Being a great male lead in Latin Dance? only REAL answers plz (10 pts on the line :P )?

Question

I am a 17 year old who has danced hip-hop, modern, jazz dance for about three years now and I'm starting Latin. I'm performing at a friend's graduation party and I have a dance class final in which I basically use the theme from Rent (Tango Maureen) because I have two female partners. The thing is, we're performing outside the class AND without music.

In BOTH situations, the girls I am working with only have very beginning level training in Latin formal (as do I, but I catch on way faster than them). I KNOW a strong male lead can make up for any inexperience in a female dancer and I'd like to know some ways to increase my "dominance" so she'll follow correctly. So far in our practices, the girls seem to want to lead instead of follow (Their previous dance group performances usually involved incompetant members that they had to baby so I think that caused it). How do I get rid of this problem of girls trying to lead? Also, what are ways to increase performance quality?

Thanx

Answer 1

Good lead is the one that's coming from your center, not from your arms. It is nearly impossible to ignore the lead that's coming from the center, provided that the follower is actually standing on her own feet, not off balance. It is easier said than done. If you're arm-wrestling them into the move instead, they will resist even harder. If your upper body is getting tired from leading - that's a bad sign, you're doing it wrong.

On the subject how to make then stop leading, or maybe you mean back-leading? It depends if they realize it is a problem. If they do - work with them. Go through the move slowly, and as soon as you feel she's taking over the initiative calmly say "I didn't lead you there. Please don't go anywhere unless I lead you." and prompt her to do it again. However, be ready for a back-talk like "Well you think you're leading me there, but in reality you lead me overhere." Work with that, neither one of you perfect yet, but this is how you can help each other. If she feels super-heavy and impossible to lead - check if she's standing on the leg she's supposed to be standing on, not split-weight, at the time when your lead comes. Being split-weight is a common mistake for beginner ladies that make them impossible as followers. Leading at the wrong moment (she is split-weight, didn't arrive on her foot yet) is a common leader's mistake.

If they don't even know that they don't follow or insist on their ways - well there is no solution that I know of.

Having a good leader helps a lot, but a good follower can really make Latin partnership shine. Ladies have SO much to work on! They really should be busy learning their own stuff rather than trying to do your job. You can't make them stable in their turns and spins for example, it's their job to be in balance.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

You're really going to have to suppress that desire to crank them, just as they're going to have to learn that back-leading is counter-productive (unless you forget a bit of choreography in the midst of the performance, at which point you'll be grateful for a brief reminder). Just keep a solid frame and precise footwork. The rest should take care of itself.