Excuse me if i go a bit off-thread as the discussion is turning into - learning how to lead and follow.
Do the standard lessons really teach the followers how to follow?? You could have fooled me. The lessons teach the leaders to execute the move and the followers just respond to the execution. Followers learn how to turn and spin by themselves, by trial and error and by avoiding to be thrown about too much. It is a bit like that "step back on either leg" thing - even the newest of dancers will notice that the follower stepping back on left or right leg will make a difference on where she ends up if you simply turn her anticlockwise after that. As to spinning, well some spin naturally on the spot straight away and others who have been dancing for years still need shepherding.
P.S. went to Fulham yesterday
The teacher, who specialises on latin workshops started the beginner class with a little warm-up (all dancers facing forward) some stepping, (then with another person facing) feeling the tension in the arms doing mambo steps to the side and in and outs face on) etc. And she mentioned twice that the follower just follows what the leader does. If she had spent 5 minutes on turning and spinning she could have been nominated as the model teacher.
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