748  musings about wonderful followers

Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 13:21:46 -0700
From: robin thomas <niborsamoht@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: musings about wonderful followers

you know, i really think following is pretty amazing
and underrated. first off us leaders are really only
as good as the woman we are leading. if you have a
wonderful dance it's because of her. it really takes
two to tango. we're nothing without them.

my buddy jai wrote

> A man will not arrive at a similar level of mere
> nice
> functioning after the same short interval of study.

i think that gets back to what tom stermitz said, it's
because the guys are being taught figures instead of
simply being taught to have a nice embrace and keep to
the music. a follower can add a lot on her own to that
if he just gives her that basic framework to work
with. if guys are taught posture, connection and
musicality they should be up and running long before
they learn paradas, baridas or god forbid, ganchos
which seem to be beginning guys favorite moves.

you know when i dance with a lot of good followers i
almost forget how to lead or at least i forget how to
overlead. when i'm dancing with a really great
follower i really don't think about leading at all. i
certainly don't think about her technique because it's
transparent.

if i'm really connected the lead seems to be more
telepathic than anything else. especially in milonga
where things happen so fast i can't imagine i even
have time to lead something and they seem to follow it
anyway.

i think we can only really achieve this kind of
connection when we are both really listening to and
enjoying the same music. so her musicality is more
important than anything else.

what i really value in a follower these days is how
alive she feels, what she can add to the dance. i get
bored when a follower simply waits for me to supply
the music and the feeling. i'm not talking about
embellishments but about the energy with which they
imbue every step. i like embellishments that can be
felt and not necessarily seen, subtle upper body
stuff.

anyway, thank-you to all you wonderful women who have
given me so much over these last few years.

robin thomas, new york



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