Partnered dance - Jiving
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1950s Jive is a partnered dance in which a 'Leader' and a 'Follower' use pushing or pulling movements to create turns and spin collectively known as 'moves', which usually follow a 6 beat pattern. Traditionally a man Leads and a woman Follows, but there's more to it than just tradition since the tallest or strongest person is more suited to the roll of the Lead. A Leader and a Follower learn the moves as a mirror of each other, meaning that two Leaders or two Followers can't dance together.
A good piece of music for jiving, or a 'jiver', is usually mid to fast speed with a smooth flow.
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- During the dance, the Leader selects which moves you're going to perform as you go along, sometimes repeating a set of moves and sometimes changing them continuously. Each move is led in a certain way which allows it to be followed. With practice, it all becomes 'muscle memory' and flows seamlessly.
"The Leader picks the moves and the Follower makes them look good" - Dave DJ Maverick -
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At some events, you may see Leaders dance with more than one Follower at the same time as well as women switching roles between Leader and Follower so they can dance with other women. This takes a lot of practice!
Asking someone to dance is common in Social dancing and can be found in most types of partnered dance. You can choose to dance with lots of people during an event, or just stay with your own partner. You don't have to accept an invitation to dance and no-one should be upset if their request is refused. -
Rock n Roll and Rockabilly dancing also includes Bopping, where everyone dances individually to certain songs and Strolling, where women dance in a formation similar to line dancing.
