In partner dancing, the two partners are labelled as the lead and the follow, or leader and follower. Traditionally, the male partner leads and the female partner follows.

A lead controls the way the dance will go. He decides which moves or figures will be danced, and how to move the follow. The follow does what the name implies, and follows the lead. For the lead and follow to interact with each other, a connection must be established. More advanced dancers will take many cues from each other, and communicating feedback to the lead which he incorporates into his own styling and leads.

Beginning leads try to control 99% of the dance. Advanced leads try to control 51% of the dance. The follow styles her own moves as she likes within the parameters communicated by the lead.

Sometimes the follow steals the lead and they reverse roles. This is sometimes called hijacking. Advanced swing dancers do this (to enhance their dance connection and) to add a little fun into the dance.

The Lead has different steps to do than the follow. In face-to-face positions of the couple, the Follow generally "mirrors" the Lead's footwork, i.e., if the lead begins on the left foot, the follow will begin on the right foot. In choreographed pieces, tandem charleston and other situations where the follow is in a tandem or shadow position, the lead and follow will use the same footwork.

In general, the lead starts by moving his feet, which moves his body, which moves his arms and the rest of him. In general, the follow starts by being pulled with her arm, which leads (pulls or pushes) her body, which directs her feet and the rest of her. Leads must initiate every move 1/2 count early for the energy and motion to ripple through and affect the follow.

One goal of partner dancing is to move in ways that one dancer alone cannot.

Coping Skills: Free spin recovers from anything.

See Also

Dance - Swing - Lindy hop

Dance move - Basic - Sugar push - Side pass - Swing out - Circle - Groucho - Skip up - Aerial

Lead and follow - Connection - Musicality

To Do

The partner that follows and the one that leads both have an inner drive to follow the soul of the dance and rhythm. A Salsa/Mambo dancer will always try to use the quick-quick-slow pattern. As dancing is derived from walking, the weight concentration is shifted from left to right and right to left on every beat. This leads to the need to move a foot. The leading partner decides where to move his foot and how the follow should move the foot. The leading partner has to comunicate the direction of the movement to the follow. As, traditionally, the right hand of the man is on the left shoulder of the woman, he can easily pull her body towards him (if the partner remains a body tensation), to comunicate a step forward (backward for the girl) the woman has to constantly put a little weight against the right hand of the man. When the man goes forward, and so does the hand on her shoulder, she is already going backwards before she notices the cue. The second important leading mechanism is the male left hand, which holds the female right hand. At no point it should necessary for any partner to firmly grab the other's hand. It is sufficient to press the hand or even only finger tips slightly against each other, the following hand harmonically following the leading hand. The third important leading mechanism is the hip contact. Though not possible in traditional latin dances because of partner separation (like Rumba, Cha Cha, Tango Argentino, hip contact is a harmonic and sensual way of comunicating movement to the partner, used primarily in Standard or Ballroom Dances (English / slow Waltz, European Tango, Quick Step etc). Sometimes it is highly necessary to get the figures done correctly and with more ease. In Caribbean dances the hip contact is more for the sensual touch, and quickly gets into the way of the more advanced figures.