Laura's Winning Ideas

Every group changes over time. Challenges arise that must be addressed in order for the community to prosper. When communication is blame-free, it remains open. When communication remains open, we meet challenges gracefully. These are excerpts from a thread on the Milwaukee Swing Dance forum at CCSwing.com.
(Leads are men, follows are women.)

keeping followers interested
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I’ve noticed follows dropping out after they reach a certain point, beyond beginner, but not quite intermediate. It happened in Milwaukee, and it’s a real problem here in Boston. So, for the follows, how do we keep you interested?Opie (excerpted )

RE: keeping followers interested
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I have a couple of comments to add, being an almost graduate between beginner and intermediate, and a follow.

The process of learning seems to require the leads to work very hard in the beginning, and the follows don’t have to work hard until the transition to intermediate.

In the beginning, there isn’t much point in a follow learning the steps, as we’ll just step through the move and not allow the lead to practice leading. Our job is to be more cerebral and learn to let go, let go, and give up control. It’s great psychotherapy for many follows (and lots cheaper than analysis!).

But once we start taking workshops, we have to pick up and actually learn something in order to be able to execute our part on the advanced moves. I’ve heard follows discussing the shift and wondering if it was just them, or are they at an impasse? It helps to have other follows or leads confirm that the transition is real (not just in our heads) and that we just need some perseverance.

I like to dance with beginners to appreciate how far we’ve come, and encourage growth of the community. Some of the leads make a point of doing this, and others don’t. The better dancers who made a point of dancing with me when I was learning definitely are the reason I’m still dancing. Otherwise I would have vanished at the transition.

Laura

RE: keeping followers interested
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The chance to dance keeps us coming back.

If we stand around for too many dances after class or at the dances, we get shy and stop showing up. It then follows: What’s the point of taking a workshop if we spend most of our time standing on the sidelines at a dance?

Some of the follows get quite aggressive about asking for dances, but that’s not my style. Heck! I never asked a lead for a dance until after I’d been dancing over a year. Now I might ask once, but not again in an evening.

I’m more forward with beginners and often ask them since I realize they are a bit intimidated. The beginners give me an opportunity to work on the basics, and I’ve seen the payoff as they get really good and I have an “in” to get a dance with them.

If you don’t include beginners (or those below your standard), how can you complain when the numbers thin through normal attrition and you find yourself without dance partners?

FWIW,
Laura

RE: keeping followers interested
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I just had a brainstorm of what instructors can do to keep followers interested in lessons/workshops.

When dancing with beginners I just try to execute moves with great accuracy so they can get the feel of their leading. (I’ll also follow exactly what they lead: If they fling their arms up and down, I’ll take their lead for an underarm turn even though I would bet they didn’t mean to lead an underarm turn.)

However, when dancing with intermediate dancers, I’m trying to get in sync with the style of the lead.

How do I describe this to a lead?? Some leads have more horizontal action in their dancing, and I can work on matching that. Others have a stiffer action, while others may dance quite upright, etc. Every lead has a unique style (some are QUITE unique) and as follows we can work on matching that style so we both look (gasp!) like we are dancing as a couple, instead of happening to be “in sync” only with the folks who attended the same classes/workshops we did.

In the dark ages, when I first took a dance class, we were told that the lead is in charge and is responsible for all mistakes. However, we were also told that the follow is responsible for making the dance look good, and trying to make up for mistakes so we look like a couple.

Opie, does that help with your original question?
Laura