How to Become a Better Leader & Follower in Salsa Dancing

Submitted by sbowman on Sat, 05/03/2008 - 18:14.

by SalsaSteph

Gentlemen:

  1. Remember not to squeeze your partner's hands at any time. Use tension in your palms and fingers, as opposed to gripping.

  1. Always think ahead. If you are in the present, you will probably hesitate and be unsure of your next move. Women are relying on your consistent lead, so you need to be a few steps ahead of the game. If you get stressed, go back to the basics and enjoy yourself! There is nothing beginner-ish about doing basics...

  1. If you are dancing with a beginner who may not give you equal resistance, be careful not to start pushing and pulling in an exaggerated way. The more movement you make, the more likely she will get confused. You’ll want to do the opposite; tighten up your movement and put more tension in your frame, so she has only one way to go. In fact, you can use a Latin hold more often, and raise your elbows out to the side to do this, making your lead super-clear.

  1. If you don't know your partner well, avoid doing tricky, scary dips and crazy moves. Gain her trust first!

  1. Women like contrast. You can lead her into turn patterns – simple, then complicated; spins - easy ones, then hard ones; let her go once or twice in the song - hold her close one or two times in the song.

Ladies:

  1. Remember to keep your elbows in front of you at all times, so you give back the proper resistance.

  1. Avoid thinking ahead and leading yourself! This makes the leaders feel unimportant. There has to be one leader and one follower; otherwise it just ain’t gonna work! Following and trusting is a skill...

  1. Men don't know their lead is ineffective unless you kindly, gently point it out. Let them know if they are holding too hard, or if they are giving you too much tension when they just want you to turn once and not two or three times. They will appreciate it as long as you smile and don't put them down. Women have the advantage of dancing with different leads, whereas men only know their own.

  1. When a man pushes, push equally back to him. When he pulls, pull equally away from him. This might happen often in one turn pattern, so you need to develop how quickly you react!

  1. There IS freedom within structure! Even if the man is leading, you can still style and let your personality come through, as long as you understand how to follow properly.

Have fun on the salsa dance floor!