294  Embellishments

Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2001 09:46:09 EST
From: Dario Mendiguren <C21DARI@AOL.COM>
Subject: Embellishments

Dear Tango friends;

I've been dancing at the Milongas in BA several times and believe me
there is not much space for fancy embellishments and the good milongueras
that dance apilado, they don't do to many embellishments, they dance to the
music, more with their hearts, using very simple steps and not using fancy
stuff in their dancing, when I'm back to NY and in my local Milongas, I
notice the difference on the way that Tango is been danced here ( by the
99% of dancers) we have excellent dancers with excellent technices but some
time more preocupied with the form that Tango is danced and less by the
feelings involved on it!!!!

To the excellent and beautiful dancers, any place else outside BA, lets
pretend we are lovers for the next 3 minutes, close your eyes, and let
your heart dance with very few embellishments on your feet!!!!

Thank you!! Dario

Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2001 22:24:55 -0900
From: Dan Boccia <redfox@ALASKA.NET>
Subject: Pausing, waiting, but still dancing (was embellishments)

Robert Madrigal wrote something that I really connect with and would like to
bring to our full attention:


{"......if leading an opportunity to embellish, I'm usually not standing
dead still, my body is usually moving, though slowly, with an undiminished
intensity of the lead while they become expressive."}


This to me is a real gem of a statement. Note again, "...with an
undiminished intensity of the lead...." Within this statement lies one of
those hidden powers of tango, namely the ability to pause, but still retain
the feeling and motion of dancing, and connection with your partner and the
music. This to me is one of the defining moments of tango, when two
partners experience an intense pause, with or without any external
adornments. It can look, for instance, like the man stops dancing to allow
the women to express herself, but we know that the man is still dancing,
still interpreting the music, still navigating, still maintaining a
connection to his partner (and likewise for her). It's just that most of
the movement and intention is hidden to the outside world and is only shared
internally between the partners. To me, during these moments, the
partnership connection often intensifies dramatically. These moments can
build electric tension within the partnership and the music, allowing the
opportunity for explosive releases of tension (perhaps a quick, tight giro)
or a slow, viscous draining of tension (perhaps a few thick, slow, intense
walks). The building and release of tension is one of those
little-described but always present elements of this dance which I find to
be particularly powerful. The music is full of tension and release, so I
find it quite natural to incorporate these sensations into my dancing.

During these moments of intense pauses I often find that the increase in
tension within the partnership is itself a rich adornment, and that
stillness creates incredible expression of its own. That said, I do
appreciate and thoroughly enjoy well-executed adornments, but I am finding
that when they are used sparingly, they tend to have maximum effect. This
is the period during which the internal adornments Tom Stermitz spoke of
earlier such as differing body tension, slight tightening or loosening of
the embrace, even a change in breathing pattern, etc., etc. can really take
the dance to a different level bordering on magical.

Great stuff!

Dan

Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 20:01:51 -0300
From: Janis Kenyon <jantango@FEEDBACK.NET.AR>
Subject: embellishments and changing the look of tango

Last week I watched a couple in their 30s dancing in a milonga. She seemed
to think she had to add something to her steps all the time. However, when
she tried to embellish, she wasn't listening to the music and her action
caused both of them to fall behind the music, so they were dancing on the
upbeat rather than the downbeat. Until one is a confident dancer who knows
the music well, it's better to hold off. Why sacrifice dancing with the
music just to do something you think you are expected to do? If you are
thinking steps, you're not in the music. Personally, I never feel a need to
add anything when I dance tango with a milonguero. It's totally satisfying
just the way he makes me dance.

When I go to a milonga, I spend more time observing other dancers than I do
dancing. The younger generation of dancers is definitely changing the look
of tango. Two traits in their dancing stand out to me.

1. The young women dance with their eyes closed and their mouths open rather
than with their eyes open and mouths closed. A women can assist her partner
by watching other dancers and indicating to him with her left hand when
someone is close. I have learned how to warn a partner of a potential
collision in this way. Of course, if I'm dancing with a very tall partner,
I can't see over his right shoulder to do this.

2. The young women are dancing on their toes. I don't know why tango is
being danced like classical ballet among so many young dancers in the
milongas. Perhaps some of them have studied ballet and are transferring the
technique to their tango dancing. However, no one is teaching or telling
them to keep their feet, including their heels, on the floor. They even
wear very high heeled shoes and still elevate the heels off the floor. This
simply isn't tango. I don't know of any social partner dance where the men
keep their feet on the floor, but the women are expected to dance on their
toes. Each dancer is entitled to create an individual style, but this
basic principle of tango technique is being overlooked. I don't feel this
fundamental change is necessary for the future or the survival of Argentine
tango.

Pichi de Buenos Aires

Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 23:10:57 -1000
From: Ingrid Peterson <georgous1@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: embellishments and changing the look of tango

>1. The young women dance with their eyes closed and their mouths open
>rather
>than with their eyes open and mouths closed. A women can assist her
>partner
>by watching other dancers and indicating to him with her left hand when
>someone is close. I have learned how to warn a partner of a potential
>collision in this way. Of course, if I'm dancing with a very tall
>partner,
>I can't see over his right shoulder to do this.

Once again, I appologize if I`m not doing this right, but I`m trying. . .

