8. Leading & Following to Cross

• Step 1. In close embrace, leaders take a left step (followers right step). Leaders stay upright on your left foot and followers do not rush into changing weight and stay on your right foot while keeping your left leg gracefully extended next to right leg.
• Step 2. Leader turn your torso clockwise which turns follower’s torso clockwise and in turn the free left leg of the follower while turning clockwise comes in front of her right leg. Again, followers do not rush into changing weight, just stay there until the weight change is led.
• Step 3. Leader gently sink in place into your right leg to signal the weight change, similar to Exercise 7. At this point leader is on his right leg and follower on left. You are ready to walk straight ahead in parallel, leaders with his left leg and follower with her right.

  It is critical to distinguish between leading to cross and an actual weight change at the cross. It is very common even among more experienced followers to automatically change weight when led to cross. This makes it a choreography and not a led step.**

  ** DanceTutor Note: "Cross" is often associated with a specific 8-count sequence (click here to see it) with which everyone is familiar and which is often a starting point for beginners. The "cross" on this page is not the classic 8-count sequence. A leader could get a follower to cross even without proper leading if she is familiar with the classic 8. But here, the author is demonstrating a lead to the cross which has no pre-set steps, so the lead is critical.

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