enjoy the ride

I wonder how some leads can just make your body move in certain ways.  It’s like some creepy form of mind control that happens through your body.  I mean they can lead variations with a flick of their wrist.  It’s barely perceptible, but it can make a huge change in the way your body moves.

Communication is important.  And leads have to know how to get their point across, but follows need to know how to be receptive to that point.  And they need to react accordingly.

I was talking to a lead the other day about how easy following is.  I said, “leading is harder, because you [leads] have to know what you’re doing” and he said, “yeah, but you [follows] need to know what we’re communicating.”  I took him by the hand, started to walk backwards, and said, “do you understand this?”  He said, “yes, but-” I then began to walk forward, asking, “what about this?” and he said, “yes”.  That’s all following is; listening and understanding what your lead is trying to communicate.  And essentially, it is, but listening and understanding is one thing, yielding to give way to the instruction is another entirely.

There are a number of people who have difficulty following because they simply cannot let go of their need to be in charge.  Some of them have come right out and said it to me, things along the lines of, “I can’t follow, because I need to be in control.”  Sometimes, though, as dancers, as people, we need to let go, stop thinking and just go with the flow.  We can’t always be in control, but we can make a decision about who we allow to be in control – and if we have decided that this person is worthy of having this control over us, then why not just chill and enjoy the ride?