Figure 4: Right-handed return
Previous: Floor Craft Contents Next: Leading
Dancing is “conversation” to music. And partner dancing is just that: a partnership, a “relationship in motion” between a leader and follower dancing together as a team — “one dancer, with four legs”.
Both partners must be willing to communicate on the dance floor to lead and follow well — adapting to and bouncing ideas off each other, metaphorically and literally, rather than performing a fixed set of moves by rote, i.e. leading and following is a conversation, rather than a series of monologues47. Similarly, the best dances (like conversations) happen when there's a good connection between participants. Just lead, just follow, just lead, just follow… can lead to a somewhat one-sided conversation — a “Me Tarzan, you follow!”
Hence, leaders and followers should have a supportive no blame attitude, i.e. followers should be prepared for “experimental” leads, and leaders should provide scope for followers to improvise. The leader also has a duty of care to keep their follower safe — especially in dance styles where the follower usually moves backwards.
Online resources
The nature of the lead and follow connection can be influenced by assumptions about Modern Jive — these assumptions can make learning easier, but can constrain creativity, after that initial learning stage.
An offered hand is perhaps the closest to a “universal signal”. — with the intuitive expectation that the follower will take hold of it with their (closest) free hand.
A signal is a deliberate mechanism used by a leader to indicate the response that they (the leader) expect from the follower. In general, this expected response will be non-intuitive, i.e. the expected follower response to the signal must be learnt a priori, by both leader and follower. Obviously, the more signals a leader uses, the more knowledge is required by the follower — and hence, more chance for miscommunication, etc.
Comparing driving to leading and following — then using the indicators (trafficators) is equivalent to signalling. Whereas a more consistent but subtle “lead” is the direction that the wheels are steering.
People often indicate but don't turn, and turn without indicating, but unlike driving, in Modern Jive the “jive police” rarely test your signalling.
There is no reason for a follower to signal a leader, or to echo the leader's signal. However, signalling is unfortunately not the same as leading — a lead can be followed without prior information, whereas a signal needs both partners to share additional information, e.g. both attend the same classes.
A popular beginners' video, has the following signal — “the leader holds the follower's right hand in both his left and right hands and pulls it in towards his stomach and then out again” — what move was signalled?48
Signals vary between different areas of the country — some signals may be unique to a particular class: “Is he scratching his right shoulder, with his right hand, or is he signalling a First Move Jump?” Hence, in social dancing, followers must not rely on any signal as a queue to throw themselves into an acrobatic move, since the leader may not be dancing the move that the follower thinks is being danced — and of course vice versa. Modern Jive Signals lists signals that are commonly used.
There are additional problems of leaders inadvertently leading signals, especially if it is a “generic” movement, such as squeezing a hand; and followers hesitating, thinking that they don't recognise a signal, intended or otherwise. Signalling seems to reduce the improvisational aspects of Modern Jive and of course relying on a particular set of signals will “tie” you to specific venues (where the signals are known) and companies (that teach those signals).
Are a Neckbreak, Butterfly and Neckbreak Butterfly considered as three moves, or as two? Ultimately, it doesn't matter — it's more important to dance them well, and perhaps to realise how they are related.
New moves are always under development — although to some extent it depends how moves are counted.
This guide describes about 160 Modern Jive moves:
In [Learn To Dance Modern Jive] the authors claim a repertoire of about 400 Modern Jive moves.
The [Jiveoholics Anonymous] lists over 600 move.
In salsa, Super Mario claims to be “The Million Moves Man”.
When I started dancing Modern Jive there was an “arms race” between classes, with each class attempting to “out list” each other's moves.
Some classes provide lists of moves, which can sometimes give the impression that these moves are “official” and therefore “better” than other moves. These lists typically have three categories of move names:
names such as “Flingy Flung” are charming, but don't convey any information.
some moves have more structured names, but can be awkward, e.g. “I'm going to lead a first move sway interruption lariat spin return”.
multiple moves (double, or triple, etc.) — usually repeating the same move.
In contrast, the most popular move name with teachers appears to be “It's a sort of twisty, spinning, twirly move”.
I've discovered several moves that I thought were original (since I had “found” them, without seeing them before) subsequently taught in “real” classes.
Lists of moves are fun, but can sometimes encourage Modern Jive “jargon” which can be a bit of a barrier for beginners, and a “Gotta' dance 'em all” collecting attitude. Collecting moves and names can be fun, but don't let that constrain your creativity — a move doesn't need a name for it to be led and followed well — only well known moves have well known names, otherwise they are usually specific to a particular instructor, or class.
Some leaders may give the impression that there are set follows, e.g. always leading a Return after a First Move, but this doesn't mean that every leader will — it may be a confidence issue for beginners, lack of imagination, tiredness, or simply that the music is too fast.
Note in this guide the Return is considered as a separate move — and hence the move descriptions don't include the “traditional” Return ending.
Popular moves in Modern Jive can lead to asymmetries in the lead and follow:
Followers only follow with their right hand (or as part of a double handhold)
Walking moves and turns in dance hold only turn clockwise.
