Are you feeling pretty comfortable where you’re at, but aren’t sure what you can do to improve your partner dancing? Switching roles can be a great way to learn more about yourself as a lead or follow, and gain empathy for what your partner feels during the dance. Leading and following can be very different experiences, and similar in surprising ways.
It took learning to lead before I ever understood what someone was talking about when they suggested I was a heavy follow. I still love to follow, and it’s what I do when I go social dancing. But when practicing I lead from time to time. Also, learning your opposite’s part will come in handy if you ever find yourself in a situation where nobody knows how to do your kind of dancing. It’s a lot easier to train-up a partner if you know their part.
Have you tried role switching? What have you learned from it?
When I teach beginning partner dancing, I focus on what for me are Three Basic Fundamentals. They are:
rhythm
frame
and fun
Rhythm is what makes it a dance in the first place, connecting your body to the music. Frame takes the musical connection a step further, beyond yourself and to another person. Without good frame you’re missing a vital connection with your partner. Then there’s fun, the most vital ingredient, the reason for dancing to begin with. Make sure you love what you’re doing.
Since I mentioned Dean Collin’s dancing in the last Style Wars post, I figured I should show you some, yes? This movie clip I love, as I’m a big fan of dancing in the rain. (I do live in Portland, after all.)
Here are some more great stylings of Dean’s from much later: 1983! This one has a little Shim Sham and Shag thrown in near the end of the routine as well.
I’ve seen it in so many places. Open embrace vs. close embrace, classic vs. alternative, “Savoy” vs. “Hollywood.” Several years ago, in the swing world, it was pretty bad. There were strict “Savoy” folks, and strict “Hollywood” folks, and they didn’t get along very well.
So what am I talking about and why does it matter to a new dancer anyway?
I’m talking about getting caught up in the idea that there is one good or right styling for a given dance, and that other styling are no good. This is a poisonous idea to get in your head when you’re first learning a dance.
Let’s say you’re taking Lindy Hop lessons, and your teacher is explaining that you gotta have a bounce in your step. You need your weight to be forward, on your toes. You need to swivel when you come in on the first part of your basic swing out. Don’t forget to do a little arm wave at the end, too. When I first started learning Lindy Hop, it seemed like that was what everyone was teaching. I saw dance clips from Hellzapoppin‘ and other movies spotlighting Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers or the Congaroos. I thought it was the only way to do it.
Then, after giving all these specific stylings, the teachers would say “make the dance your own,” “get creative,” or “let the music tell you what to do.” I thought they just meant you should come up with different moves to fit the music.
When I first saw a clip of Dean Collins dancing, it seemed like an entirely new world opened up to me. I saw people doing swingouts that would glide instead of bounce. The swivels at the beginning were totally different. What they were doing wasn’t at all what I was taught as the “right way” to Lindy Hop. But I *really* liked what they were doing.
Soon I learned there was a wide divide between those who danced Frankie Manning’s “Savoy” stylings and those who danced Dean Collin’s “Hollywood” stylings. It was a bit mind numbing. People would inquire before asking me to dance, “do you do Hollywood, or Savoy?” Then they would decide whether or not to ask me to dance depending on the answer I gave. (My answer, by the way, was “whatever you’re leading.”)
Those who were caught up in these Style Wars completely missed the point… and I don’t remember what solved the problem, but this particular style war doesn’t exist (to my knowledge) anymore today. What they missed was that it was totally ok that Frankie Manning and Dean Collins styled their Lindy Hop differently. For that matter, so did everyone else. Dancing just like Frankie, or dancing just like Dean missed out on a big part of what the dance was all about.
It’s supposed to be personal. Individualized. Yours. Joe should style his dance to look like Joe. Jack should dance like Jack. Advanced dancers get that.
So when you’re learning the dance, be careful not to try to look exactly like your mentor/idol/teacher (unless they want you to just for a certain exercise). You need to find what works best for your own body. How does the music speak to you?
I always felt silly doing big ol’ switches coming in, and especially doing a little arm wave. My knees really started to complain about bouncing. I’ve had some dancers claim I dance “Hollywood” style, and others tell me “you’re definitely Savoy.” But you know what, I don’t know and I don’t care. I dance. I enjoy dancing. I try to find a fun balance between matching my partner’s stylings and doing what feels really good to me. That’s a big part of this whole adventure.
