2372  different approaches to lead/follow technique & learning

Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2004 15:47:44 +0200
From: Daniel Käsmayr <daniel@KAESMAYR.NET>
Subject: Re: different approaches to lead/follow technique & learning

Rose wrote:

> A simple answer, and the opinion of a follower is: I
> change weight/cross when I am lead to do so. I have no
> preconcieved notions about what you are going to do,
> so I do what you lead.
>
> As long as the technique you use accomplishes the lead
> you were after, you are successful. Actually even if
> it accomplishes something else and you are happy with
> that you are successful. So really there is no debate
> at all, only you telling me what you like and me
> telling you what I like. And each person will have a
> different opinion about that.

Rose, this is a great point you make here. There is a huge difference
between how leaders and followers see the dance as well as how they get
where they are going.

As a leader I need to do at least these things:
1. be aware of myself, my body, my steps, my posture...
2. be aware of my partner, her steps, where she is, how she deals
with her posture, how she fits into the frame -> the physical
part of the connection.
3. be aware of the music and what it creates inside of me, what
emotions and needs I need to express
4. be aware of the floor, the other milongueros, be aware of the
surroundings
then I can dance, I can listen to myself, the music and of course my
partner and express what I feel, lead and dance.

As a follower (I am by far not the most experienced follower, but I am
getting there... hopefully) I do at least these things:
1. be aware of myself, my body, my steps, my posture...
2. be aware of my partner, the connection, the lead
3. be aware of the music and what it creates inside of me, what
emotions and needs I need to express
then I can dance, listen to the music and the lead, and also express
changes in the lead when I feel they need to be expressed as well as
fill the lead with my movements, with my style.

But the major difference is lead & follow. So as a leader I absolutely
need to know how I communicate what I want; what step/movement I want
the follower to do and what I want to do myself. Not that I think about
it when I dance, but my body-mind needs to know the vocabulary (as well
as the follower needs to understand the vocabulary) Even when the dance
is danced one step after another, there is a decision to be made after
each step which creates the next step - this is what leading is about:
this decision. Sometimes you have a figure or an adornment in mind,
sometimes you need to avoid collision, sometimes you just play and
experiment.

As a leader you can only chose from steps and movements you know about
(plus a certain amount of discovery) - that is part of development as a
leader: increasing your vocabulary.
As a follower the vocabulary is not necessarily as important, I just
need some way to react to the words I hear, my own vocabulary and my
imagination determines this reaction.

> Every leader is different and each follower will
> respond slighly differently to each leader. That is
> what makes us unique. So the question shouldn't be
> how to lead a weight change or a cross, it should be
> why? Why do you lead it?

Yes, the real question when dancing is "this why", but I, for myself,
will not answer it - I prefer to dance. :)

Daniel