How the Lead Gives Space to the Follow? (they don't) - For Lindy Hop and Swing Dance

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Because Lindy Hop is a dance of individuality and expression, it's important for both leaders AND followers to have access to expression. However, sometimes it's difficult for leaders to know how provide a space for followers to cultivate their voice. In this video, we'll talk about some specific strategies leaders can use to avoid feeling like they've trampled their follows, as well as my philosophy on follow variations in general.
00:00 - Intro
00:15 - TONS of Caveats
01:55 - How I Think about Making Variations
03:39 - Thing 1 Leads Can Do - Lead Basics
04:05 - Thing 2 Leads Can Do - Make Sense
05:09 - Thing 3 Leads Can Do - Lead Good
05:45 - More Than the Easy Answers
06:31 - How you Hold Yourself
07:04 - Similar Artistic Vision
09:44 - Making Room for Your Partner
10:25 - Patience & Tracking Your Partner
11:17 - More Specifics
12:33 - The Exciting Conclusion
VIDEO on Follow Autonomy & Creative Authorship
• Follow Autonomy & Crea...
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by the Brooks Prumo Orchestra
brooksprumoorchestra.bandcamp....
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[@dondegroovily85]

"The whole dance is the follower's space and the whole dance is the leader's space" See, this is why I love your videos Laura

[@loespronk281]

I experienced that it helps if leads learn to follow and vice versa. Leads learn then to pay more attention to their partner and follows learn how to influence the dance in a flowy way. I think it's all about exchanging energy and being perceptive to that. Knowing how to give that energy and how to perceive it. I would even like to stop using the words followers and leaders, we're all dancers, exchanging ideas. And yes I love switching.

[@ubroc]

The energy is momentum

[@ufoisback5088]

Everything is circumstancial, but if you just start treating this as a conversation instead of leading & following, the result will blow your mind. Something I've recently learned, and I think that could be the summary of the second half of this vid.

[@jenn408]

Thank you Laura!!! Especially because of the “nebulous-ness” and complexity of the whole collaboration process, it is even more valuable to hear your perspective on things. The dancing clips are super helpful and a great idea! I know it was a very difficult question so thank you for accepting the challenge :-)

[@solennial6436]

Laura you're the best!! "There’s lots of ways to be, as a person. And some people express their deep appreciation in different ways. But one of the ways that I believe people express their appreciation to the rest of humanity is to make something wonderful and put it out there. And you never meet the people. You never shake their hands. You never hear their story or tell yours. But somehow, in the act of making something with a great deal of care and love, something’s transmitted there." - Steve Jobs

[@LauraGlaess]

That is very moving. Thank you.

[@ggus1991]

Leading is a skill that requires a lot of practice. Effectively sharing space with the follower is a skill built on top of leading. Not everyone gets there at the same time and with the same competence. It takes a lot of time and effort. So for the followers watching, if you feel that a leader doesn't share space with you as much as you'd like, remember the leader is learning too. This helps in keeping a positive mindset and doing your best to enjoy yourselves during the dance

[@LauraGlaess]

Absolutely. Even if the leader is technically advanced, following the follow can be a different skill set with a different mindset. The dancer you meet on the floor is not the dancer they were last time you met them.

[@irinabobina]

I did learn a lot, thank you Laura!! 💯👏❤️

[@LauraGlaess]

Jeez, Irina, you're fantastic.

[@Timbotao]

Damn! the way you explain things about dance speaks to me sO much!... as a musician for life, and a lindy dancer on-and-off for 13 years (very part-time-ish) now... the way you describe the communication between the dancers or the players is exactly right... when I play blues music particularly there is this instantaneous listening and reacting, pushing and pulling, and when you are in a band of 4-6 people and it works it's like magic! (the reason we play music... imagine dancing with 5 people at once lol) and that innate skill in communicating in rhythm, melody, timing, tempo, and the subtleties of being really interested in the fun of that communication with players IS so fun when it works well... and the same with the dancing! I totally agree, the roles are equal, and some of the best dances I have ever had have been in those situations when I am dancing with a follow, who is doing exactly what you describe, submitting, and challenging, and moving different parts around, and giving me things to react off, as a dance is being painted on the floor... It makes you want to dance with that person all night! (which sometimes happens)... it's just like musicians who are fun to jam with in that same way, it CAN'T be all one sided (then some players check out mentally, and the music/jam suffers because of it)... and dancing is the same. I have had some incredibly awkward dances with follows who looked incredibly skilled!, but then turned out to be incredibly inflexible in their approach (to new leads)... hey I'm not the best lead... (intermediate at best)... but that being said I have had some absolutely wonderful, magical dances, with highly skilled dancers, and also some lesser skilled follows too... like with most artforms, it comes down to communication, and willingness to participate openly in the conversation! Love your channel Laura! keep it up!

