Originally Posted by
MartinHarper
Suppose I want to lead a travelling return. If I were to "invite" my partner to do it, then I would first clear the space forward for her to travel into. This empty space would invite her in. I would also apply a small constant forwards force. This force will not tell my partner how fast to move past me, or when to move past me, only that I wished her to pass me at some time. Further, if my follower were to miss/ignore/refuse the pulling force, then there would be no "haptic error signal" (love that phrase). In other words, neither of us would feel that anything odd had happened.
If I were to "tell" my partner to perform a travelling return, then I would not need to clear a space for except at the last moment. The pulling force would be more dynamic, comprising a light pre-lead similar to the invitational lead previously, with a firmer actual lead that tells my partner when to move, and also says something about how fast I intend her to move. If my follower were to miss/ignore/refuse the pulling force, she would still not be forced through the move against her will. However, it would be immediately obvious to both of us that something unusual had happened.
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I wouldn't call an invitational lead wrong, or a "bad habit", and I happilly use invitational leads in MJ on occasion. However, it seems to me that it's a leading style that's been imported from other dance forms. Given that beginner MJ men spend much of their time dancing with beginner MJ women who have no experience with those other dance forms, I don't think it helps them much to tell them to "invite" their partner to do stuff. On the other hand, what I might write in a "10 commandments" leaflet is:
Thou shalt make mistakes
If you're not making any mistakes, you're probably not trying hard enough.
Men: if your partner messes up, for whatever reason, don't force her round like you're wrestling. It's ok for a move to go wrong.
Women: if your partner doesn't lead you to do something, don't do it. It's ok for a move to go wrong.
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