After being a follow for nearly 3 years, I started to learn how to lead earlier this month. I've been wanting to learn to lead for a number of reasons - a lack of leaders in our dance bar because of COVID and to be able to improve my following.
Last class, we learnt how to go from closed position to open position and vice versa. We also learnt the ( what I'm going to call) 'i go, you go' leading. This is where a. the leader either sends out the follow (purposefully in a direction that's clear in their mind) and then follows them or b. the leader goes first while signalling to the follow to triple step in place and then follow follows.
We also learnt how to go into crosshand from inside and outside turn. We learnt the "behind-the-back" leader move from crosshand but I can't get my head around it yet.
My thoughts on leading after the last class
It's really difficult to "lead with the chest" ( NOT hands), be purposeful and signal to the follow clearly which direction to go. As a leader I have to mirror the follows footsteps and after all these years as a follow, I keep slipping back into the follower's footwork.
I'm a short follow. So as a leader, all my follows are taller than I am. When doing turns, I'm constantly wondering if I'm causing them any discomfort.
I know how my follower friends look because I stand on the side and watch them all the time. It's a pleasant but different experience to dance with them and feel how they are all different. It makes me want to dance with myself so I know how I feel as a follow too.
While I have a fairly ok grasp of what I'm supposed to feel like as a follow, leading is a whole other skillset.
Falling Down the Stairs
On Thursday, I fell down some stairs while taking the trash out and twisted my ankle really badly. Some x-rays and hospital visit later, I'm now in a splint and crutches. I'm really disappointed because I've been pretty tired of my routine and work so I had just finished packing my bags to go away for the weekend - I'd made plans with my friends a month earlier. I'm now sitting on my sofa, pretty immobile and unable to do much else. It also means that I can't follow through with my leading classes for some time. This was just my second class. I know I can pick it back up but consistency is key and that's why I thought I'd start documenting my leading journey.
Also, I have not much to do sitting on this sofa. Might as well make some content!
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