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Beginning Moves

Putting Yourself in Your Partner’s Shoes

By Eric Dahlman

Although it often gets overlooked, I believe that learning both how to lead, and how to follow in a dance quickly increases a dancer’s greater understanding of ballroom. Especially for beginners, knowing the basics of both partners’ sides of the dance can help at grasping the larger concept of the style.

Initially, learning the basic steps of a new dance can be one of the most frustrating things for a dancer. Muscle memory has not yet developed, and learners are still searching for the “feel" of the dance. To some it may appear counter-intuitive to begin learning the opposite steps to the dance, and thus double their confusion. Instead, I argue that learning both parts allows dancers to quickly expand their perception of dances by allowing them to see the steps from more than one angle. Learning to ballroom dance is, in some ways, a little like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. As we learn the count of the rhythm, some basic steps, and one or two variations to keep things fresh, we receive the individual pieces. From a couple of pieces we may be able to estimate what the picture will be, but it is not until we are able to place the pieces together, that we actually can see the true image. Similarly in dance, it takes time for dancers to find how our posture, steps, and rhythm fit together. Our dance picture requires time to be constructed. By learning a bit of our partner’s steps, we are able to find more pieces to add.

While one might never reverse their position at a competition, leads can greatly improve their connection, and technique by learning how to be a follow, and vice versa for follows learning to lead. Many dancers, including myself, do not always realize how their actions translate to their partner. Perhaps what you believe is a strong arm connection feels weak to the person you are dancing with. Since many people do not have experience dancing in the other person’s position, partners often have communication errors where one partner is not able to describe to the other partner how to improve, or fix an issue. But by learning both the lead, and the follow’s roles, even if only the basics, it will become much easier. Learning the reverse of your part means that you know what your partner is looking for. For example, I learned how to forward drive in waltz only because I practiced as a follow at a social dance. I was dancing with a lead who had roughly the same amount of dance experience. After noticing how certain motions felt awkward to me as a follow, I was able to learn not to make the same mistakes when I was a lead. Changing my position taught me what my partner was looking for, and how I can provide that to them. Additionally, by having my follows occasionally change roles and lead, they are able to better understand what signals a follow gives to the lead. Through learning from each other, we can better understand how to improve ourselves, and provide what our partners want.

Switching positions in dance may seem confusing at first, we often work so hard on our part that it can feel wasteful to detract from that, and dance a completely different part. However, dancing is still like putting that puzzle together, and learning what the other position feels helps teach dancers how to make the positions “fit." I strongly recommend to all new dancers to try the reverse side of their dances. Expanding knowledge on a style will only help you improve, and gaining empathy for other dancers' places can build upon any part of ballroom. Besides, in learning how to both lead and follow, you will never have to wait for a particular partner at social dance, and that is often reason enough.

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