**The Arc of Playfulness
Dynamic Variances of Lead and Follow
The Traditional Lead (Type A)
Communication through connection point(s) are primarily one direction flowing from leader initiation to follower response. The lead takes responsibility for initiating every aspect of the follow, including connection, posture, and movement. The lead will be the primary driver of the dance, and won’t generally create opportunities for follower freedom or interpretation.
The Traditional Follow (Type A)
The follower’s primary focus and role is to maintain the connection. The follow strives to respond to exactly what is lead with precision and without added interpretation or embellishment.
The Intentional Lead (Type B)
The lead initiates the broad shape of moves with room for follow interpretation. Communication through the connection point(s) are primarily one direction flowing from leader initiation into follower interpretation.
The Interpretive Follow (Type B)
This type of lead/follow dynamic leaves space for follower styling and texture choices, but the follower still clearly maintains the structure and intention of the lead. The follow interprets and reshapes the lead into their own bodies, in their own way, without changing the initiated energy through the connection point.
The Co-creative Lead (Type C)
Communication through the connection point(s), while still initiated by the leader, is more of a two way street with relatively even communication between lead and follow. The leader maintains a split focus between initiating and listening and responding to the follow’s interpretation of the lead that the follow communicates back through the connection point.
The Co-creative Follow (Type C)
The follower maintains a split focus of listening to the lead, and then returning an interpretation derived from the lead.
The Divergent Lead (Type D)
Communication through the connection points gets continually sidetracked into a new idea. The leader sends an initiation with no expectation / full freedom to the follow to interpret the lead.
The Divergent Follow (Type D)
The follow is free to fundamentally change the initiation and chooses whether or not to send it back or send it in a new direction.