Are there Style Wars in your dance scene? How do you get past them?
I competed in my third ever Jack & Jill competition a while ago. (I know, with 10+ years of dancing you can see I’ve been really competitive.) It’s not that I’ve suddenly become competitive, it’s that I have come to see Jack & Jill competitions as more of a game than anything else; roll the dice and see how your luck turns up. I love games. This game, I rolled for what would be bad luck, speaking competitively, but I really enjoyed the game.
In a Jack & Jill, you enter alone, as a lead or follow. In the preliminary rounds you are judged as an individual, and get the opportunity to dance with several randomly chosen partners. If you make it to the final round, you pair up with one randomly selected partner and are judged as a couple.
There were nine couples, and in the first heat we danced four rounds. Two folks I danced with were not actually swing dancers; they were ballroom dancers who had a general idea of “things swing dancers do.” If I weren’t in it for the game I would have been upset. Instead, I had a ton of fun dancing with two nice guys I’ve never had the opportunity to dance with before. I would dance with either of them again, any day. The next two songs were very fast, and fast Lindy is not my forte. (So much so these days that I either need to get some lessons on them, I think, or just start dancing more West Coast Swing.)
In dance number three, I got to dance with someone I know and enjoy. He’s a nice guy who has the most creative footwork, which often excites me more than folks who pull out large flashy tricks. Unfortunately, due to my lack of skill in fast dancing and something going on that was keeping us from connecting very well, that dance wasn’t so hot.
Lastly, I danced with one more guy who I know has been dancing for a long time, but honestly isn’t any good. He had an east-coast bouncy style that was far from my preference, but I believe a good follow adapts to match the styling of her lead. In a Jack & Jill, a good judge will see that adaptation – and perhaps that would have been possible, if I’d been given the chance to dance with more leads who had skilled styling.
My husband did very well. He danced with mostly beginners, and made them all look good enough that they all made it into the finals. He also made it into the finals himself. I was so proud, especially since he can no longer claim that he’s never made it past the first round in a Lindy Jack & Jill.
Do you think leads automatically have a better chance in Jack & Jill competitions due to the fact that they lead, and therefore have more control of how the overall dance goes?
Swing Dancing. Aerials on the social dance floor. Is this subject really touchy? Well, if you’re getting tossed around without your consent, or if you’re getting kicked in the face by someone trying out their new aerials on the social floor, than it yes, it is.
The short answer is: don’t. Even little ones you want to practice. There are too many variables on the social dance floor for aerials to ever be a safe thing to do.
One of your responsibilities as a lead is to protect your follow. Playing around with aerials is reckless and dangerous and in no way protects her.
If you MUST learn aerials, do so outside the social floor, with spotters who know what they’re doing. You can learn some pretty neat stuff to try in jam circles or performances. But you’ve GOT to be smart about it. Enough said.
All that is important is this one moment in movement. Make the moment important, vital and worth living. Do not let it slip away unnoticed and unused.”Martha Graham, 1893-1992
Martha Graham is one of the most influential American dancers in modern history. No matter what style you dance, it’s a good idea to study up on her.
So you’ve found a dance style and venue you’d like to try. Good, the next steps are to go to the social dances several times, take the drop-in lessons, watch dancers, and dance. After you start to get a feel for who’s-who in the scene, start thinking about which instructors you’d like to take lessons from.
Lessons are a great way to get to know people even better, improve your confidence on the dance floor, and of course improve your dancing. Group beginner lessons are a good place to start.
There are several things to look into when deciding on a class to take:
Day of the week,time of day, location, and cost
Do you need a partner to sign up with? (Often you don’t for beginner classes.)
Quality of instruction
Personality or teaching style
Be open minded. (The flashiest folks on the floor may not always be the best teachers.)
If you followed the advice to go social dancing first, you’ll at least have had your eye on a few dancers, or gotten to know a few friendly dancers that you trust. I find word-of-mouth can be your best bet for instructors. Ask people, “who would you recommend taking lessons from?” Ask other beginners you’ve gotten to know, ask people you feel comfortable with, ask the dancers you love to watch but haven’t gotten the courage to dance with yourself. You may start to see a trend, which should make the choice much easier on you.
I’ve seen it in so many places. 
All that is important is this one moment in movement. Make the moment important, vital and worth living. Do not let it slip away unnoticed and unused.”Martha Graham, 1893-1992