90 See Spot: Run, March, Tango Walk
Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2001 16:12:39 -0700
From: Mark Sussex <doktordogg@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: See Spot: Run, March, Tango Walk
Well, if the last topics I've posted on were difficult
to talk about meaningfully in email, this one is going
to be truly impossible. Listen, this is another
attempt of mine to talk about technique. If these
discussions are turgid and boring...
DELETE now! <--- Fair warning.
Has everything been said about the tango walk yet? I
can hear the groans already, but I would be content
not to learn another step for months if I could just
manage to walk correctly.
It's challenging to reconcile everything that is said
about it. I suspect that some of the apparently
contradictory statements made by a lot of teachers
make sense once you're doing it right.
Arrive on a straight leg vs. relax your knees.
Bend your knees, but keep your head on the same level.
etc...
I can think of at least 3 distinctly different ways of
walking.
1. "Natural" walk.
2. March.
3. Running.
In a natural walk, I think my working leg is pretty
straight and my weight comes down on my heel, then
rolls towards the ball and drives from the ball of the
foot. My weight isn't forward until my body swings
over my foot. Teachers often say that the tango walk
arrives on a straight leg. Some will even make you
practice a "goose step," kicking straight then placing
the foot down. I question that whole approach. Your
weight isn't forward.
Many teachers also say that the intention is in the
knee. This resembles a march. In a march, the knee
leads and the toe comes down with no weight. The knee
straightens (pulling back) as the heel comes down.
Straightening the leg puts you on your balance with
your heel down. The leg didn't arrive to it's place
straight, but it's straight when it receives your
weight AND you are on your balance at that point.
Contrast that to walking, where the leg arrives at
it's place but you still have to swing forward onto
and past your balance.
If I tone down the lift of my knee in a march, I think
I'm making something that might resemble the
"cat-like" walk some tango teachers talk about.
In marching, the forward drive comes from the heel.
People say to keep your weight forward on the balls of
your feet in tango, but I think you never want to
actually stand there like that. I think that image is
a snapshot in time. If you drive your heel down, you
are propelling your weight forward. If you stand on
the ball of your foot, the tendency is to fall back.
The more you drive the heel down, the more your chest
goes forward. I didn't say you stood in one place
with great weight on your heels! Exerting down on the
heel drives your weight forward. (Also, if you stand
up straight when starting out and then drive your heel
down, you have a good couple of inches of swing in
your chest before you're committing to a step. If you
"lean" forward on the balls of your feet, you're right
on the edge of your balance, and you have nothing left
to lead with. It feels precarious to your partner,
too.)
If you try to lengthen the stride of a march,
eventually you get to the point where you can't drive
from the heel anymore, you have to bend your working
leg and drive from the ball as your weight passes over
your center of gravity. This is called running! I
was very interested in the distinction Sergio made on
his technique list between walking and running.
What about it? Does anybody care to comment on this
speculation of mine that the tango walk is more
related to a march than a natural walk?
Mark
Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2001 23:01:54 -0700
From: Sergio <sergio@NCINTER.NET>
Subject: Tango Walk
If you are not interested in tango technique, keep walking. Fair warning.
:-)
The Tango Walk in Salon Style as taught by most instructors is as follows:
Arrugue (wrinkle) in place, this means that you bend your knees.
You select a line on the floor and you place every step on that line as you
walk.
Keep your chest forward as you walk, this means that your nipples and your
knees are on the same frontal plane.
Keep your head elevated, on the axis of your body. Head position could be
both looking to the man's left hand or looking to each other, or cheek to
cheek (right to right or right to left), forehead to forehead or
alternating. Right to right cheek affords better observation of the dancers
around.
There is an external rotation of your feet, your toes are pointing out.
Anywhere from 10 to 45 degrees. This is done to
improve your equilibrium. Some dancers will not use external rotation, they
have a very elegant walk but balance is more difficult. Ex. the late Jose
Vazquez, Lampazo.