Leaders don't spin (only spin anticlockwise).
However, these asymmetries are artificial and there is no reason that moves cannot be led outside of these limitations — some classes occasionally include mirrored, or reversed versions of moves — increasing the options for leading.
There are obvious reasons why certain leaders are “smooth operators” — and others are called jerks!
Someone has to start all conversations, and on the dance floor the leader starts the lead and follow dialogue, by communicating an intention and offering the follower an initial invitation or lead. The lead does not provide the motive force for the follower — rather the direction of the lead indicates the direction the leader wishes the follower to travel. Leaders cannot make a follower dance a step, they can only make a follower grudgingly move by physically manhandling them — this is not dancing. Bullying, pushing your partner around, or otherwise forcing them into moves is an indication of a lack of leading ability, rather than a follower's lack of skill at following.
The leader can only encourage a follower to dance a step, by making the follower want to dance it. Leads can run the entire gamut from commanding; through cajoling, persuading, suggesting, and hinting; to begging.
Who knows — today's improvisation may become a future favourite?
Complex, planned choreography doesn't always work on the social dance floor, so leading is probably best described as “the ancient art of winging it” (improvising); by its nature music is ephemeral, space on the dance floor is transient, and partners vary in their tastes and styles, etc. Improvising can help in recovering from inadvertent situations, conserving energy, and “taking advantage of the music” by cutting-down or extending moves as needed.
Followers can improvise, using their own style to enhance the move(s) — the leader can offer “a gap” for the follower to improvise within — this offer continues until the follower finishes improvising, or the leader asserts the lead again. If the leader allows the follower to improvise, it lets both partners use their expertise and combine their knowledge, musicality, and creativity.
Following is an appropriate reply to the invited lead — not necessarily the precise response the leader envisaged. An appropriate response to a lead might enhance, or embellish the basic follow:
Spinning multiple times (instead of a single spin).
Doing a Latin Return instead of a “normal” Return.
Adding ornamentation: walks, wiggles, body ripples and swivels.
Adding footwork, timing and syncopation in walking moves, especially where the leader remains in-place and the follower's improvising only affects the style of the move, rather than its structure, e.g. Accordions, or Wings.
Alternatively, breaking convention, the follower may hijack (“sabotage”) the lead, so that the follower temporarily acts as the leader — sometimes called “resistance moves”, offering the leader an invitation to follow — which the leader should also respond to appropriately, for example, a follower might hijack the lead by using a Resistor. The follower should only sabotage moves that the leader can follow — again not necessarily the moves that the leader knows, but those than can they can follow.
The man leads the lady into a right-handed return,
Figure 4: Right-handed return
which the lady embellishes by over-turning by an extra 180o and possibly adding walks, etc.
Figure 5: Right-handed return, with an overturned “latin” embellishment
From here, the man can lead the lady again, e.g. turning her to face him again but should only lead this when the lady is correctly balanced. From there the man can lead the lady into a Sway.
Figure 6: Sway lead
In the sway position,
Figure 7: Sway position
the lady might hijack the lead again, for example by ducking under the man's right arm, and then leading him to follow her by rotating 180o clockwise.
Figure 8: Lady duck out of sway position, and lead
Anticipating is the dance equivalent of back seat driving.
The most important part of following is to let the lead happen, unfortunately sometimes the follower interferes with the lead, and anticipates the leader.
Anticipating is not following badly — rather that the lead is irrelevant, the follower already has an expected move: “Nobody ever leads anything except a Return after a First Move” and “I've been led into a First Move” therefore “I'm doing a Return”. In the worst case the follower can “anticipate” so that the leader will be forced to lead the follower's chosen move, e.g. by keeping an arm high back lead a Return. Examples of anticipating include:
Signalling the leader, e.g. by leading a “circling” C-motion at a leader regardless of their leading style.
Swapping from an unexpected left-handed hold to a right-handed hold.
Preparing (winding up) for an anticipated spin, before it is led.
Letting go of a leader's hand, before the leader releases it.
Followers should always avoid anticipating — it makes leading more difficult and can make it more difficult for the leader to prevent collisions.
Note leaders can anticipate — when the follower hijacks a move, then the leader should follow the hijacked move — leaders may anticipate, misinterpreting the move and may continue forcing their originally intended move. For example, a leader may anticipate a Resistor, forcing a Figure Of Eight, without recognising that the move has been hijacked.
47It's sometimes too easy to perform a move, without communicating it — especially if both partners have recently learnt it in the same class or franchise. Moves that have different styles will require more of a “real” lead and follow — especially if the moves are outside of the normal repertoire.
48A Drop Kick [How To Jive With Jive Bunny].
49There are at least three possible ways to lead a Neckbreak: signal with right upper arm extended to the right at shoulder height, forearm pointing vertically upright, palm towards the follower; signal with right upper arm extended to the right at shoulder height, forearm pointing horizontally forwards, palm towards the ground; no signal — simply lead the Neckbreak.