One of the questions we\u2019re often asked at Lindy Jazz is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow can I become a better follower?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Followers also ask things like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhich way am I turning?\u201d<\/strong> And sometimes, I deliberately don\u2019t answer those questions directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That might sound strange. Surely, as your teacher, I should tell you which way to turn?<\/p>\n\n\n\n But there\u2019s a reason I don\u2019t always do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve been teaching Lindy Hop for more than twenty years, and I\u2019m also a follower myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most important things I\u2019ve learned is that good following isn\u2019t about knowing what is going to happen next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, quite the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If I tell you, \u201cYou\u2019re going to turn to the right now,\u201d you may successfully make the turn. But you haven\u2019t necessarily followed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You knew it was coming. You remembered it. You performed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s useful when we\u2019re learning choreography, but social Lindy Hop is different. Much of what happens on the social dance floor isn\u2019t planned in advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a follower, you\u2019re developing the ability to listen, feel, interpret and respond<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we teach something new in class, there are naturally lots of visual cues. You watch us demonstrate a movement. You might watch a practice video at home. You may even find yourself copying the person next to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That can all be useful while you\u2019re learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But ultimately, I want to help you develop another skill:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dancing through feeling.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If your mind is constantly asking, What comes next? Which foot? Which direction? Is this right?<\/em> then you\u2019re dancing in your head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And thinking takes time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you begin to trust what you feel instead, your dancing can become much more spontaneous and enjoyable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t have to know what comes next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not knowing is part of the dance.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Followers sometimes come to me after dancing with someone and say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cS\/He guided me really well.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n But I sometimes wonder whether guided<\/em> is quite the word we want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Personally, as an experienced follower, I don\u2019t particularly want to be guided around the dance floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If a lead becomes too physical, I can experience it as a little shove: You need to go over there now.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n That isn\u2019t how I like to think about leading and following.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For me, a lead is much more like an invitation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The leader creates an invitation towards a direction, shape or movement. The follower feels it, interprets it and responds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An invitation still leaves room for choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is structure in Lindy Hop, of course. We are dancing together, after all. But within that structure, there can be a wonderful amount of freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, as followers, we can unconsciously hand over far too much responsibility to the leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We assume the leader knows exactly what they\u2019re doing. They\u2019ll decide what happens. They\u2019ll make the dance work. They\u2019ll do their own dancing and somehow guide us into exactly the right place at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But think about how much responsibility that puts on one person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A beginner leader may be just as nervous as you are<\/strong>. They\u2019re thinking about their own footwork, timing, the music, where they are on the dance floor and how to communicate with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They don\u2019t suddenly know everything simply because they happen to be leading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And an experienced leader doesn\u2019t necessarily want to be responsible for your entire dance either. They may have much more fun if you can relax, listen and bring some of yourself<\/strong> to the partnership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The leader dances their part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You dance yours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And somewhere between the two, you create a dance together<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re constantly trying to work out what your leader wants so that you can \u201cget it right\u201d, something interesting starts to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You begin to anticipate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You recognise a familiar movement and think:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, I know this one!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And off you go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But your leader may not actually have led it yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trying very hard to be a \u201cgood follower\u201d can sometimes get in the way of actually following.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your job isn\u2019t to prove that you know the moves. And it isn\u2019t to please your leader by always arriving in exactly the position you think they expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You have a part in this dance too.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When you first start dancing, it\u2019s completely understandable to feel nervous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may want to know exactly where you\u2019re going, whether you\u2019re doing the right step and whether you\u2019re giving your leader what they expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And your leader can feel that nervousness too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you appear unsure or worried about getting something wrong, your leader may naturally respond by trying to look after you. They may make the lead stronger, guide you more physically or try to make absolutely certain that you arrive in a particular place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words, the more you ask to be looked after through your dancing, the more your partner may feel they need to look after you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That can be reassuring when you\u2019re a beginner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But if you\u2019ve been dancing for a while, it might be worth asking yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do I still need that?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps some of the habits that made you feel safe as a beginner are now limiting the dancer you could become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you gain experience, you can begin to let go of the need to get everything right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Listen to the invitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Respond to what you actually feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Allow yourself to explore what happens next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That doesn\u2019t mean deliberately ignoring your partner or doing something completely different from what they\u2019re suggesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It means becoming less timid about your own part in the dance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t need your leader to dance their dance and<\/strong> yours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t follow in exactly the same way with every person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How I follow depends on my mood, the music and my partner<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If I\u2019m dancing with a nervous or less experienced leader, I\u2019m unlikely to be particularly flamboyant or dynamic. I don\u2019t want my dancing to make them feel that something has gone wrong or that they\u2019ve somehow lost me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ll usually keep things simpler so that we can both relax and enjoy the dance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But if I\u2019m dancing with an experienced dancer who is relaxed, clearly enjoying the music and comfortable with our connection, I might become much more spontaneous and playful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can interpret, improvise, respond to the music and enjoy the little surprises that happen between us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And on another day, with another person and another piece of music, I might dance completely differently again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For me, that versatility is part of the joy of Lindy Hop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following doesn\u2019t have to become another routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we always dance with the same mindset \u2014 always cautious, always trying to be correct, always trying to please our partner \u2014 our dancing can begin to feel predictable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As our confidence grows, we can give ourselves permission to explore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is no single right or wrong way to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What I\u2019ve described here is my preference as a follower<\/strong>, and even my preference changes according to my mood, the music and the person in front of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you like the security of knowing that you\u2019re doing what your leader expects?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you enjoy the reassurance of feeling that you\u2019ve done something \u201ccorrectly\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or do you prefer more freedom \u2014 interpreting, improvising and being playful?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps you enjoy all of these things at different times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And if you\u2019ve been dancing for a while, perhaps there\u2019s another question worth asking yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Am I still trying to be the \u201cgood beginner\u201d who gets everything right \u2014 or am I ready to explore what kind of follower I want to become?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What makes following feel most joyful to you? Has that changed as you\u2019ve become a more experienced dancer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tell us in the comments. I\u2019d love to hear how you experience following.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the questions we\u2019re often asked at Lindy Jazz is: \u201cHow can I become a better follower?\u201d Followers also ask things like: \u201cWhich way am I turning?\u201d\u201cWhat am I supposed to do next?\u201d\u201cAm I doing it right?\u201d And sometimes, I deliberately don\u2019t answer those questions directly. That might sound strange. Surely, as your teacher, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1132,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2M12r-ie","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blog.lindy-jazz.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/JOO-LEE-ANDY-SAMPLES-69-copy-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lindy-jazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lindy-jazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lindy-jazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lindy-jazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lindy-jazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1130"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lindy-jazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1130\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1133,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lindy-jazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1130\/revisions\/1133"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lindy-jazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lindy-jazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lindy-jazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lindy-jazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u201cWhat am I supposed to do next?\u201d<\/strong>
\u201cAm I doing it right?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nDid You Follow It – Or Did You Remember It?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Are You Dancing in Your Head?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Is a Lead an Instruction \u2014 Or an Invitation?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Your Leader Isn\u2019t in Charge of Your Dancing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Are You Trying Too Hard to Please?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Are You Still Following Like a Beginner?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Happens If You Trust Yourself?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I Don\u2019t Follow Everyone in the Same Way<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Could Versatility Bring You More Joy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
So, What Kind of Follower Are You?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n