5673  A pair of great walkers

Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:06:10 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mario <sopelote@yahoo.com>
Subject: [Tango-L] A pair of great walkers
To: Tango L <tango-l@mit.edu>

Two great walkers (how would you say that in Spanish?)
I love how this couple reveals the music to me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nSMK_ubSl0
I would also love to see Milongas where a tandem or two
are reserved for couples who only walk....no steps, no looking down
at their feet, no classmate correography...only walking to the music
for a whole tanda..then we will see who really dances.

Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:34:35 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Keith Elshaw" <keith@totango.net>
Subject: [Tango-L] A pair of great walkers
To: tango-l@mit.edu
<61774.64.229.160.250.1245267275.squirrel@webmail7.pair.com>


My reaction is this was a nice video to share.

And darned if I'm not prompted by it to make a comment or two; this
perhaps in particular relation to the recent threads about commenting on
teachers, etc. as well.

My own way of helping people move forward for years (in social tango) has
been to help simply it all by saying: walk, turn; walk, turn; do a little
thingy 3/4 of the way through when the music
tells you to slow down; walk, turn, end.

Anyone could argue that's over-simplification. But - reducing things to
the basics never hurt anyone. In the social dancing context.

And I try to get the men especially to have some energy from their knees
down ... kind of a sharpness and definiteness about moving.

So, I liked what this couple was doing. Very nice.

And then I have a little criticism. Purely a personal reaction.

Men who stick their left arm/hand up so high seem to me to be on kind of a
trip. 3 inches lower and they would appear to me to have a little
humility/modesty.

Always a good thing when privileged to dance with a lovely lady. No? In a
social dancing context.

Anyhow - bravo.

Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:10:55 -0700
From: Huck Kennedy <tempehuck@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] A pair of great walkers
To: tango-l@mit.edu
<ecf43f370906171310y20763d33u8295842036a4546e@mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Jun 17, 2009 at 12:34 PM, Keith Elshaw<keith@totango.net> wrote:

>
> So, I liked what this couple was doing. Very nice.
>
> And then I have a little criticism. Purely a personal reaction.
>
> Men who stick their left arm/hand up so high seem to me to be on kind of a
> trip. 3 inches lower and they would appear to me to have a little
> humility/modesty.

I agree with Keith--while it's perfectly acceptable socially to
dance that way (I seem to recall Susana Miller teaching this, for one
other example), I personally have never been a fan of the Statue of
Liberty 90-degree look. I much prefer the more classic angle of about
135 degrees as taught by most Argentines I've taken from.

I try to avoid any angle less than 90 degrees since that turns
the leader's elbow into a weapon. Unfortunately, I've seen
instructors dance that way as well.

Huck

Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:34:11 -0400
From: Richard Isaacs <RBIsaacs@attglobal.net>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] A pair of great walkers
To: Mario <sopelote@yahoo.com>
Cc: Tango L <tango-l@mit.edu>

Mario -

I would agree. Detlef and Melina are always popular when they come to
Gotham, and with good reason! They are among the few travelling
teachers I have seen who teach intermediate classes that deal with
useful principles, rather than stupid performance sequences.

Regards/Richard
1-212-695-1759

Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 11:06:10 AM, you wrote:

M> Two great walkers (how would you say that in Spanish?)
M> I love how this couple reveals the music to me.
M> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nSMK_ubSl0
M> I would also love to see Milongas where a tandem or two
M> are reserved for couples who only walk....no steps, no looking down
M> at their feet, no classmate correography...only walking to the music
M> for a whole tanda..then we will see who really dances.


M>

Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:15:07 -0700
From: Brick Robbins <brick@fastpack.com>
Subject: [Tango-L] A pair of great walkers: Detlef & Melina
To: tango-l@mit.edu
<ca2c2380906181215i65f9e63o29cf2bd6d6a3962b@mail.gmail.com>

Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:50:33 -0400
From: "Nicolas Eyle" <eyle@reconsider.org>
Subject: [Tango-L] A pair of great walkers
To: <tango-l@mit.edu>

Walking doesn't have to look boring or stiff... It can be incredibly
musical, fluid, and interesting if done well. The embrace should be
comfortable, arms held high enough to be elegant but not rigid, I offer this
example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr4W4H-H9DU

Nicky (from Syracuse)

Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:33:53 +0200
From: Andy Ungureanu <abungureanu@googlemail.com>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] A pair of great walkers
To: Tango-L <tango-l@mit.edu>



Am 25.06.2009 18:50 schrieb Nicolas Eyle :

> Walking doesn't have to look boring or stiff... It can be incredibly
> musical, fluid, and interesting if done well. The embrace should be
> comfortable, arms held high enough to be elegant but not rigid, I offer this
> example:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr4W4H-H9DU
>

:-(
This couple should better dance d'Arienzo or Donato and stay away from
Maida. Poema is too precious to be danced like that.
IMHO it is not musical and not fluid, it is interrupted by too many
adornos and cheap show effects.
Sorry, I hope they are otherwise great dancers.

Andy

Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:04:45 -0400
From: Ilene Marder <imhmedia@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] A pair of great walkers
To: Andy Ungureanu <abungureanu@googlemail.com>, Tango-L

to each his own..I thought this was a beautiful, interpretation with
wonderful musicality. I didn't see any cheap show effects, unless you
count some well-timed beautfully executed social dance type embellishments.
as for your other comment, Carlos Copello and Luna Palacios are
exquisite dancers ...whatever they do.

Andy Ungureanu wrote:

>Am 25.06.2009 18:50 schrieb Nicolas Eyle :
>
>
>>Walking doesn't have to look boring or stiff... It can be incredibly
>>musical, fluid, and interesting if done well. The embrace should be
>>comfortable, arms held high enough to be elegant but not rigid, I offer this
>>example:
>>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr4W4H-H9DU
>>
>>
>>
>:-(
>This couple should better dance d'Arienzo or Donato and stay away from
>Maida. Poema is too precious to be danced like that.
>IMHO it is not musical and not fluid, it is interrupted by too many
>adornos and cheap show effects.
>Sorry, I hope they are otherwise great dancers.
>
>Andy
>
>
>

Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:55:34 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jack Dylan <jackdylan007@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] A pair of great walkers

> From: Ilene Marder imhmedia@yahoo.com

> I didn't see any cheap show effects ... > >

I think Andy means the 3 places where the audience gasp and
clap during the performance. And the figures are included for no
other reason than to elicit that response. Tango audiences are
just so easily impressed by little tricks.

Jack