Editing Lead and follow (section)

==Communication==
Partner dancing requires awareness and clear communication; this is essential both for safety and for the overall success of the dance. If following in the dance, it helps to maintain a centered readiness to the leader. This helps the follower be ready for cues both visually and physically. The leader in the dance will best support the follower by giving clear directions.

For the leader and follower to interact with each other, communication needs to occur between the dance couple. Dancers take cues through physical connection, with the follower using it to communicate feedback to the leader just as the leader uses it to suggest moves to the follower. The most accomplished dancers use connection as a line of communication which allows the leader to incorporate the follower's ideas, abilities, and creative suggestions into their own styling and selection of moves.

In many partner dances, the leader's steps differ from the follower's. In face-to-face positions, the follower generally "mirrors" the leader's footwork. For example, if the leader begins on their left foot, the follower will begin on their right foot. In choreographed pieces and other situations where the follower is in a tandem position or shadow position, the leader and follower will use the same footwork. Usually both partners move together as a unit, but in some dances the partners move in opposite directions - together and apart again.

In partner dancing, dancers seek to work together to create synchronized or complementary movements. The leader is largely responsible for ''initiating'' movement, whereas the follower's role is to ''maintain'' this movement (though they may choose not to). This process can be described as involving the initiation of momentum or 'energy' (by the leader) and then the subsequent maintenance, exaggeration, decreasing or dissolving of this momentum by both partners.
This momentum or energy may be manifested as movement (in its most obvious form), or in a range of more complex interactions between partners:
* Compression (where each partner 'compress' the energy by bending joints and moving towards or 'into' their partner, to varying degrees);
* Leverage (where one partner – usually the leader – exploits the development of compression or connection to shift their follower's weight or to 'ground' (develop 'compression' downwards, with the contact their feet make with the floor) themselves more thoroughly before initiating movement);
* Tension (is the opposite of compression - partners moving away from each other but still in contact)

It is also helpful for dancers to regard their partners in terms of their ''points of balance'' to help the leader initiate movements for their follower. These points of balance include the front-facing side of the shoulders, the front facing side of the hips, and the follower's center (the abdomen). If the leader wants to bring the follower close, the leader is to apply tension and draw the hand in and down toward the leader's own hip; to send the follower away, the leader would guide the hand toward the follower and add compression, signaling the move away.

===Obstruction avoidance===
A general rule is that both leader and follower watch each other's back in a dance hall situation. Collision avoidance is one of the cases when the follower is required to "backlead" or at least to communicate about the danger to the leader. In travelling dances, such as [[waltz]], common follower signals of danger are an unusual resistance to the leader, or a slight tap by the shoulder. In open-position dances, such as swing or Latin dances, maintaining eye contact with the partner is an important safety communication link.

===Weight transfer===
For partner dancers, using [[weight transfer (dancing)|weight transfer]]s is a way for a leader to communicate a 'lead' for a dance step to a follower.

In another example, for a leader to have their follower walk forwards while connected, the leader begins by taking his or her center back, indicating a backward walking move. As the partners' arms/points of contact move away from each other, they develop tension, which the follower may either break by dropping their arms or breaking the hold, or 'follow' by moving.

A more experienced leader may realize (if only on an unconscious level) that the most effective execution of even this "simple" step is achieved by preparing for movement before the step begins.

The leader-follower connection facilitates this. The principles of leading and following are explored in [[contact improvisation]] of [[modern dance]].

===Recovery from miscommunication===
Sometimes a miscommunication will occur between the leader and follower. Techniques of the recovery of connection and synchronization vary from dance to dance, but below are a few common examples.

*In dances without obligatory body contact (Latin, swing, hustle, [[Glossary of partner dance terms#American Smooth|American Smooth]]), [[Glossary of dance moves#Free spin|free spin]] recovers from anything.
*In dances danced in body contact (waltz, tango, [[quickstep]], [[foxtrot]]) it is very important to recover the feet match. To recover, leaders may initiate a well-known (i.e. basic) step with slightly exaggerated sideways shift of weight to force the follower to free the required foot. For example, in waltz or foxtrot one might end a measure in the open [[promenade position]], as there would then be no doubt as to the direction of the movement and which foot to use at the beginning of the next measure.