The foot is extended (toes down), it lands on its toes not on the heel as it
is done in ball room dancing. As you are observed coming you do not show the
soles of your shoes. This represents the compadrito style of walking, it has
deep historical, cultural and stylistical roots. Some people coming from
ballroom dancing choose to land on their heels. They look foreign and not
totally authentic although some are elegant dancers. The walk* toe heel*
should be practiced with special attention to the turns where it is very
easy to land on the heel. Observing some instructors on tape shows them at
times walking heel-toe, mostly on the second sacada of the right
(giro-molinete) turn. Landing on the heel, imo decreases the beauty of the
step.
The heels and the knees brush as the feet pass each other during the walk.
The feet caress the floor, they are not lifted for any reason during the
walk unless some flicks are to be done such as a boleo.
Lifting the foot from the floor is caused by not bending the knees, the
landing is felt as a distressing shake instead of a flowing move.
The foot caresses the floor but it does not slide on the floor. In order to
achieve a "cat-like" stride it is very important to bend the knees to walk,
at the time of landing the leg is extended, the back leg, as it extends, can
give an extra push if so desired in order to lengthen the stride.
Summary of forward tango walk:
Legs bent, heels are brushed together, forward position of the chest, foot
extended, external rotation (toes out), landing on the toes. Walk on a line.
Back Walking:
Arrugue(wrinkle) meaning bend your knees.
Extend the leg backwards as you keep your chest where it is (forward, giving
resistance to your partner).
Walk on a line.
External rotation of the foot for elegance and better equilibrium.
Land on your toes.
Transfer your body over the leg that is stepping back.
Brush your heels as you walk.
Runs: there are many types of runs but in reference to the walk during a run
(corrida) the stylistic elements are the same as in the regular walk. A
simple run forward would be: walking forward step,
slow-slow-quick-quick-quick, repeat following the beat.
Milonguero Style:
The walk changes drastically.
Less knee bent.
Walk flat footed as in all the other Latin dances.
External rotation of the foot is not important.
Generally speaking steps are longer when dancing to slow orchestras such as
Pugliese or Di Sarli.
Walking should be practiced on a daily basis till mastered.
Long !
Have a good walk!
Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2001 22:37:11 -0700
From: Mark Sussex <doktordogg@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: See Spot: Run, March, Tango Walk
--- Mark Sussex <doktordogg@YAHOO.COM> wrote:
> What about it? Does anybody care to comment on this
> speculation of mine that the tango walk is more
> related to a march than a natural walk?
Okay, I posted this message myself and even *I* think
it's mostly boloney. I like to experiment a lot and
see what happens. I should have waited until I'd had
a chance to try this out with my more advanced
partners. I had been doing it with other beginners
and couldn't tell any difference. When I had a
practice today with an excellent dancer, it was
immediately clear that this idea was cockamamie.
The one part that seems NOT to be baloney is getting
the heels into the floor instead of dancing on
"tippy-toe". (Blecchhh)
I think the biggest problem in my walk is simply
weight transfer. I like to dance slowly, so my
transfer has been likewise leisurely. My classes
today emphasized transferring instantly, even when
you're dancing slowly. I really want to have
expressive feet. I guess it should be obvious that if
you want a foot to be expressive, ya gotta get OFF it.
Thanks, Sergio, for your detailed post.
Mark
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 22:21:58 +0900
From: astrid <astrid@RUBY.PLALA.OR.JP>
Subject: Re: See Spot: Run, March, Tango Walk
> Many teachers also say that the intention is in the
> knee. This resembles a march. In a march, the knee
> leads and the toe comes down with no weight. The knee
> straightens (pulling back) as the heel comes down.
Dear Mark,
I don't know who told you to walk like that. If you go with your knee first
you are bound to give your partner a lot of bruises and mightily get on her
nerves, unless you somehow manage to keep your chest level with your knee.
Difficult.
