your enjoyment of the dance. No matter how good you are as a lead, if the follow doesn't respond, you probably don't enjoy it as much.
This is what I aspire to.... Still working on it.... sigh
I bow to the superlative contribution. Such perfection in such brevity, ahh...
That's your answer, Tom. It's the giving up of control only to seize it back and then return it in turn. Freed of the demands of leading, you may enjoy the pure reactive dancing following offers. Being a man, you will probably prefer to lead more often, but it's fun to let someone else be in charge -- or even better, trade the lead back and forth during a song.
Not being a heterosexual female, the following won't help you, but I offer it anyway as the truth:
What do I like about following? The flirting. The coy rhythmic embrace and release with strong, handsome men. To be perfectly un-PC about it, the clearly defined and rather anachronistic gender roles. The idea that I -- brassy, brash, bossy -- can quite literally be swept off my feet and guided into position, then POW break out and come back to find him again, waiting for me, anticipating my action and ready for the next move, the next collaboration, the next showoff step, the perfect break, the way we can delight each other with expected and unexpected moments... yeah.... That's what I'm talking about.
And not all dances are like that. But i'll practice all I can... I'll have 100 nice/ok dances... I'll take classes and give lessons and do whatever it takes to get those handful of moment per night that make it all worthwhile -- and then some. And I try to give back every bit of excitement I draw... the energy, the appreciation ... and hope against hope I can do it again next week. Schweet.
Very nicely put, Amy (seriously). Very helpful, detailed explanation of things that I, too, was considering. You have a knack for explaining the fine points of interpersonal relations.
Amy...you give me chills...in such a good way!
I love the zen feeling that comes with following. I just turn the ol' noodle off and dance.
RD
I like the challenge of following. The challenge of adapting my connection for heavy/medium & light leads. The challenge of connecting so completely that I know exactly what the guy is trying to do whether I've danced with him once or a hundred million times, whether he's from LA, DC, Seattle, Austin, GA, Tulsa, San Francisco...etc.
Dancing with different guys means that I dance differently with each guy. It not only challenges my ability to follow but my ability to match each guy I dan't with. If the guy dances with high energy I do too, low energy, westie-style...whatever I get to match it so that his moves and our connection works properly.
I also like it because followers put the pizazz in the dance. As Peter from MN says "The guy starts the move, the girl finishes it." I get to style & be muscial too I just get to do it within the movement the guy is creating for me (most of the time).
I love following!!!!
I most like to follow when given room to slip in some of my "girl [= follow] moves"; danceterbators, who merely use the follow at the end of his/her arm for leverage as opposed to engaging in the previously mentioned conversation, take all the fun out of following.
Haha, danceterbators! So true!
A friend of mine made a shirt once that said "DANCETERBATION" with a red circle around it and a big line through it like the "no smoking" sign. Then he wore it dancing. It was great! :lol:
Echoing what some other have said, I love being in the moment. I'm in the moment as much as possible when I lead--maybe even too much--but it's impossible to be completely in the moment and still lead.
I also get a big kick out of it when a couple of leaders start stealing me back and forth. For some reason, it seems to be more acceptable to do that when two guys are dancing. But that's OK. I love it when they boys fight over me...
Apologies in advance for stepping on any feminist sensibilities. :)
But honestly, what I love the most about following is giving up control. I'm a single mom, I work full time.. All day long, it's nothing but decisions and responsibilities. And while I'm fully capable of juggling everything, it's nice to just be led for a while. It's very zen for me.
With a good lead, or just with a lead with which I have a good connection:
The zen of it. My brain shuffles to the side, reconfigures, lets go. I throw in fancier footwork/bodywork because I'm not thinking, I'm just reacting to the music and having fun.
This is why I love exchanges. There are a lot of good dancers there, and then dancing until 5am throws you into a sleep-deprived trancy state.
Totally agree!
Well I think it is very nice when I lindy lead can tell that I am new to what the lindy is but that I still know a thing or two about dancing. It is a very kind gesture to throw some triple time six count into the lindy dance. Like putting some loose ballroom in betweeen a lindy dance to help work me into things. And since I only follow I can't say that I like one more than another. I would not like to lead because there is too much to think about. But I don't like following when I feel trapped. And the wind mill step is a good example of that. And since some people may have different names for it I mean that step where the man touches your shoulder and then you touch him back.
The windmill. :green: That would be an example of what I hate about following.
Ditto.
I hate the windmill, but there are variations where no back or shoulder touching is involved, but where the lead will alternate his hands on the followers hand/wrist to have kind of the same "go this way, no this way, no this way" effect. What is the general feeling towards this kind of move?
I do enjoy that move (when it's done well), but in moderation, as for all good things (except the swingout... do that as much as you'd like).
shudder
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