[@hydr9756]

i love how you take this dense concept and pull at so many different threads one by one! it must have taken so much effort to comb through your past competition & performance videos to find these specific moments and ways to articulate what is happening during them. your philosophy of the whole dance belonging completely to both the follow and lead is a revelation. thanks for all you do, Laura!

[@LauraGlaess]

Grateful, and thank you. I didn't want to paint a misleading picture (of my perspective).

[@zarza05]

Thank a lot Laura! Really love your videos!

[@palerider3857]

This is great. It's so difficult sometimes to get it right but you hit the nail on the head. Communication! Thanks!

[@wesley907]

Awesome chat!!!

[@isabellarobledo3]

Thank you, Laura! This video is sooo good! Thoughtful! Smart! Nuanced! Damn, this girl really GETS IT

[@adrianng0803]

Bravo! Thanks!

[@bencostello7435]

Thank you so much for this! All of your videos are fantastic, but this might be the best of all of them, at least for me where I am in my Lindy journey right now. I've been dancing for about a year and a half now, and I'm just starting to explore the concepts you are talking about, and the way you present the concepts is really, really helpful! As a musician, I especially love the analogy of the saxophone soloist and the drummer influencing what each other does while maintaining their role. So much to keep in mind as I keep dancing and try to make my dances more of a conversation and not just a series of moves.

[@LauraGlaess]

Thank you so much

[@mevrouwknoop]

This video makes me want to dance 💃❤️

[@LauraGlaess]

Good!

[@anonyme4195]

Bravo Laura, thanks once again!! I really like the fact that you put examples of you dancing "for real" and analysing it. It's also super great that you showed some "mistakes"!!! Because it shows us that even best dancers do mistakes ahah, and that even with mistakes, the dance can be awesome :D I would have thought that you would talk about incorporating solo steps into dance couples, whether the lead or follow initiate it. For me it was the only possibility to "give space" to my partner. Actually, rather than saying "giving space", I prefer to say "not bind" my partner, because as an not-that-experienced-leader, I sometimes feels that my lead can be binding. So the matter for me is not to "give space" as a gift of something that I own, but more to be constantly aware that we are both egual dancers. Which is challenging 😅

[@LauraGlaess]

I like the idea of not binding the partner. Let us both have clarity and freedom.

[@UnitedWarGamers]

As a lead am always trying to listen to the follow and play off what fun moves they want todo. I've had a few follow say to me they like how it feel like am talking to them and making the dance stress free for them.

[@Hyrtsi]

Thank you Laura! Amazing video as always. I am myself mostly a leader and I want to improve. I appreciate the content on your channel that is being targeted for leaders even though most of the stuff is relevant for all dancers. I'm a beginner myself and in the beginning it's harder for leaders. Or at least it feels like so - I may be wrong. Because if I dance with a really experienced follower I may not able to do all those things with them. (I've tried and sometimes it goes excellent if we both have the playful vibe and if I don't just focus on how few lindy moves I know) However, if a beginner follower dances with an experienced leader I think they can vibe well and the follower can just go along somehow and get away with it easier. Please let me know if I'm delusional. They didn't tell us much about all this "meta" about dancing in our classes. Maybe because it's hard to teach it. It takes a lot of time to understand it. You can encapsulate something in phrases such as "dancing is communicating" and "listen to the music" and such but they all are lacking something and in the end there are as many right ways to do things as there are dancers.

[@KJ-um1gq]

Laura is looking fantastic

[@LauraGlaess]

Aww shucks

[@kylester89]

I know you mentioned Remy as one of the best leads but curious on your thoughts about Terrace Ellis? Maybe we could have a video on favorite leads??

[@LauraGlaess]

TERRACE!!! You give that dude the biggest hug. I miss him and I love him.

[@icooper5236]

I have seen some terrible leads, personally I can't ee why it's so difficult.Also I try to lead listening to the music to give my follow plenty of time (especially one who I tell her to do her magic)😉

[@LauraGlaess]

I mean, I sympathize. Leading is hard. I'm pretty good at leading, and I still get surprised when my follow throws something at me that I need to react. That instinct just hasn't developed yet. But I know I gotta try for it.