There is no "blecchh" to walking tippy-toe and I would not call it tippy toe
either. The idea is that your feet are in contact with the floor at all
times, unless you are doing a gancho or something. Try doing that with your
heel first. I don't want to see you scraping along on the floor on your
heel. ; ) If your tendency is to fall back when you stand on the ball of
your foot, you have got the wrong posture for tango ! Your weight has to be
forward. Maybe not as forward as the woman, but still forward enough. If
that does not leave you enough force for leading, it is because your chest
is not out enough. Your back muscles should not be flaccid in this position.
Thing is, if your foot leaves the floor, the woman can feel it. The lead
becomes much lighter and less clear and even.
I have learned two different ways of walking. One with the feet straight,
and the knees bent almost all the time. One with the feet turned slightly
outward, and sliding the foot along the floor on the edge of the sole of the
shoe along the big toe and it's joint, called the hook step. And the legs
straight almost all the time, the movement accomplished by gradual weight
shift. The second one is considerably more elegant. But you have to have the
posture down, this won't work, unless you raise your ribcage out of the
pelvis and lift your pelvis up from the pelvic joints. That way you can lift
the weight of your body off the floor and shift it, sliding or slowly
swinging your leg along the floor below your body. Do not expect to master
the walk within a few days, or even weeks, it usually takes months or years.
Walking is the most difficult of all tango steps ( other than the notorious
backstep in the molinete).
Astrid
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 12:44:02 -0500
From: "Frank G. Williams" <frankw@MAIL.AHC.UMN.EDU>
Subject: Re: Tango Walk
Greetings Sergio and Friends,
A caveat is in order:
> There is an external rotation of your feet, your toes are pointing out.
> Anywhere from 10 to 45 degrees. This is done to
> improve your equilibrium. Some dancers will not use external rotation, > they have a very elegant walk but balance is more difficult. Ex. the
> late Jose Vazquez, Lampazo.
As Sergio suggests, the most influential tango maestros do not agree
with one another on this point. Some who were schooled mostly in the
milongas keep feet parallel. Others (who may not necessarily have
background in other dance forms) suggest moderate outward rotation.
Two thoughts: First, (a small point) although separating the
weight-bearing balls of the feet increases stability, the wider base it
produces causes greater lateral deviation on a stationary weight shift,
decreasing it's subtlety. Second, classical technique involves working
the knees over the toes so that any outward rotation of the feet is
produced by an outward rotation from the hip. If you constantly rotate
from the hip in tango, how does that affect the closeness of your knees
and ankles? It spoils the appearance of the walk. Thus, those who
advocate an outward foot placement make that rotation only near the
placement of the foot. Some do it only using the ankle, but if the
rotation comes from the hip, it becomes a very sensual element of style!
Yet, you don't see it happening when the pace of steps increases. It's
too busy and indirect.
The best dancers, then, adjust the foot/leg position and the way the
foot strikes (toe, heel, both) to each step and situation.
If there is one thing I have learned thus far in the study of tango, it
is that the 'rules' that our teachers use in class ALWAYS change as you
gain insight. BUT, you must understand the reason for each 'rule' from
a muscle memory perspective before you move on and sometimes 'break' it.
Best regards to the list,
Frank in Minneapolis
Frank G. Williams, Ph.D. University of Minnesota
frankw@mail.ahc.umn.edu Dept. of Neuroscience
(612) 625-6441 (office) 321 Church Street SE
(612) 624-4436 (lab) Minneapolis, MN 55455
(612) 281-3860 (cellular/home)
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 12:39:27 -0700
From: Judy Stockinger <judytango@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Tango Walk
If you are going to point your toes out at all,
rotation MUST come from the hip, otherwise you risk
injury to the knee joint as well as the creation of an
unsightly leg line...feet should NEVER be turned in or
out from the ankle...which brings up my pet peeve of
women who turn their foot in from the ankle especially
obvious in ganchos or other times when the leg is
raised and wrapped around their partner...hideous!!!
