Quote:
Originally posted by Graham
I don't quite follow this - can you explain a bit further? |
You would pick the hardest to explain! It was shown to me by an American dancer called Angel Figueroa - he is one of the best West Coast Swing, Hustle and Salsa dancers in the world.
I used to have a big problem when dancing Hustle that my lead was too big and harsh, and it made it very uncomfortable for Lily to follow. He explained that the lady's main responsibility when following is to 'follow' her hand. Wherever her hand is led, her body should follow. The problem is that you can move your hand far faster than the lady can move her body, and she struggles to catch up. You lose the connection, it feels bad, and it looks bad.
So he suggested the idea of 'following your own lead'. Any time you lead anything, you have to move your own body in response to the lead. If you are leading a first move, you start by leading the lady back. You step back yourself not because that's what you normally do, but as a reaction to your own lead. Same with the twists - you apply pressure in your hands to twist the lady, and you use the same pressure to twist yourself. (If you are dancing with a lady who has particularly good connection, like virtually all the ladies I danced with in Glasgow, then you should be able to feel a 'lead', because she will match the pressure you give her.)
If you lead too fast, you can't react quickly enough, so you have to slow your lead down. If you lead too big, then you can't move enough, so you make things smaller. But the key thing is you feel it
yourself, and can react to it. You are not relying on the lady saying you are doing something wrong.
If you are leading something at a speed and size that your own body can follow, you give the lady far more chance to do the move as well. Then she can concentrate on enjoyment, rather than survival.
Hope I've explained it ok. It took me 6 months to understand what he meant in the first place.
David