What do you teach before asking students to connect with a partner?

In beginner lessons, I like to teach students footwork rhythms solo first.  We do quicks, slows, and gather steps. I have students practice moving their own bodies around the room to music. I find this helps students feel immediately successful. It also gives students the tools to understand the building blocks of the basics and allows them to more quickly experiment with ad lib steps. I may also teach the basic pattern first. Encourage follows to think of their basics in place so that the leader has to move them through directional changes. Practicing the footwork behind the teacher is also very helpful for visual learners.