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.
Dear Poppy,
How can I be a better follow? I know all my foot work. I just can’t feel the lead a lot of the time.
Frustrated Follow
Dear Frustrated,
Following is as difficult as leading. You have to be active and not passive, honey. Try maintaining good posture with some resistance in your arms and keeping your head up and shoulders down and relaxed. If you know your footwork well and maintain your posture when in dance position, you should be able to anticipate with confidence what the lead is going to be.
Dear Poppy,
I always have to tell the lead how to lead or back lead us into a figure. I try to help but it only makes it worse. Where are all the good leaders?
Looking for a Good Lead
Dear Looking,
The best advice that I can give you, darling, is don’t lead! Even if your partner is not a particularly good lead, your job is to follow. Unless you are perfect, I suggest you work on your own technique: foot placement, arm styling, hip action, swing, sway, etc. Furthermore, don’t be so quick to judge your leads. Those you think are poor leads today might very well be the great leads of tomorrow.
