In the modern Tango world there has always been a gender imbalance.  One way to help this is for Ladies to become good Leaders.  You have a great advantage over male leaders – as you already know what it is you’re leading!

For years I made a public stand for ladies leading, and now more ladies are leading than ever before.  When I began leading, at some Milongas I was even asked not to do it!

Fortunately, times have changed and leading enhances many ladies’ enjoyment of dancing tango, especially where they no longer are relying, sometimes in vain, on the goodwill of the limited number of male leaders.

Over the many years I’ve taught ladies to lead, without exception, they have said “this is much harder than I thought!”.  And it is.  Not only have you got to learn how to lead, it’s also giving your attention to your follower’s movements, axis, floorcraft, dancing to the music, creating an improvised dance and, keeping your follower safe.

Leading in Tango – requires you to learn three distinct but linked skills, all of which are vital.

The first skill – is to learn the leader’s steps and movements.  If you’re an experienced Follower some of the leaders’ steps will be familiar because they will be a mirror image of the Follower’s movements.  Other elements will require you to do something completely different to the Follower’s steps, which you’ll have to learn.

Leading is a completely new dance, the only advantage you have is you know the Follower’s steps.  Be patient it’s always difficult in the beginning.  There’s more about Leading Skills for both Ladies & Men – here

The second skill – of leading is learning how to focus on the Follower, how to invite her to move, the timing and energy of your invitation, then to feel her responses and act accordingly.

This essential second part is often completely ignored in Tango classes – a sad fact you may well have experienced as a Follower.

How often have you been taken off your axis before completing your movement? That it’s a breathless gallop from one element to another?  There’s no clear lead at all, being crushed to death, or you’re being pulled and pushed with unnecessary vigour?

The third skill – navigation, floorcraft and collision avoidance is mostly the Leader’s responsibility.  Try it at an informal Práctica. (see details – here).

A genuine Práctica – is not an informal social dance event.  If it has Tandas, Cortinas and everyone dancing whole dances, it’s acting as if it’s an informal milonga by another name.

When is the Right Time? – mostly ladies want to learn leading after becoming fairly good followers, maybe even wanting a new challenge.  Or, as a follower, they just are not dancing frequently enough at events.  For new or recent new starters, trying to juggle learning both leading and following at the same time can be confusing.

Learning to Lead ‘on the hoof’ – this short cut approach can work if you’re already a good follower.  The same issues apply to you as with male leaders.  Poor technique and bad habits creep in if unchecked, especially in the early days, so good coaching is essential. Make sure you continue dancing as a follower, in order for you not to have it impacted by your leading.

If you are tempted to “have a go” at leading for the first time, please don’t do it at a Milonga where you will inevitably interfere with other dancers.

Private Lesson – is the best place to start.  If you are interested in having lessons with us, contact me – here

Workshop – get together in a group where we can coach you to learn together.  Contact me for more details – here

What are the Skills you need?  Elaborating on the skills outlined earlier – as with male Leaders, this is quite a full list. You start with the essentials, then move progressively to the more advanced aspects of leading as you work down the list:

1.  how to use your upper body movement and the embrace to communicate with your partner.  This is the most important element and often the least understood
2.  the leader’s steps.  These will not always be a mirror image of what you do as a follower
3.  paying more attention to the music and deciding how you are going to interpret it in your dance, including the rhythm and phrasing
4.  being clear and purposeful about what you’re going to do – then leading it.  This requires a completely different mindset to that of the follower.  If you are unclear or confused, your confusion is what you will communicate to your partner.
5.  keeping it simple and fresh, varying what you do, in what order, so you don’t get stuck in a never-ending repetitive cycle of steps or sequences.  Take your time, slow down and use pauses.
6.  taking responsibility for floorcraft, navigation, collision avoidance, protecting your partner etc.  Developing awareness of what’s going on around you, where there is space to move into, and integrating everything into what you plan to do.  Never close your eyes!  Sometimes a thing some Followers do regularly. (more about that – here)
7.  taking your partner on a “journey” through the Tanda.  As a lady leader I find working on a theme always helps – for example there are many ways of getting the lady into a cross, not just walking outside.
8.  give as much of your attention as possible to your Follower.  You are inviting her to follow you and as decoratively as she can.  As a leader you need to be stable and secure for her, and give her time to respond.  Be prepared to pause and give her space to develop her ideas – especially decorations.
9. Recognise that mistakes will happen – don’t panic and don’t blame.  Smile and think of it as part of the fun.  When mistakes occur, just elegantly pause, re-adjust your connection with your partner and continue.  Don’t start an apologetic conversation.  Rescuing the two of you from the unexpected or a mistake, adapting appropriately, and moving on seamlessly, is an advanced skill you will learn in time.

…and so on

… you can ask ladies who would otherwise have been sitting out

… some of those ladies may not even get a chance to dance

… the ladies you dance with are then seen as dancers, which increases their chance of being asked by a male leader

… you are seen as an even better dancer – having the skills of both leader and follower

… your awareness of leading gives you greater insight as a follower

… it helps you develop a sympathetic understanding for your own leaders

… the surprise of your follower when you know she’s had a wonderful dance

… when she says at the end “you’re one of the best leaders I know!”

Possible downsides to be aware of – some men may not appreciate you being a Leader, especially if they feel you are depriving them of their favourite partners.

Occasionally some may feel threatened, especially when you start to out-perform them as a Leader.

You may find you get fewer invitations from men to dance as a Follower, maybe for the reasons above. Or, they will think you’re analysing their leading skills.

Leading at Social Dances – to gain confidence and experience stick to familiar and friendly communities.

Once at a social event, first ask someone you know or have danced with before – just to be seen as a leader.

I normally allow the men the courtesy of asking the ladies of their choice at the beginning of a tanda.

Once you have established yourself as a good leader, ladies will begin to ask you!

Above all, be confident and enjoy it.  After all, this is your social activity.

Shoes for Leading – this is a personal choice, you may like to use special shoes or practice shoes, especially for class of repetition work.   I can dance both as a Follower and Leader in the stilettoes.  This gives me the added advantage of not having to change shoes every time I want to dance as a leader.