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Leading and Following versus
Choreography Part II
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Leading and Following versus
Choreography
Part II How are They Different? |
| by: Shawn
Trautman |
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| Although both choreography and
lead-and-follow dancing involve tremendous amounts of
practice and commitment, there are definite differences
between the two. The main difference between leading
and following and choreography is that one is for
dancing with others in social situations (leading and
following) and the other is for dancing a routine with
a specific individual, either for a special event, such
as a wedding, or in a competition. Typically, a
choreographed routine is useable only with a specific
partner and only really looks good with the song for
which the dance was choreographed. Understanding the
fundamentals of social dancing, including footwork and
floor position, as well as the basics of partner
dancing is critical in both types of dancing. |
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| Lead-and-follow dancing combines a
number of skills that are tested on every dance outing
and in every dance. The skills that must be mastered
include the dance floor basics, a clear understanding
of both the leaders and the followers responsibilities,
the basics of whatever dance you're dancing, and a
great deal of common courtesy and respect toward
others. Though leading and following might appear a bit
overwhelming, the pieces that make up the whole are not
overly complicated by themselves and can be picked up
with just a little practice. |
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| Although good choreography and
seamless lead-and-follow dancing are indistinguishable
to the untrained observer, choreography often deviates
from the basics of social dance because it is a learned
pattern in which both parties know the entire sequence
of movements in advance rather than depending on
interpersonal communication on the dance floor to
create the dance on the spot. In a choreographed dance,
both partners are taught the exact steps and the order
in which they'll dance them. |
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| The advantages of this type of
dancing are that both partners know what's coming up
and know exactly where they need to be. Some people
need and like this kind of structure, and it works
great for them. People who are getting married often
want a short choreographed routine to do to their first
dance because neither partner wants to take a chance
leading or following in front of others. The
disadvantage of a choreographed dance is that it's
usually a dance that can only be done with the partner
you learned it with, and oftentimes it's to a specific
song. There are typically very few lead-and-follow
elements to a choreographed dance, yet they are made to
look the part. |
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