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 14:36:05 -0500
From: Stephen Brown <Stephen.P.Brown@DAL.FRB.ORG>
Subject: Re: Tango Walk
I have some reservations about encouraging people to walk with their feet
turned out unless the feet turn out naturally while the knees face forward.
For someone whose feet do not turn out naturally, walking with turned-out
feet could place stress on the hip, knee and ankle joints. The same
"balance" benefits can be obtained by thinking of the weight being toward
the inside of the foot.
In my observation, the two most common forms of instruction about the
mechanics of tango walking are: Walk as the instructor was taught to
walk----even though the instructor has long ago abandoned walking that way.
Walk as the instructor does (whether or not the student's physiology is
well-suited to the same walk).
In my opinion, ideal instruction in tango walking would encourage students
to find a walk in a way that is comfortable for their own physiology and
style of dancing. In that case, the best advice is as Sergio wrote: "
Walking should be practiced on a daily basis till mastered."
Instruction can only take a dancer so far. Each of us must walk our own
miles.
--Steve de Tejas
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 17:15:29 EDT
From: Timothy Pogros <TimmyTango@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: Tango Walk
I totally agree with Sergio in that everyone should practice their walking
everyday till walking is mastered.
I feel the walk is an advanced step that should be used more, but since it
seems so simple people tend to want to learn the harder steps first, and
ignore the walk.
It also seems that every maestro that comes to town to teach has his or her
own technique that is always different from the last maestro's some times
it's so confusing, it's like you have to learn tango all over again.
Another technique in walking everyone can discuss is. Do you land on you toe
then heel or land on your heel and then toe, when walking forward? I hear
people say land on your toe first, but when I watch a video of them it
appears that they are landing on their heels first. Personally if feel you
have to use both. There are steps that you need to land on your toes first,
and then there are the exceptions where I land on my heel. What is your
opinion?
Timmy
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 20:25:29 -0700
From: Deborah Holm <deborah.holm@PRODIGY.NET>
Subject: See Spot: Run, March, Tango Walk
Mark Sussex,
I am surprised that there were not more responses to
your inquiry about walking. Maybe you received many
privately. In addition to the one we could see from Sergio.
While it seems to me that you have been studying Argentine
tango for awhile, your inquiry seems to be very important
to men who are beginning to learn Argentine tango. I have
had the experience of standing shoulder to shoulder with
a beginning man in front of a wall mirror, and as we both
looked in the mirror, I have suggested "Have you ever
thought of yourself as being a lifeguard on a beach, and
being the most beefed up guy of all the lifeguards?" And
if so, how would you walk? Show me.
And your mention of the "march" aspect of a walk, I feel
like saying to you, Mark, hallelujah, because I have also
suggested this for both men AND women. Beginning
women need to know how to march, also, to stand proud.
I am not a tango teacher, never put myself out to be, do not
ever aspire to take money for anything like this. But I want
people to be able to dance this dance. And everything I have
said above has worked to help beginners. I go no further.
In front of the whole tango-l list, I apologize for acting like
I know ANYTHING about Argentine tango, and for just
trying to help people without them paying me money.
And, most importantly, a thank you to Mark for asking a
simple question that should be the start for millions of
beginning tango dancers. Without all the in-depth expert
analysis.
Thank you, Mark.
Deborah
San Francisco, California, USA
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 20:55:45 -0700
From: Deborah Holm <deborah.holm@PRODIGY.NET>
Subject: See Spot: Run, March, Tango Walk
One more thing that I forgot,
Mark Sussex,
Somehow I remember something about the
fact that in the early days of Argentine tango,
the men who were the pros in the milongas would
watch the "learning" men, and if one of those men
danced toe first, I believe there was some
punishment.
Deborah
San Francisco, California, USA
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 10:39:14 -0500
From: Stephen Brown <Stephen.P.Brown@DAL.FRB.ORG>
Subject: Re: Tango Walk
I have some reservations about encouraging people to walk with their feet
turned out unless the feet turn out naturally while the knee faces forward.
