One of the most important tools in any followers toolkit is spotting!

Spotting is like a super jedi head trick that advanced dancers use well in order to help keep them balanced, keep them getting dizzy, and knock out some kickass turns.

But you don’t have to be advanced to do it – all you need to do is know how it works, then start practicing!

 

Here’s what I cover in the video:

1. What is spotting

Spotting is keeping your head focused in one place – looking directly at your leader, for example – while spinning for as long as possible, then whipping it around to face the same direction again all in one motion. Your head stays almost entirely in one spot while spinning – except for during one moment in which you whip it around to stay forward.

2. How to spot

I show you how spotting works in slow time. Keep your eyes straight ahead, and start rotating your body. Keep looking in the same place, with your head facing in that direction, for as long as possible while your body rotates. When your body is facing the back wall now, whip your head around 360 degrees so that you are looking front now, but from over the other shoulder. Then continue rotating your body so that it comes under your head. And do it again.

3. How to practice

Practice spotting slowly, then more quickly, and often. Do it on your own, and then you can begin integrating it into your dance.

And that’s it! Spotting is integrating into a whole host of other important turning techniques in the videos 006: spinning in place, and 007: travelling turns.