1701 Overcoming Patternitis
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2003 16:43:59 -0500
From: Stephen Brown <Stephen.P.Brown@DAL.FRB.ORG>
Subject: Overcoming Patternitis
In some of the recent discussion, we have examined issues related to
patternitis. What is patternitis? Dancing tango through the rote use of
patterns taught in videos or by instructors--such as the eight count
basic--are what I call patternitis. Much of the criticism directed at
videos and instructors comes from claiming that teaching tango in patterns
leads to patternitis.
I have previously argued that although much instruction takes the form of
patterns, it is up to the invididual dancers to overcome the tendency
toward patternitis and take ownership ot their own dance. How might this
be accomplished? One way is to take instruction from those few
instructors who teach tango in small elements rather than patterns.
Another is to continue taking classes and workshops from instructors who
teach tango in patterns and then take the patterns apart and incorporate
only the pieces into one's own dance vocabulary.
Given that most instructors teach patterns, the latter approach gives the
dancer a richer set of options. In my own experience and observation, the
ability to take patterns apart and make the pieces my own own required
learning some about the structure of tango and developing some physical
skills.
The first step in deconstruction is recognizing that tango is made up of
some basic elements. Every pattern is made from various combinations of
tango's basic elements: walking in parallel, walking in cross foot, turns
(including ochos), sandwiches and embellishments.
The second step in deconstruction is recognizing some basic relationships
between these elements. For instance, a boleo is an interupted ocho;
that turns are ochos connected by a side step and ochos are the result of
reversing turns; that the back ocho is a cross-foot walk that has been
twisted; and that the equivalence between the back ocho and cross-foot
walking provides a nice connection between turns and walking.
Perhaps the most important step in avoiding patternitis is in developing
physical competence in the basic elements of tango and the transitions
between. This competence allows me to better digest patterns and make a
transition from the intellectual to the physical. Building these skills
means developing fluidity in moving from parallel walking to cross-foot
walking; in shifting from walking elements to turning elements; and in the
four basic turns--clockwise in parallel foot, clockwise in cross-foot,
counter-clockwise in parallel foot, and counter-clockwise in cross foot.
It also requires playing with sandwiches with a friend; and it requires
practicing embellishments indepedent of specific figures. Working with
these generalized movements gives both leaders and followers a physical
competence in the basic tango vocabulary. You have to walk your miles,
your instructor cannot do it for you.
With an understanding of and physical competence in the basic elements of
tango, dancers are much better prepared to avoid the patternitis that
seems result from the typical classes.
Does what I am suggesting seem too mental? The real key is in developing
the physical competence that goes with the mental recognition and working
until the movements come without thought.
Does what I am suggesting seem like too much work? Stick to instructors
who teach tango as small elements or be content with your patternitis.
With best regards,
Steve
Stephen Brown
Tango Argentino de Tejas
https://www.tejastango.com/
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2003 16:41:20 -0600
From: Tom Stermitz <Stermitz@RAGTIME.ORG>
Subject: Re: Overcoming Patternitis
>In some of the recent discussion, we have examined issues related to
>patternitis. What is patternitis? Dancing tango through the rote use of
>patterns taught in videos or by instructors--such as the eight count
>basic--are what I call patternitis. Much of the criticism directed at
>videos and instructors comes from claiming that teaching tango in patterns
>leads to patternitis.
Another aspect of "patternitis" is "wooden-itis", i.e. moving about
the room without regard to the music and energy. Wooden-itis is like
talking in one long run on sentence with no commas, periods, accents
or emphasis.
You might be doing tango steps on the beat (hopefully!), but your
movements need to have MEANING with respect to the music, or else you
look and feel wooden, dull, boring.
Tango dancers are PART of the orchestra, our footsteps express the
missing drums. That may be why modern tango musicians don't
understand dancers, they don't realize that they need to leave a
space for the dancers, not drive them like marionettes.
The first step in avoiding "wooden-itis" is to be on the beat, and
also to access the QQS, QQS rhythmic play.
(2) Ability to find the phrase ending, and express the breath, the
"comma" or "period" at the end of the phrase.
(2b) Ability to connect to the earth, grounding your feet to gather
energy and grounding your axis to find balance and stability.
(3) Ability to connect with energy and drive toward your partner at
the strong, dramatic first step of a musical phrase.
(3b) Strong masculine chest; energized, active feminine engagement
(4) Ability to sense momentum and energy in your partner and respond
with energy, dense/light, and other qualities.
(5) Ability to sense rebounding energy in your partner, using the
ground or the spiral of the torso.
Some orchestras are quite "square" to the phrasing. D'Arienzo with a
lot of QQS's and Di Sarli with a more spacious sensibility, both keep
tempos straight, and put clear emphasis on the strong first beat of
the phrase.
Other orchestras "play" more around the beat, putting strong musical
emphasis OFF the first beat of the phrase. Pugliese, has a square
tempo, and solid 4+4=8 count phrasing, but his musical expression
frequently strays from the underlying phrase.
Other orchestras "play" with 3-3-2 or long-long-short rhythms, for
example early Troilo, Calo and a lot of mid 1940s music.
Modern orchestras play with tempo changes a lot, and that is what
makes them so hard to dance to...almost like you need a conductor to
direct both the dancers and the orchestra so they can anticipate the
tempo changes and stay together.
Good musicality means ability to match your movements (tempo,
density/light, earthy/floating, fast/slow, strong step/light step,
etc) to the musical energy. Being "on and in the music" gives MEANING
to your movements.
This is equally the responsibility of the follower. Be neither a
brick wall nor a rag doll. Tie your movements and energy and
connection to the music, and then you and your leader can "talk" back
and forth.
--
Tom Stermitz
https://www.tango.org/
stermitz@tango.org
303-388-2560
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2003 17:16:42 -0700
From: Rick FromPortland <pruneshrub04@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Overcoming Patternitis
When I think about the all the partner dances I know, the common denominators through all of them, is that i have a small bag of favorite moves I like to lead, favorite sequences/combinations of those moves, plus room to innovate, create new things, steal moves from others (including my partners!). Most of this is unconsicous by now, through doing this lots & lots & lots...
R
