2055 Tango exercises
Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2003 17:48:56 -0800
From: Philip Seyer <philipseyer@ILOVEMUSIC.COM>
Subject: Tango exercises
That was a cool exercise courtesy of Brigita Winkler.
Here's another good exercise...for beginners: Put a pillow between you and
your partner. Don't use any hands. Put hands behind your back. Do simple
walking steps forward and backward. Exchange the lead. When the leader
stops, the follower may assume the role of the leader. By switching roles,
you become more sensitive to what the other person is going through while
following/leading. Instead of a pillow you may want to use a balloon. This
exercise is courtesy of Ken and Natasha Delmar -- https://www.sftango.com )
A fun contest would be to do a milonga (or especially rhythmic tango) with a
balloon between partners. The balloons could be filled with helium so they
tend to rise rather than fall.
You must keep dancing around the floor in line of dance in rhythm to the
music with no hands. If balloon falls (or rises to the ceiling), couple must
leave the floor. If couple does not keep rhythm or uses hands, a judge may
pop the balloon with a pin. A prize might be offered to the couples that
survive the dance with balloon in tact. I like the idea of multiple prizes.
A free pass to the next milonga would be good.
You can find some other exercises at:
https://www.ilovemusic.com/argentine_tango_steps.htm
Your comments are welcome. I'm striving to improve this page.
At this page, you can also see an interesting movie showing a sexy leg wrap
at the end (wish I new the Spanish word for it.)
P.S. where can I reach Brigita Winkler (creator of the 2 feet distance
exercise)?
----- Original Message -----
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2003 02:48:26 -0800
From: Patricio Touceda <tangueros2001@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: The old "two feet distance " (Tango exercises)
Hello people:
I think the "two feet distance exercise" is very old.
I dont know how long ago Briggita started dancing, and im not saying she
didnt create it. After all is not really important
But i 've been exposed to that exercise taking classes with Hector Falcon in
Buenos Aires.
I was between 1990 and 1992.
And i know he learned that from Cacho Dinzel.
Famous for using all this kind of exercises.
I use this exercise in my classes, especially when we are working in leading
and following.
The students find this one extremely fun. And i too.
Im sure it helps you too understand that not only the chest can lead.
Saludos a todos.
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2003 10:19:53 -0500
From: Marianne Hansen <mhansen@BRYNMAWR.EDU>
Subject: Tango exercises - where do they come from?
--- Oleh Kovalchuke <oleh_k@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
> The exercise is rather simple: two people standing at about 2 feet
distance facing each other. No physical contact. Leader steps
> in any direction. Follow[er] follows preserving two feet cushion. Both
have to watch each other's bodies. Courtesy of Brigita Winkler.
It is a good exercise. A snippet of dance history, though: this technique
was introduced as a sort of "stunt" dance by Irene and Vernon Castle in the
'teens, as the Innovation (and who knows who they took it from). Here is
an excerpt from their book, Modern Dancing, which can be viewed as either a
text file or as page images at the Library of Congress' An American
Ballroom Companion site on dance instruction manuals
(https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/dihtml/dihome.html):
"The much-talked-of Innovation is nothing more or less than the Tango
danced without touching your partner. This is naturally very difficult, and
can only be done by good dancers. However, a word of advice may help those
who would include it in their repertoire. First of all, the man must learn
to lead with his whole body; by this I mean he must convey his steps and
direction to his partner by means of head, eyes, and feet. The steps should
be broader and more deliberate, and the dancers should travel at the same
pace all the time. If by any chance the lady does not follow, and goes into
the wrong step, don't stop dancing, but get as closely together as
possible, and the man must do a plain walk backward. When both are ready
the man must try to convey the step in a better way. If, when mistakes
happen, you keep on dancing, in nine cases out of ten no one will know
about it but yourself. On the other hand, no one can miss your mistake if
you get confused and stop The lady should not look at a man's feet in this
Innovation, but rather try to get a general view of her partner, so that
she may see what he is doing without actually scrutinizing the steps. The
hands may be either kept behind your back, on your hips, or in your
pockets; look at yourself in a mirror and decide which position suits you
best."
(pp 102-105, with photos on p. 103 and 105)
Lots of good advice in there for partner dancing, even if one never does
the Innovation...
Marianne
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2003 15:56:41 -0700
From: Tom Stermitz <Stermitz@RAGTIME.ORG>
Subject: Re: The old "two feet distance " (Tango exercises)
Patricio said:
>Hello people:
>
>
> I think the "two feet distance exercise" is very old.
