But sometimes, things don't go perfectly. 🤔

The follow can almost always feel if the lead hesitates, gives the cue too late or too early, or sends the movement in a confusing way. Likewise, the lead can tell when the follow doesn’t respond—maybe she didn’t feel it, didn’t understand it, or chose to follow her own inner musicality and lost the rhythm.

If this happened at a competition, the couple might not win. Judges might point out the lack of clarity, the imperfect lead-follow connection, or the missed timing and execution of steps.

In those moments, you can fall into blame—maybe someone did something wrong. You can get frustrated that the other person didn’t do what you expected. You can criticize, feel guilty, or… or… 🙄

But today, I’m thinking about how, in those imperfect moments, there’s actually more freedom—freedom to hesitate, to reflect, to make mistakes, to be “imperfect,” to live in the moment. And sometimes, out of that, something totally new can be born—an improvisation neither of them expected. When neither partner knows what the other will do, maybe not even what *they* will do next. A chance to be playful, to show new sides of yourself, and to see new sides of your partner. To admire or simply witness something unexpected. To stay connected not just through the physical frame, but through eye contact, curiosity about each other, and a shared sense of creation.

And maybe—if the couple wants to keep dancing—the lead will pause or find a way to restore the connection, and the follow will try to catch the lead’s step, both of them seeking that connection again. ✅

From this beautiful metaphor, I’m left with two thoughts. 🤔

First: Who cares how technically perfect or textbook the dance was, if what you’re left with is a sense of togetherness, understanding, and joy from sharing that moment. 🥰

And second: For the dance to continue, for something meaningful to grow from it, it takes effort and desire from both people. 👩‍❤️‍👨💕