Just to clarify - I meant it's inelegant if Returns are put in where they shouldn't be, or if they're left out when there should be one.
And it's not just a matter of footwork. It's all to do with how you're moving the Follower. You have to be conscious of her momentum, and where her weight is. And this is why putting in extra steps doesn't always work.
Many moves feel better if you "unwind" the Follower between them, because of the direction that you're turning her during them. Basically, if you turn your Follower clockwise, she's going to expect to turn anticlockwise soon after. It's how the dance works. (Look at Muggles partner dancing to see how natural this is).
The simplest way in MJ to do this is with a Return. Of course, there are many other ways of "unwinding" her, but let's look at a small routine of some standard beginner moves, as a simple example. Let's choose Yo-Yo, Catapult and First Move.
- At the end of the Yo-Yo, the Follower has just turned clockwise. Instead of a Return (anticlockwise turn on the spot), you'd go straight into a Catapult. This starts with with the Follower turning anticlockwise as she travels under the Leader's arm, thus she is "unwound".
You wouldn't expect to put a Return after the Yo-Yo and before the Catapult, because the anticlockwise turn isn't necessary. If it's there, it feels odd, because of the two anticlockwise turns in a row.
- Then as he freespins her back to her original position in front of him - that's a clockwise spin, meaning that then another anticlockwise spin will be expected - there should be a Return following the Catapult, before going into the First Move.
You'd expect a Return before the First Move - otherwise you have two clockwise turns in a row.
Ah well... that depends on whether Billy teaches footwork...
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