For someone whose feet do not turn out naturally, walking with turned-out
feet could place stress on the hip, knee and ankle joints. The same
"balance" benefits can be obtained by thinking of the weight being toward
the inside of the foot.
In my observation, the two most common forms of instruction about the
mechanics of tango walking are: Walk as the instructor was taught to
walk----even though the instructor has long ago abandoned walking that way.
Walk as the instructor does (whether or not the student's physiology is
well-suited to the same walk).
In my opinion, ideal instruction in tango walking would encourage students
to find a walk in a way that is comfortable for their own physiology and
style of dancing. In that case, the best advice is as Sergio wrote: "
Walking should be practiced on a daily basis till mastered."
Instruction can only take a dancer so far. Each of us must walk our own
miles.
--Steve de Tejas
Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2001 10:46:49 -0600
From: Tom Stermitz <Stermitz@RAGTIME.ORG>
Subject: Re: Tango Walk
>In my opinion, ideal instruction in tango walking would encourage students
>to find a walk in a way that is comfortable for their own physiology and
>style of dancing. In that case, the best advice is as Sergio wrote: "
>Walking should be practiced on a daily basis till mastered."
>...
>--Steve de Tejas
There are STYLISTIC and FUNDAMENTAL issues.
There is also learning DEEPLY over many years, or at least achieving
a reasonable approximation of the fundamentals that avoids bad habits.
Whether the foot is turned in or out or whether you land toe first or
heel first are details contradicted directly between one master
teacher or another. Therefore one could assume that they are
STYLISTIC differences, not FUNDAMENTAL ones.
There are two things that I would describe as fundamental rather than
stylistic:
- Being GROUNDED and giving a moment of solidity to each stride,
rather than floating or lifting. I think of it as walking like an
elephant...you know, on the nature TV shows, little puffs of dust
coming out in slow motion with each stride.
- Weight changes CAOMPLETELY and AT the beat, axis solid into the
floor with good balance. No sliding into the beat or arriving
slightly late like one might in blues. This may seem like an obvious
point. In fact I find it to be subtle, but the more I learn, the more
important this single detail becomes.
I have noticed that teaching N. Americans to land toe first often
leads to the opposite of the grounded, earthy tango feeling, i.e.
they have a tendency to float or leap to each step
N. Americans tend to be cheerful, happy walkers, so I guess there are
some cultural aspects to it. Argentines tend to walk with a more
elegant posture. As for the walk of an American coed vs a latin
teenager...
There is no question that the older dancers in Argentina place a
large amount of effort into developing a special walk. This is a deep
process that takes years. I don't believe it is possible to get the
depth without actually going to Argentina, as it is not a
teacher-student issue, but a cultural one.
The following teachers (to list a few I have seen) have offered real
depth, quality and insights into the walk:
- Diego and Zoraida
- Susana Miller
- Julio Balmaceda
--
-----
"To my way of thinking the tango is, above all, rhythm,
nerve, force, character...I tried to restore to the tango
its masculine quality." -- Juan D'Arienzo (1949)
-----
Tom Stermitz
- Stermitz@Ragtime.org
- 303-725-5963
- https://www.tango.org/dance/EternaTeaching.html
Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2001 12:23:21 -0700
From: Sergio <sergio@NCINTER.NET>
Subject: Tango walk
Steve from Tejas tells us:
"If one walks toe first with the foot turned out, the weight
lands seems to land uniformly across the front of the foot, shifts back to
the heel and then rolls forward to the inside of the big toe as the foot is
prepared for lifting."
Foot turned out means that if one draws a clock on the floor when the toes
point to 12 there is no toe-out rotation.
As we walk with an external rotation the big toe points to 1 o'clock. Some
famous dancers like Portalea from Club Sin Rumbo will rotate externally
beyond 1 O'clock.
On the other hand Lampazo who used to dance in the same club showed no
external rotation at all. He had a fame of having been a great dancer when
younger.