>I dont know how long ago Briggita started dancing, and im not saying she
>didnt create it. After all is not really important
>...
>But i 've been exposed to that exercise taking classes with Hector Falcon in
>Buenos Aires.
>I was between 1990 and 1992.
>And i know he learned that from Cacho Dinzel.
>Famous for using all this kind of exercises.
Brigitta Winkler started learning tango in 1979. One of her first
teachers was Eduardo Arquimbau who was travelling Europe in the very
early 1980s. The first of the famous "younger generation" of tango
dancers in Buenos Aires started in 1982 or 1983.
Brigitta is well-known for her playful exercises. Also her
instructional skill has been informed by study of Mind-Body Centering
(Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen: www.bodymindcentering.com )
--
Tom Stermitz
https://www.tango.org/
stermitz@tango.org
303-388-2560
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2003 16:24:21 -0700
From: Brian Dunn <brian@DANCEOFTHEHEART.COM>
Subject: Tango - the scholar's role (was: Tango exercises - where do they come from?)
Marianne wrote:
>>>
It is a good exercise. A snippet of dance history, though: this technique
was introduced as a sort of "stunt" dance by Irene and Vernon Castle in the
'teens, as the Innovation (and who knows who they took it from). Here is
an excerpt from their book, Modern Dancing, which can be viewed as either a
text file or as page images at the Library of Congress' An American
Ballroom Companion site on dance instruction manuals
(https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/dihtml/dihome.html):
"The much-talked-of Innovation is nothing more or less than the Tango
danced without touching your partner...
<<<
Hola Marianne,
Blessings on your scholarly soul! This link to the Library of Congress
(which, unlike many dance resources, has already been paid for) is the
juiciest surprise to come my way in some time!
I am reminded that tango, being something of an outlaw dance, generally
lacks the kind of central clearinghouse function provided historically by
more scholarly organizations, which see it as one of their functions to
document who came up with what first. To some degree, big festivals such as
CITA which sell videos of their events provide this function, but
imperfectly so. Tango is developing its scholarly side, though - witness
www.todotango.com and especially www.gourmetmusical.com, both of which seek
to archive important historical tango resources for later generations - in
the case of Gourmet Musical, even explicitly hosting the scholarly published
work of researchers interested in tango. In the age of streaming video,
such a clearinghouse function may eventually serve as a date-stamped
repository of video recordings of exercises such as the "Innovation" below,
assisting the spread of good ideas in the realm of tango education while
giving credit to innovators in the field.
Note, listeros, that www.todotango.com seeks support for its work through
memberships - I recommend that those who are able consider supporting them
financially (but I have no financial connection other than being a member).
Thanks again, Marianne,
Brian Dunn
Dance of the Heart
Boulder, Colorado USA
1(303)938-0716
https://www.danceoftheheart.com
It is a good exercise. A snippet of dance history, though: this technique
was introduced as a sort of "stunt" dance by Irene and Vernon Castle in the
'teens, as the Innovation (and who knows who they took it from). Here is
an excerpt from their book, Modern Dancing, which can be viewed as either a
text file or as page images at the Library of Congress' An American
Ballroom Companion site on dance instruction manuals
(https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/dihtml/dihome.html):
"The much-talked-of Innovation is nothing more or less than the Tango
danced without touching your partner. This is naturally very difficult, and
can only be done by good dancers. However, a word of advice may help those
who would include it in their repertoire. First of all, the man must learn
to lead with his whole body; by this I mean he must convey his steps and
direction to his partner by means of head, eyes, and feet. The steps should
be broader and more deliberate, and the dancers should travel at the same
pace all the time. If by any chance the lady does not follow, and goes into
the wrong step, don't stop dancing, but get as closely together as
possible, and the man must do a plain walk backward. When both are ready
the man must try to convey the step in a better way. If, when mistakes
happen, you keep on dancing, in nine cases out of ten no one will know
about it but yourself. On the other hand, no one can miss your mistake if
you get confused and stop The lady should not look at a man's feet in this
Innovation, but rather try to get a general view of her partner, so that
she may see what he is doing without actually scrutinizing the steps. The
hands may be either kept behind your back, on your hips, or in your
pockets; look at yourself in a mirror and decide which position suits you
best."
(pp 102-105, with photos on p. 103 and 105)
Lots of good advice in there for partner dancing, even if one never does
the Innovation...
Marianne
