2053  How different? open, closed...

Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2003 20:21:46 -0500
From: Sergio <cachafaz@ADELPHIA.NET>
Subject: How different? open, closed...

When I talk about "frame" I am not implying rigidity nor manhandling of the
woman nor unnecessary fatiguing hypertonicity.
I am talking about...

Steve wrote: "My own experience is that there is quite a range in the
degrees of
firmness between rigid and limp, so some of the apparent differences
Sergio's perspective and mine may be semantic."

Tom writes : "There is rigid vs. light, and then there is tone or quality of
the
muscular tension."

Brian Says: "Lastly, in a class series with Brigitta Winkler in Colorado
this October,
Mauricio Castro repeatedly demonstrated and taught (even to beginners!) a
no-hands/no-arms lead, which worked very well, using basic innate principles
of body language. More advanced dancers succeeded in integrating the
principles he was advocating into more sophisticated vocabulary, eventually
reinstituting the use of arms and hands in both open- and close-embrace with
a new awareness. Advanced followers reported a lot of enjoyment in
following these "soft" leads, and tended to prefer them to traditional
"firm-frame" dancing (open-embrace) or "firm-hold" dancing (close-embrace),
which in both cases often slid over the line into unnecessary muscle tension
in the lead."

I entirely agree with all of the above. I initially talked about "frame",
by this I mean an embrace in open position that requires a minimum of muscle
tone, just some degree of resistance so that when I move my torso this
movement is simultaneously transmitted to my partner. There is no rigidity
at all, there is only some degree of resistance. It is subtle and
comfortable, there is no muscle fatigue.

This frame can be complemented by other elements. Torso moving or "opening"
as an invitation, vision of your partner's torso indicating the beginning of
a turn. The contact or lack of it of your thigh to induce a gancho or an
amague (front boleo). The contact of the leg to indicate and induce a
locking in front of the followers feet. A slight lifting on the woman's
back (with the right hand) to indicate syncopations to the followers right,
left, for her to lock behind when walking forward, for her to raise her leg
and wrap around your waist, etc, etc. Changes of weight. Prior knowledge of
the follower that tell her to provide power when the leader is on one foot
gliding or doing some other ornaments. Subtle movements to indicate jumps,
bicycle, to slow her down to have time to do certain moves like "chilena",
certain ganchos, etc.
Contact of the foot to her foot to stop, sandwich, drag. Allowing time for
her to do ornaments. Leaning back such as in leading colgadas, bringing her
closer to your chest for bridges, keeping her on her axis like in a
calesita, etc.
All these elements and many more are part of the lead.

One can then lead in many ways . The good leader will do everything in such
subtle way that neither the follower nor the spectator will notice the lead.