The rotation comes from the hip, so the whole leg is rotated the foot
hyperextended to land on its lateral toes. It is like a knife landing on its
edge.
But when external rotation is used there is another rotation of the foot on
its longitudinal axis (the one that goes from the toes to the heel). This is
as if we land on the external edge of the foot pointing the sole inward.
This second rotation is minimal but causes the foot to land on the 3er.,
4th. and 5th. toes. The rest of the motion is as always following the outer
edge or the foot and finally the heel .
I believe that most well known instructors teach this way of walking. I
agree that when dancing they occasionally land on their
heels as well.
There are instructors that advise to walk "in a natural way" this would be
heels first but without lifting the toes from the floor too much.
Place yourself in front of a mirror and walk using different techniques,
then decide the way you like to walk.
My first ever instructor was a stage dancer from Mar del Plata Victor Ayos
(Victor and Monica) he walks with a pronounced external rotation which I
thought it was very authentic as it reflects the peculiar walk of a
compadrito.
My second instructor was Nito (Nito and Elba) also from Mar del Plata, he
has a moderate external rotation.
My third instructor was Lampazo (Club Sin Rumbo) he walked with no rotation
at all. I have looked at the tapes from those lessons. Lampazo's walk was
extremely elegant mostly when used for walking, the problem arises when you
try to perform complicated figures which require a strong anchoring on the
floor, here is where the external rotation is of help.
the three of them walked toe-heel.
The only time I was told to walk heel-toe was by non-Argentinean instructors
such as Michael Walker from Santa Fe. He is certainly an accomplished, very
elegant dancer and excellent instructor coming from ballroom dancing.
Finally I agree, there are instructors that preach walking toe-heel during
technique practice and then they walk heel-toe when dancing. (Osvaldo Zotto)
no doubt one of the most elegant tango dancers.
The instructions I initially shared reflect my own experience as described
above, they are not intended to be the universal truth,
you should select your own walking technique as your distinctive tango
style, a reflection of your own personality.
So show me how you walk and I will tell you who you are. :-)) - Kidding! but
not entirely.
Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2001 22:55:15 -0000
From: Alexis White <alexisltc@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Tango walk
Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2001 21:02:09 -0700
From: Sergio <sergio@NCINTER.NET>
Subject: Tango Walk
Alexis white says:
"Just a clarification: there are many Argentine instructors who adhere to,
and teach, a natural walk, stepping with the heel first, toe last (Danel
-Michael Walker's teacher-, Armando, Eduardo Arquimbau, Eduardo Tapia,
etc.), and probably most if not all of the so-called milongueros, if they
teach this at all.
Then there are teachers who will pay little or no attention at all to the
minutiae of how you step and walk, considering this an entirely personal
choice, and devoting class time to what they consider more pressing matters
for their students. Teachers of the caliber of Fabian, Gustavo and Chicho."
I mentioned in my initial posting about tango walk, answering some questions
from Mark Sussex that in milonguero style the walk was flat footed. Armando
and Eduardo dance that style.
This is no minutia it is an essential part of that tango style as taught in
great detail by Susana Miller. Who years ago, personally corrected me when I
was dancing toe-heel at her workshop. I never forgot, so when I dance
milonguero I walk flat footed without external rotation. It works great!
If someone tries to dance milonguero style toe first will change an
essential aspect of that particular type of dance.
As to the other three excellent dancers, they developed a particular style
that uses the same walk as Salon Style.
I very clearly described the tango walk in salon style, "as taught by most
instructors of that style.
Nito, Osvaldo Zotto, Diego, Guillermo, Copes, Pugliese, etc.
This is not a minutia that distracts the attention of the student, it is an
important aspect of the dance, Gustavo Naveira can talk in detail about the
walk whenever he sees someone walking with his feet apart, not brushing
heels, the same way as he can talk ad infinitum about Axis, Triangles,
Giros, parts of turns, leading boleos and amagues, etc. Other instructors
take for granted some of those elements and although they use them they do
not spend any time in lengthy description of the dynamics of every figure,
they just show the moves and the students copy them. So much for pedagogic
technique.
