(NB: This post is written specifically from a follower’s point of view.)
Imagine: you’re at a social. It’s been a long week, and you’re dying to get into some dancing, and leave all your troubles behind, losing yourself on the dance floor. Maybe the DJ has just started spinning a song you really love – or maybe you’ve been waiting to have a dance since you got here… And finally you are stepping through your first cross body lead for the evening!
The excitement can quickly be replaced by exasperation, sometimes in a matter of seconds. There are a few things that can make a social dance uncomfortable for the follower, and lack of timing is a big one. After all, music is the only common language we share in social dancing. So the point here is consistency of timing, whatever style of Salsa you’re into. After all, as followers, we are expected to follow our guy AND listen to the music, right?
I know all followers have come across these at some point. So we’ll go through them one by one:
ONE. As I move through the turn pattern, it takes me out on opposite ‘half’ of the step. My leader re-establishes his rhythm on the opposite timing. That means he is now doing ladies’ timing, while I’m expected to do man’s timing to maintain a consistency with him.
– This means his pattern is not clear in his mind. Socially functional combinations start and finish in a logical place, without forcing the follower to change her step. If you find this happening, the pattern is executed too quickly, too slowly, or (this one is more serious!) your leader is doing ‘armwork’. (Armwork, n. [dance] = leading a woman without stepping, thus having no relationship with the timing through the common language of footwork.)
This is noticeable to a musical dancer. The phrase in Salsa music consists of 2 bars: 123[4], followed by 567[8]. So dancing on the opposite bar, while still keeping the rhythm going, will feel a bit up-side-down!
Solution: Use the shines to correct the timing. Smile! And chances are, your leader will respond and pick you back up again on the right count.
TWO. Upon finishing a turn I find my leader on a random count – different every time after completing a pattern.
– Alarm bells!! Unfortunately this can be a sign that music is not a priority. Personally I find this very frustrating. The reason I give preference to Salsa is that I not only enjoy the movement it invites but also its musical structures. The dance comes from the music, and for me, as someone with training in music, dancing off-time takes the pleasure out of it.
Solution: Hard, and depends on whether this is a conscious or an unconscious occurrence for your leader. If he is not very experienced he probably has plenty to worry about. So he might appreciate you making an effort to keep your timing correct, and then use you as a reference. On the other hand, if this is just the way he dances, my advice is to finish the dance, say ‘thank you,’ and politely decline in the future. It is usually easy to tell which of these options you are facing – you’ll feel it in the confidence of his lead and steps, and you can also see how he dances with other ladies. (Dancing with someone who dances in spite of music rather than with the music is really, really hard – and not worth it!)
THREE. The lead is on time and consistent, but the song went through a half-bar. That means we can still end up on opposite half of the phrase (or the ‘wrong bar’), although it is not necessarily the consequence of the lead.
– This one is harder. Your leader can hear the rhythm, dance on time and do his footwork appropriately, but the changes in the song can sneak up quickly, unexpectedly and even be frequent! This means the song is complex and requires a musical dancer to interpret it. Usually dancers will recognize that something has changed. Acknowledging it, however, takes a more mature/experienced Salsero.
Solution: This you will most likely work out together. Usually this is accompanied by a little break in the dance, smiling faces, and a lively curiosity. If you’re ever going to mess with timing – this is the ONLY way to do it! Now if your guy did not hear the change, use the advice from ‘ONE’ and change during shines or whenever he lets you go.
Have your own comments/thoughts? Share them here 🙂