Hi everybody, I have been dancing ballroom as a leader for over 6 years now at an Arthur Murray studio. About a month ago I began training to be a teacher at my studio. Everything has been going great so far except for one problem. I CAN'T FOLLOW! I know the footwork as both a leader and a follower. I have a good frame and dance posture but I can't follow much beyond the most basic Bronze 1 syllabus. I have been trying to practice the following aspect but it is difficult because most men who are not dance teachers are not comfortable dancing with another man. Does anybody have any tips/advice/practice aids for getting better at this? Is this something that will get better with time?

Some female teachers want to practice leading. So, ask them. If you can't find any, persuade them to try.

Also, male dancers who strive for excellence (competitors) may not mind as much dancing with another man, because they probably also want to learn to follow, in order to become better leads.

Yes, it is not easy to follow!!. As lady, I can tell you this without a doubt. For me it is a problem because the majority of our dance is at a competitive level rather than social. I know the routines, and I know just what is coming, without a lead... You need to hold back just as long as you possibly can on your supporting foot, and no matter what you know, wait for the lead. Stay in tune,maintain strong body contact, solid frame and you will eventually feel the lead.

Having said all this, I still have the feeling that of the lead and follow, the lead is the more difficult of the two.

As an AM student... and a lady at that... I will share this with you: give your partner a good, solid frame and then go completely brain dead leaving the good, solid frame in place. If other guys are uncomfortable dancing with you, get a lady teacher or even student to drag you around the floor. My instructor encouraged me to learn to lead the major dances. It was amazing what that did for my dancing. It allowed me to see first-hand what the man needed from me as a follower. The noodly arms had to go, the posture had to improve greatly and that blasted right elbow in the smooth dances needed to find it's place and stay there!

Now, I frequently play 'leader' in group classes and at dance parties (if we are short on the Y chromosomes). In my lessons when something feels funky, I can identify it and we don't have to spend time on the "fix that right elbow" topic... I KNOW. It allows us to move on to the details of advanced dancing.

Another tip that a fellow student gave me about following was to think as I dance "what's next?" and make sure I keep my feet under me.

Enjoy this part of your teacher training!!!

I remember as a competitor that one coach said he can't dance at his best untill his partner "surrenders herself to him completly". There arn't to many ladys that have the confidence to do that. It is also a question of one's personality.