I have to completly disagree with this statement. I personally love to
dance with my eyes closed. There are two reasons for this. . . First, I
feel as though I have a stronger connection and am able to respond better to
my lead when I`m not dancing with my eyes open and looking off into space.
Matter of fact, when I lead, I insist that my followers close their eyes if
I notice that they aren`t paying attention. . . especially when they are
beginners. . . and if it`s close embrace as well.

Second, it is NOT my job as a follower to watch out for my lead. The
teachers I`ve had insist that the lead should be looking where he is going
at all times and to NEVER use the follower as a buffer to protect himself.
Once again, because I have the opportunity to lead, I have the chance to
understand that it isn`t the job of the follower to watch out for me.
(Granted, there are always acceptions to the rules. . . such as if the floor
is crowded).

I personally believe that there is no need to say that closing one`s eyes as
a follow is a bad thing. . . or having their eyes open. It`s just what you
prefer as a follow, right?

Thanks for your patience in reading my opinions.

Ingrid.

Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2001 09:00:22 -0300
From: la guacha <lamasguacha@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: embellishments and changing the look of tango

thanks for your opinion Ingrid. I appreciated it. As a woman who also leads
and follows, there is nothing more pleasurable than closing my eyes and
surrendering to the bliss - trusting my partner to lead the way. And there
is nothing more offputting, than leading a 'backseat driver' - a woman with
her eyes open who constantly 'indicates with her left hand' and drives me
nuts. Most times this woman can not accurately judge the distance between us
and another couple on the dancefloor. Also I think it is important to note
that in the old days there were guapos and malevos with BIG KNIVES on the
dancefloor. The woman had to protect her man from running into them. I do
not think this is the case anymore.
-la guacha

Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2002 18:20:50 -0700
From: Huck Kennedy <huck@ENSMTP1.EAS.ASU.EDU>
Subject: Re: embellishments and changing the look of tango

Ingrid writes:

> Those of you who read this (men), and think that I have lost my mind, I
> welcome you into my craziness. I welcome any thoughts on this topic and
> welcome emails where I have to defend myself on this topic. Bring it on!!

The only time a woman leading bothers me is if I am in a class
with more men than women, and some woman still insists upon leading
exclusively.

I can imagine the indignation if I insisted upon following in
a class with more women than men, so I don't think my feelings are
too unreasonable.

If a woman is really anxious to lead, I'm more than happy to
switch back and forth during a class with her, so much the better.

Huck

Date: Tue, 8 Jan 2002 00:53:03 -0300
From: la guacha <lamasguacha@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: embellishments and changing the look of tango

Huck
if a person (man or woman) is paying to learn a certain role, they should be
able to study that role no matter the number of men and women in the class.
It should be the job of the organizer/studio/or teacher to make sure there
are equal #'s of leaders and followers in the class.
Nothing aggravates me more than paying good money to take a lead class and
just because I am a woman, they expect me to follow when they are short of
women. Also, I am always ok with switching roles back and forth. I have done
this on several occasions with Carlos Lima and Robin Thomas in workshops.
And I do not mind following as they allow me equal time to lead. It has been
an equal exchange. Unfortunately, most of the guys can not follow as well as
the two that I mention. In fact most have no idea how it goes, so it becomes
quite annoying. You feel like you are throwing your money away, sacrificing
yourself and your time, and not learning much of anything. A real drag!
-Lexa

From: "la guacha" <lamasguacha@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: embellishments and changing the look of tango

> if a person (man or woman) is paying to learn a certain role, they should

be

> able to study that role no matter the number of men and women in the

class.

I agree with the above statement. The paying customer should get what he or
she is paying for.

> It should be the job of the organizer/studio/or teacher to make sure there
> are equal #'s of leaders and followers in the class.

The (responsible) organizer always tries (emphasys on "tries") to assure
gender balance, but it is almost impossible to guarantee this. Even if each
class is carefully limited to an even number of registrants, it is not
possible to guarantee gender balance. The organizer can control who may gain
entry to the class but cannot force all who register to attend.

> Nothing aggravates me more than paying good money to take a lead class and
> just because I am a woman, they expect me to follow when they are short of
> women.

I can see how this would upset you. I think if you made you desire very
clear at the beginning, your wishes should be honored. On the other hand, it
is quite understandable how a teacher might ask all the women to assume the
womens role and the men assume their own roles in the dance class. After
all, there is a very well established tradition regarding men's and women's
roles in the tango dance. I've been to hundreds of milongas all over the
world, and although women dancing the lead part with other women are seen,
it is always the exception rather than the rule. Although I'm can guess that
there is someplace where this is the norm, these cases are a very small
exception, generally only one or maybe 2 couples of women dance together at
even the largest milongas.

Personally, I much rather dance the man's role in tango (or any other dance
for that matter). I've seen many occasions when the men outnumbered the
women in classes or practicas (rarely at milongas). It is frustrating to see
women further aggravating the imbalance by dancing with each other while the
men hang around waiting to dance their part. As far as the men dancing the
womens role while the women lead, I have no objection to that as long as the
people involved really want to do that. I read about some of these gentlemen
who really like dancing the woman's part with women who lead, but I think is
is also quite the exception to the rule.

Manuel