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Leading and Following versus Choreography Part I

 
Leading and Following versus Choreography (Part I What are They?)
by: Shawn Trautman
 
They're so beautiful together out on the dance floor. They must have had their dance choreographed! Did they? Maybe. What exactly is choreography, and how is it different than lead-and-follow dancing? Well, each dance is a compilation of various moves that can be matched and mismatched throughout a song to produce the end-product dance. Choreography is when these moves are arranged in a predetermined pattern and are performed the same way with each repetition. Lead-and-follow dancing differs from choreography in the freedom of arrangement of the moves within a dance. A choreographed dance and a lead-and-follow dance can both have the same 15 moves used three times apiece. In the choreographed dance, you would end up with the same choreographed routine repeated three times, but in the lead-and-follow routine, you would see a dance with no discernable repetition.
 
Is it possible to have a beautiful, flowing dance without choreography? Absolutely. Lead-and-follow dancing can be just as elegant as choreographed dancing if both partners clearly understand the basic steps of the dance and their individual roles in their partnership on the dance floor.
 
Social dancing parallels other sports in more than just cardiovascular and physiological benefits for the participants. Lead-and-follow relationships exist in other corners of the sporting world in addition to the dance floor of a ballroom. For instance, imagine an all-American football game the stands are packed with excited spectators, and the energy from the field is palpable. An intricate lead-and-follow plotline is about to unfold as the ball is kicked off.
 
Leading would be the equivalent of the quarterback calling each play at the line of scrimmage based on the situation (the players, the defense, the time clock, and so on). Following would be what the rest of the offense would do based on what the quarterback called. When the play is over, the quarterback reassesses the field and game situation and calls another play, and the game continues with the quarterback leading the offense through a selection of plays based on the score, field position, player composition, weather, and so on.
 
Choreography would be the equivalent of the entire offense putting a collection of plays together in a very specific order and calling it something like First Quarter Plays.With choreography, when the offense takes the field, they know exactly what they're going to do on the first play, on the second play, on the third, and so on, regardless of the situation or who they're playing. If someone is injured, the play continues on, just less that player and their role in the play sequence.
 
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Rave Reviews
  • "I was inspired to learn line dancing when I saw all my relatives doing it at my nephew's wedding reception. I wanted be up there with them. I got Shawn Trautman's Line Dancing 101 DVD and now I'm ready! He makes it so easy to learn. He takes you step by step, just at the right tempo. He shows the steps from different angles so you don't have to guess if you're doing it right. He took me easily from from one dance to another and I got a great workout. I'm 64 years old, and I only wish I had found Shawn Trautman earlier."
    -Isadora (CA) Line Dance 101

  • "What a GREAT DVD that simply teaches you the most popular line dances. Even my 11 year old son quickly learned the Party Line Dance steps and confidently used them at his 1st school dance. Thanks Shawn!!"
    -D. Daugherty (GA) Party Line Dances

  • "My favorite thing about Shawn Trautman's DVD's is the instruction provided individually for the leaders and the followers, so that each person learns what they should be doing."
    -M.C. (Florida)

  • "Great DVD. Shawn's DVD make learning to line dance easy and fun. His methods of instruction get an A+ from this teacher."
    -C.S. Boyd Essential Line Dances

  • "These dances are indeed complicated. But as he does in other DVDs, Shawn presents the steps in segments that can be easily learned and he encourages you to repeat them over and over to make sure you've mastered them.."
    -R. Jenkins (FL) Smokin' Line Dances

  • "Wow, we really liked this one! This one gives a number of specific dances to go through with a partner that are like line dances for couples. The Sweetheart Schottische and the Ten Step are fun to do and are the same dances they do here where we are. We found the instruction to be very easy to learn from and liked the speed of the teaching."
    -R. Sheldon (KY) Hot Country Dancing for Couples

  • "I have many swing dance DVD's at home but this one is by far the best. The instructor breaks down each step, arm position, and dance position into its most basic form allowing a person who has never danced before to master the basics. Each step is repeated many times so that there is no need to stop and replay each section. Split camera angles are used effectively to show the proper position of each partner. I highly recommend this DVD for anyone who has no prior experience in dance."
    -C. Blalock (OR) Swing Dancing for Beginners

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