833  Soft arm

Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2002 14:36:13 +0100
From: andy Ungureanu <Andy.Ungureanu@T-ONLINE.DE>
Subject: Soft arm

Sergio schrieb:

> The good instructors try to prevent or correct those common problems as soon
> as they appear and before they become more or less permanent. Here I will
> mention a few very common problems.

:

> The lady has no frame. She keeps her arm very soft.
>
> Correction: She should be taught with certain exercises how to keep a strong
> and relaxed frame.

Dear Sergio,
I am interested in some examples of the "certain exercises".

In a direct sense, there is a contradiction between "strong" and
"relaxed". I can deal much better with a (very) soft arm then with a
overtensioned arm.
I think the ideal should be to keep the hands in a almost constant
position halfway between the two shoulders, no matter what happens. The
arm should be present but not stiff. The only allowed force is
horizontal in direction of the partner. Ther should be no hanging down,
pushing up, pulling to one self or to the side. If there is no changing
of position, the ideal force between the hands is zero. Once a changing
of position is initiated by the man, the woman should be able to feel
this and react. In this moment a little amount of force is developed to
transmit the signal to the shoulders and upper body. A strong force is
developed in the contact surface at the peak of a boleo, when the change
of direction occures. Afterward, the force is reduced again to zero.
What usually happens when a strong frame is teached:
a)Unnecessary strong tension is sustained by the shoulders and inhibits
the mobility of the thorax which is necessary to dislocate the movement
of the hips from the upper body. Breathing in the chest is inhibited and
reduced to the abdomen.
b) The tension of the arms is missused to assure the balance. Little
imperfections of each partners balance are transmitted directly to the
other.
c) A lot of figures require indepedent movement of one partner
respective to the other, not only sacadas, but also a simple ocho.
During this movements the shoulders should stay almost parallel to each
other, but they are shifted, so a certain flexibility is necessary. A
overtensioned arm inhibts this flexibility.
d) The tension of the arm, shoulders and neck produces pains an limits
the possible amount of "fun"

So, how can you teach/learn the wright balance between strong and
relaxed, presence and stiffnes?

Andy

Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2002 12:09:45 -0500
From: Sergio <cachafaz@ADELPHIA.NET>
Subject: Soft arm

Andy Ungureanu has some relevant comments in reference to this topic.

"Dear Sergio,
I am interested in some examples of the "certain exercises".

A typical exercise for beginners to get the idea of what the frame should
feel like is:

The members of the couple face each other, they connect by their palms (the
left palm of the leader to the right of the follower and the right of the
leader to the left of the follower), the arms are not extended there is some
flexion at the elbows. The students are told they are holding a pane of
glass between their hands. They should apply certain pressure for the glass
pane not to fall to the floor. They walk forward and backward holding this
position. As they walk they also practice the tango walk.

"In a direct sense, there is a contradiction between "strong" and
"relaxed". I can deal much better with a (very) soft arm then with a
overtensioned arm."

The meaning of "strong" and "relaxed" is very well explained by your note.
The arm is present but not stiff. It just offers a certain, necessary
resistance. It is not extended nor overextended, there is flexion at the
elbow.
It is placed where you described and remains there through the duration of
the dance.

"So, how can you teach/learn the right balance between strong and
relaxed, presence and stiffnes?"

The instructor or his assistants observe the dancers during practice. He
dances with those that seem to have problems with frame and posture and as
he does he fine-tunes both to correct the problems that are developing.

In summary: the arm (left of the man-right of the lady) is present but not
stiff, it remains half way between both partners, it is usually placed
somewhere between the levels of the lady's mouth and that of the man's nose,
but it could be higher or lower according to personal preference. It has
some flexion (90 degrees or more)at the elbow.

Un abrazo.

Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 15:20:14 +0100
From: Eero Olli <eero.olli@ISP.UIB.NO>
Subject: Re: Soft arm

>So, how can you teach/learn the wright balance between strong and
>relaxed, presence and stiffnes?
>Andy

I will not try to give a complete answer, but rather one partial apporach
that I feel often helps. Parts of this exercise are simple and can be used
on the very first tango lesson. Other parts require finesse.

The setting:
Take the dansing couple and make them stand facing each other without
touching each other. hands are hanging down, relaxed shoulders. Then they
should hold each others hands, arms stil just hanging down.

The point:
* the frame is about communicating information forth and back, and a stiff
frame is one way to do it, but it is no good...
* this is a different grip, that allows for some of the same functionality
as regular abrazo, but makes stifness wery obvious and awkward.
* by holding hands, the focus is not on the frame but on touch. touch can
contain so much more information.
* when people have a problem, I find it much more effective to go 'around'
instead of to focus on what is 'wrong'. i.e. improve what is good...

Exercises:
* Make them feel each others hands. Check how is their grip. try to find a
grip that is 'warm and close', not tight and forcefull, or cold and limp.
Both should be holding each others hands: check that it is 'mutual' and not
just the womans hand in the mans hand.
* Ask them to close eyes and feel each others breath through the hands.
* Ask them to move around very slowly and simple. Check that the men are
leading with their body, not just hands.
* Keep focus on touch - not frame. They will usually find the frame
themselves. Because it is a sympterical grip - the frame becomes usually
symmetrical without any effort.
* Ask them to focus on timing. how to movement starts and how it ends.
* Repeat: Make them feel each others hands. Check how is their grip. try to
find a grip that is 'warm and close', not tight and forcefull, or cold and
limp.
* Allow them to consider each step as a continum of weightshifts from one
foot to the an other. ask them to do non-complete movements with a random
points of change(for example move twothirds over, change direction, half
back, change direction and complete.) it is possible to stop and continue,
stop and change direction, or change direction without a stop at ANY point.

* ask the couple to go find a good abrazo, with the the same touch as when
they were holding hands. Make them to forget about frame (but it of course
have to be 'correct'). If they THINK about frame they get often stiff. Put
them into the right position, and ask them to THINK about touch.

When people recognize how their arms can be used (relaxed and present) in
good two-way communication, the frame often improves significantly.

Musicians often work with this balance between soft/presence/stiffnes, too:
How to create loud strong sounds, without getting stiff themselves. They
know how to do it with their instrument, and they often can apply that
competence into tango, when the recognize that it is the same thing.

I would love to see more excercises! Please, share your own ideas.

Eero Olli
eero@bergentango.no