Every lead has encountered the Backleader. Very much the follow version of a Pinball Lead, the Backleader goes where he or she wants – without regard to the partner. It doesn’t matter if the lead has another idea or if the music has a specific accent to hit – the follow is on autopilot, driving without a map – but convinced that they know where they are going.
Ironically, there are also some backleaders who backlead BECAUSE they’re trying *really really hard* to follow. This happens typically at the lower levels, when follows are learning how to do their footwork and haven’t yet gotten to a point where they can process feet and connection at the same time. These are, to me, a different category: Beginners.
If you are a beginner, understand that this is likely a phase in your journey that most of you will outgrow with training and practice. Do not feel discouraged that you are not yet a great ‘connection’ dancer if you are only a few weeks in. As long as you are aware of the importance of connection and spend time working on it, you will continue to grow in the right direction.
Causes of Backleading
At its source, Backleading is caused by the same foundational problem as Pinball Leading: a lack of connection. Backleading is the hardest to overcome in dancers with good strength and control – but who don’t fully understand what dancing with a partner means. For example, solo dancers with little partner experience often suffer from Backleading when they begin partner dancing.
Backleaders also can look very good when they dance. Sometimes, their aesthetic quality is among the best in the room. If you only look at them, it can sometimes appear that they are some of the strongest dancers. However, when you dance with a backleader, it becomes clear that the dance is all about the follow – not about the partnership.
Symptoms of Backleading
Backleading can lead to a few distinct tendencies:
- Getting asked to dance by people you’ve never met, but fewer ‘return partners’ – even spanning across weeks!
- Feeling yourself go ahead of your lead frequently
- Realizing advanced leads are staying away from doing any advanced movements with you – even though you can physically execute them
- Seeing your leads with ‘concentration face’, or attempting to keep up with you
- Going in a direction, and then needing to backtrack because you missed a lead
- Feeling uncomfortable with slower-speeds… faster is easier and lets you just ‘Go!’
- Beginners look very afraid (more than usual) when they dance with you
Backleading also places you at a greater risk of injury. Very often, backleading is found in people who throw themselves deeply into movements like dips or backbends. It can also happen in upper-body and neck-related movements. This puts you at the mercy of your partner’s ability to compensate for you. If they don’t know how, you can get very injured.
If you think you are Backleading, understand why.
There is a bit of a split in Backleading. The two main groups are generally made up of:
- People who are trying really hard to follow, but lack connection, and;
- People who are trying to show off, feel the music, and look very good – while forgetting about the partner.
If you fall into the first camp, relax. Wait for the lead. You probably think that you’re ‘helping’ by doing the move you think comes next… but waiting will actually be far more beneficial for you. Wait for the lead, hold your frame, and don’t assume you know what is coming next. When the lead changes weight, change weight – not before. Even if the music and your lead are not on the same timing, focus on where your lead is. If you learn how to fight the urge to ‘go!’, you will find your dances improve vastly.
If you are trying to look good: practice your looks on your own. When you hit a social floor, they should be muscle memory. Your partner is more important than how awesome you look when you are social dancing. It can be a very strong urge to emulate style over connection – but resist the urge when it comes to social dancing! Style is your whipped cream and connection is your hot chocolate. Put the whipped cream on the hot chocolate – not the other way around! Don’t try to whip the cream while you are drinking the hot chocolate – you should have done that earlier!
Backleading is not a permanent condition
There are many factors that go into backleading. Additionally, not all Backleaders backlead all the time. There are many followers who have particular combinations that bring out the Backleading aspects of their dance. Pay very close attention if there’s any movement that you always do at the end of a particular move set. You may be backleading. Another good way to get feedback is to ask a trusted lead if there’s any movement that you do on your own when they are dancing with you.
Sometimes, backleading also happens because you have a knowledge void and don’t know what to fill it with. So, you try your best to fill it in with what you know… which turns into backleading. If there’s specific movements that you really struggle with, keep them in mind. The next time you work with your coach or teacher, ask them about the movement. They may be able to help you understand what you’re missing.
Just like follows can tell which leads feel the best, leads can tell which follows connect the best. Follows have their share of pinballers and non-leaders. Leads have their share of backleaders and refrigerators (we’ll get to that one later).
If you recognize yourself as a backleader: do not despair. You cannot fix what you do not know about. Instead of looking at it and saying ‘I suck’, look at it and think about how you can improve this. Make it a step on your dance journey, rather than a giant obstacle. People will still love you even if you are a backleader… but the more you improve that tendency, the more fun you’ll be on the dance floor.
