This may be quite a complicated reply. I agree that when dancing with an experienced follower, mistakes are more readily identifiable as your own. If not even the best follower could cope, then it's pretty certain to be down to the leader. It's a really complex game this lead/follow business, for example, sometimes followers ask me what they were supposed to do there, and my reply (mostly just in my head) is "whatever you think would be best". This is generally due to ambiguity in my lead, which could be interpreted as giving the follower more options and more influence in the dance, or it could be interpreted as an unclear lead to do a specific thing. What I'd like to get better at is judging whether the follower is going to recognise it as an option moment rather than an unclear lead, and providing it or not accordingly.
Thus, for me, improving my dancing has two elements: improving the clarity of my leading, and improving my judgment of how much input the follower wants at any particular time. The latter will probably get better through dancing with experienced followers (who tend to like more of an active role in the dance). The former will probably get better through dancing with inexperienced followers (with whom it is necessary to lead very clearly in order to have a successful dance).
Dan
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