Dear Poppy,
I love to dance, but when I go out I don’t get asked to dance very much at all. I think that I am a good dancer. I do feel that most of the leads are not leading. They say that I am heavy and they have to drag me. I feel that I am a good follow and that the leads just aren’t good enough to lead me. How do I get to be a more popular dancer?
Unpopular
Dear Unpopular,
Honey, you’re never gonna be popular if the leads must drag you through a dance. “Leading” must be a misleading word to you–so many follows confuse it with “dragging”! The leader is merely the one who chooses the steps and guides his partner into them. But, Sweetie, unless the follow is alert and ready to dance, she merely becomes an extra weight to be carried around. It is vital that you learn lightness as a follow. To do this you must practice in order to strengthen the muscles used in dancing.
Ms. Poppy Chiffon — the doyenne of dance, the baroness of ballroom etiquette, the sultana of Southern hospitality — is pleased to answer your dance-related questions. Here are a few queries that Poppy deigned to extract from her mailbag this week. If you have a question that you would like Poppy Chiffon to address, please e-mail her at askpoppy@dancestationusa.com. Ms. Chiffon regrets that she cannot respond individually to questions.
