In the 21st century, it has become increasingly common to see partnerships that buck this dynamic, particularly in more socially progressive dance styles.
The most accomplished dancers use connection as a line of communication which allows the leader to incorporate the follower's ideas, abilities, and creative suggestions into their own styling and selection of moves.
In partner dancing, dancers seek to work together to create synchronized or complementary movements.
This momentum or energy may be manifested as movement (in its most obvious form), or in a range of more complex interactions between partners: It is also helpful for dancers to regard their partners in terms of their points of balance to help the leader initiate movements for their follower.
A general rule is that both leader and follower watch each other's back in a dance hall situation.
In travelling dances, such as waltz, common follower signals of danger are an unusual resistance to the leader, or a slight tap by the shoulder.
For partner dancers, using weight transfers is a way for a leader to communicate a 'lead' for a dance step to a follower.
While an 'arm lead' without the transfer of weight (or movement of the body) on the part of the leader is often a marker of an inexperienced or poorly taught dancer, the process of leading and following, particularly at an advanced level, often involves the contrasting uses of weight transfers and 'arm moves'.
This is the strongest part of the back and the leader can easily pull the follower's body inwards.
Though not possible in traditional Latin dances like Rumba, Cha-cha, Tango Argentino because of partner separation, hip contact is a harmonious and sensual way of communicating movement to the partner, used primarily in Standard or Ballroom dances (English / slow waltz, European tango, quickstep etc.)
Backleading can be a teaching tool that is often used intentionally by an instructor when dancing with a student lead, in order to help them learn the desired technique.
Hijacking requires experience and good connection, since without proper timing it may look like sloppy dancing.
A signal for hijacking is typically an unusually changed (mostly, increased) stress in the connection from the follower's side.