I wonder if backleading at the right moment, with the right partner in the right dance is a bad thing after all.
Exploring the blues dancing scene, “switch leading” is an accepted thing there. Supposedly the consensus is everything goes so slow, the couple has enough time to figure out who is currently leading and signaling each other switches. This idea of switching works well coupled with idea to deny blues dancing any formal patterns at all.
Once I tried with a follow I know from blues to do switching in Lindy Hop and it worked very well and we both had a hell of a time (at least I know I did and since she asks for multiple dances I suppose she too).
Yes people will argue as I’ve been taught in classes, one has to lead so there isn’t a conflict, like when two people are trying to lead they won’t be able to dance together. However, people at least semi-respectful for each other are able to have a vocal discussion without shouting them down each other at the same time. Vocal we mastered the skills of turn taking, of talking and listening and of signalling when we’re finished with our argument, or when we really want to reply, or when we’re fine continuing to listening with “mmhm” replies. etc. So why do some people think it is that impossible to take similar techniques into dancing?
Like vocal, yes there might be split-second a moment when two people try to open the mouth at the same time, but we also mastered to detect that collision and one party gives the other precedence.
So switch leading in Lindy Hop can work and can in my opinion be very enjoyable and a improvisational, jazzlike experience which is Swing is in core about.
I get it, similar than in blues it requires prior accord of the lead if (s)he is okay with an occasional switch / backlead and shouldn’t be presupposed or forced. I also get it, that it won’t be the wisest thing to do in competitions, as judges might frown upon seeing its not the lead&follow they expect or split-second argument taking might be seen as bad. And I also get it, it isn’t for people that want perfection show offs, as sometimes when experimenting things just don’t work out. However as long you keep it safe for both bodies it isn’t that bad if you turn out back to back and just turn around, shrugging it off as it didn’t work quite out like you expected.
As a lead occasionally I enjoy being backlead, it gives interesting variations. There is nothing bad about it. However I don’t enjoy a continous backlead during the whole song which I suppose also everbody encountered such a “follow” once. I hope turn taking will become more a thing and dancing scene might over time emancipate from strict lead/follow, man/woman dichotomies.
I think what you’re describing as ‘backleading’ and ‘switch-leading’ is not what I mean by ‘Backleading’ in this article.
Backleading is when a follow interferes with a movement that is already being led in a way that is not complimentary to the movement and disrupts the flow. Almost every dance at a higher level (and some, like WCS, at a lower level) has the idea of ‘switch-leading’ and input by the follow as a component of the dance. It turns the dance into more of a conversation.
However, there are usually specific things that the lead and follow do to ask for the transfer of control. This is what makes the transfer successful. In this case, the follow adding input would not be ‘backleading’ 🙂
I see, I suppose then what you described is purely what I know as term for the follower being on “autopilot” — to let the car analogy live up once again :/ Finishing a move by him/herself once the lead has only indicated its beginning.
BTW: classical ballroom dancing has no switch leading I know of.
I don’t know of any classical ballroom that has ‘switch leading’ or follow input either, but I could be wrong (I’m not deep into the ballroom scene). However, ballroom in general is less of a social dance than many other styles – so in some ways, it makes sense.
Indeed
I think this topic would be a lot less confusing if we made the distinction between backleading and self-leading. Self-leading is dancing on your own without being lead, regardless of the reason. Backleading is using appropriate leading techniques to intentionally and correctly lead the partnership temporarily. Backleading requires the followers to have leading skills. Self-leading does not. Backleading is sometimes necessary to avoid collisions, injuries, and discomfort. Self-leading is never necessary. I use backleading regularly with my students to demonstrate the required connection mechanics. I would never use self-leading for any reason. I use backleading in social dancing regularly to “rescue” a moment, to propose a mutual musical accent, or to request a delay. I would never teach or encourage backleading to beginners – the followers need to develop their authentic following skills first.
As a fellow dance blogger, I always enjoy and am inspired by your articles.
Hey Tessa!
Lovely to hear from you! I think that perhaps our different definitions of back leading could be a result of our primary genres. WCS certainly inhabits a different sphere than Zouk when it comes to initiative taking by follows. In Zouk, I have only ever used (or heard) back leading to refer to what you call self-leading. It is basically when the follow takes over a dance regardless of where the lead wished to take it 🙂