I just finished reviewing tapes where Osvaldo Zotto is doing exhibitions, I
would say that 90% of the time he steps toe-heel.
At times he steps heel-toe for a better effect. He actually uses both ways,
this seems to be logical to me as I get the feeling that we all do the same.
Finally talking about minutiae, everything is relative to the degree of
perfection that a dancer wishes to achieve.
It is important to look at other dancers and decide how do you want to
dance, then obtain the basic elements from the style you would like to
emulate to finally develop your own personal style.
Talking about personal style:
There is an older milonguero in Mar del Plata, his name is Luis, (probably
late 60ies.) he developed his own style, it is unique.
He has a close embrace, walks in a simple manner but trembles as he does
dips, lowers his body leaning over his partner, he runs, stops, trembles
again...the most important aspect is his interpretation of the music with
his corporal expression. Most girls come to the milonga with the hope to
dance with him. As they do you can see their eyes closed the face showing
intense emotion and pleasure. There is a perpetual line of beautiful girls
waiting to dance with him. There is at least one young fellow that is
already copying his style. While I observe them dancing I cannot help to
think that perhaps is question of time that another Tete or Susana will
start a school to spread this particular style all over the world.
After all tango is like our face, it has few elements, forehead, mouth,
nose, cheeks, ears but they are combined in such a way that the result is
always a different one. Should you observe the couples at a milonga in
Buenos Aires you will notice that they all dance in a different way, their
own way. So theses minutiae as Alexis calls them are used only for the
purpose of teaching.
The Student is free to use them or not. But perhaps the whole thing are
minutiae and we should quit learning and teaching...
What do you think?
Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2001 09:53:12 -0800
From: Dan Boccia <redfox@ALASKA.NET>
Subject: Re: Tango Walk
{"...There are two things that I would describe as fundamental rather than
stylistic:
- Being GROUNDED and giving a moment of solidity to each stride,
rather than floating or lifting. I think of it as walking like an
elephant...you know, on the nature TV shows, little puffs of dust
coming out in slow motion with each stride...."}
I agree with Tom completely on this point. To me, THE defining element of
AT is this solid, "nailed-to-the-floor" element in the walk. True
improvisation is lost without being solidly grounded in each step. The
ability to pause, change direction, change speed, to truly be musical in the
midst of improvising movements etc. requires this grounded quality. I can
easily tell if my partner is grounded and balanced or not, but I cannot as
easily tell whether they are landing slightly toed-in or slightly toed-out,
or parallel (especially dancing milonguero), and I don't really focus on
this. I can usually tell if they're landing heel or toe first, but only if
something in my partner's dancing makes me aware of this - otherwise, I
don't care. I also think there is a musical issue here as well. AT music
makes me FEEL and WANT to be grounded - it drives me, or perhaps lures me
into the floor.....it makes me want to be really solid. Being grounded and
able to pause, change direction, etc. also helps immensely with floorcraft.
Dancing every step with feeling -
Dan
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 19:19:23 -0500
From: Lisandro <lisandro.gomez@SYMPATICO.CA>
Subject: Re: See Spot: Run, March, Tango Walk
Regarding your dislike of dancing on "tippy-toe", I have noticed that a nice
well placed kick in the butt or in the crotch of someone who is annoying,
using a very pointed toe , often works. However, stilletto heels, also do
the trick. I save this adornment for people who try to dominate the tango
world with too many rules. However, a nice experiment for you to try, would
be to go out and dance on rough sidewalk,(as people once did, or if you
perform tango outside in a street festival) and try some figure eights and
pivots with your heel down. And women too, could have an interesting
experience trying to dance outside , in heels, with all weight on heels.
Could make for an interesting step when you hit that hole in the floor.
Regards, Tatiana.
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