Leaders and Followers — How the Roles Work

The roles are equal

"The leader leads and the follower follows" is only half true. It is a conversation.

• Leader — proposes the next movement (marca). Makes the space for the partner to accept it
• Follower — reads the proposal and responds. The response carries interpretation and embellishment (adorno)
• It is not a contest of pushing and pulling. It is an exchange of weight, back and forth

Choosing a role

• The roles are not fixed by gender. A man following and a woman leading are both common
• At first, pick either one. What matters is learning one role well
• Classes often run short of leaders or short of followers. Taking the scarce role means more dancing for you

Why learn both

• A leader who has followed learns how ambiguous their own signals were
• A follower who has led reads proposals more accurately
• A practica is the best place to switch roles

The community's ratio

Everywhere in the world, there are more followers than leaders.

• Classes often have open leader spots
• Followers may sit out longer than leaders at a milonga
• More dancers are learning to switch roles

One line to remember

A leader is not someone who steers. A leader is someone who makes the other person able to dance.