How do dancers know when to switch roles when doing Liquid Leading?
If you are doing liquid leading & switching leader and follower roles mid-dance, does the leader or follower signal to the other that thet are going to switch roles? How do they signal to their partner?
Answers ( 2 )
I'd never heard it called "liquid leading" but I know exactly what you mean! I don't think there's a codified standard for when/how to switch lead/follow. In my experience, its typically done when executing a rotational pattern, where you over/under rotate enough to keep the line of dance or orientation of the lead/follow, and partners can communicate this by talking or by the leader/follower actively changing their hold to indicate they want to switch.
In any case, its a lot of fun, and I'm excited more people are doing it! :D
This is, of course, going to depend on which dance form they are doing.
The simplest form is just for the follower to start leading. It could cause confusion, but we manage things like talking-in-turn in conversation and walking through crowds of strangers without colliding, so it could work.
Often the dance 'hold' or 'embrace' is asymmetric, even down to 'who has the upper hand', literally. Usually the couple is more open on one side, like a V < >.
That necessitates some re-arrangement.
I do a British dance called Modern Jive, which looks like a four-step hustle. We lose contact completely every time on spins, so if the leader spins the follower, that is an invitation to the follower to swap roles by re-coupling as leader.
In Argentine Tango, search for videos of "Hermanos Macana". Of course, on YouTube it is all coreographed, but I am sure they improvise socially. Probably the follower drops their right hand to their partner's waist?
(Sorry if this is off-topic, since not ballroom.