We ended up talking the other week in a comment thread about what makes a good lead -- [Update, 3/13/13: and this works tangentially into the conversation about whether those designations should happen at all] but the other side of that seems to rarely be discussed. What makes for a good contra follow? (Or, to phrase it differently, what can a dancer do while dancing in the role that ends up on the right in a swing -- however you choose to designate it -- that will improve the experience for all?)
To my mind it depends a bit on one's partner and the ability to respond to their leads, but in some ways that's kind of the point. I remember something North Carolina dancer (and electrotrad maven) Eileen Thorsos said on the matter when I interviewed her in 2011 that I remember really liking: "....There's a lot of following -- understanding what's going on with your partner -- that's built into leading."
Do you agree? Is there something else that makes for a good follower/lady/right-hand-role in contra? For those who answer, I'm also curious -- which role do you usually dance, and do you dance switch (i.e., dancing where you and your partner agree to trade roles through the iterations of the dance)?
To my mind it depends a bit on one's partner and the ability to respond to their leads, but in some ways that's kind of the point. I remember something North Carolina dancer (and electrotrad maven) Eileen Thorsos said on the matter when I interviewed her in 2011 that I remember really liking: "....There's a lot of following -- understanding what's going on with your partner -- that's built into leading."
Do you agree? Is there something else that makes for a good follower/lady/right-hand-role in contra? For those who answer, I'm also curious -- which role do you usually dance, and do you dance switch (i.e., dancing where you and your partner agree to trade roles through the iterations of the dance)?
