YODS

Dance term

Follow

To follow is to receive the lead through the frame and complete each movement, responding to it rather than deciding it in advance.

Following is an active skill, not a passive one. The follow stays balanced on their own feet, keeps a responsive frame, and moves when the lead invites a move, without guessing ahead or waiting to be pushed. Done well it looks as though the two dancers share one mind.

Like leading, following is a craft anyone can learn, and it is just as demanding in its own way. Plenty of dancers learn both roles, which also makes each one easier to understand.

Also called: following, follower.

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