Get Sweet On Your Lead

If your lovey is taking dance lessons, it's most likely to enjoy quality time with you. Devour it! Become sweet on your lead and realize that it's no piece of cake. He's thinking of many things all at once as well as how great and comfortable you look. There are so many times I see a sour face on the follow as if she just ate a lemon. I know, you're thinking, "If he does another box I'm going to scream." Instead, practice your technique while he does that one extra box (which gives him time to think of the next pattern that he wants to lead correctly to impress you). So, turn that lemon into lemonade and quench the thirst that many women have. If you already slipped up and gave him that sour pout, offer a yummy apology. Give him some sugar and it'll eventually turn into a spicy dance that could spark your appetite for years to come.

Ballroom Dance Position

Start - stand facing each other aka square (even though you'll be positioned off center)

Lead

Stand with feet together, straight posture, head & chin up with the arms to the sides. Offer the follow to set into dance position by extending the left arm to offer the left hand. Raise the right arm up and open. As the follow steps into dance position, continue to raise the left hand up to the eye level of the follow and close the right arm just below the follow's left shoulder blade. Keep the elbows back at an even, elevated position.

Note: The follow is to be positioned on the lead's right side. The lead's left foot should be slightly on the outside of the follow's right foot/leg to provide individual tracks to dance on.

Follow

Stand with feet together in front of the lead. As the lead offers the follow to step into dance position, the follow will accept the offer by placing the right hand into the lead's left, step forward (as many as necessary to get close, usually up to about three steps) ending with the weight on the left foot, raise the left arm so the lead can close up the position and drag in the right foot keeping the weight off of it (keeping it free to enable it to move quickly). Remember to remain off center to the lead favoring the side with the hand on the back (the follow's left). The follow should be able to look over the lead's right actual shoulder (not nose to nose). This means the follow's left foot will be on the outside of the lead's right foot.

Stand By Your Man

Ladies, it's hard to lead! There are so many things that need to trigger at once just to keep a dance going. These are just to name a few: starting the dance, timing, frame, body positioning, thinking of the next pattern before the current one is over, people on the floor, floor-craft, leading you (while you're right in front of him), not to mention technique or styling. As a follow, we get the luxury of not having to really know all of our patterns inside and out. We get to work on technique & styling pretty early on so, it's understandable that a box, after a box, after a box might get boring. However, it's so important to be patient while your man is learning to lead. Imagine us getting thrown in front of a stalled out car (unless you're the exception) and told to figure out what is wrong with it. It would take a while before we'd be comfortable enough to know right away how to fix it. That's usually how the lead feels while learning to dance. He's processing everything he's learned in a 5-6-7-8 countdown that sometimes may stall out a bit. It's okay, it's normal. Have fun and enjoy his company. Dance with him and all of your patience will eventually pay off. It's better than him getting frustrated and quitting before realizing that he's quite capable of dancing.