4026  Strong Leads, Hammers and Screws

Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 23:28:59 -0800
From: "Trini y Sean (PATangoS)" <patangos@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Strong Leads, Hammers and Screws

This is my solution to Derik's problem with strong
leads and short stepping followers. I'm sending it to
the list because I think many of you will find some
value here. Free bonus at end.

Hola Derik,

Those of us who dance tango in a close embrace know
that most women will match any size step the man
indicates. Some of us have been speculating about why
you cant lead close embrace followers to take long
steps. I think it is directly related to your comment
about being a strong leader.

Even a strong man doesnt have enough leverage to
shove a woman around when she is very close to his
center of gravity and connected to the floor. A strong
lead is unpleasant in an open embrace, but it can be
made to work. (Its like pounding a screw in with a
hammer.) On the other hand, a strong lead is useless
in close embrace.

I have my own way of putting in screws that only
rarely requires a hammer. And my own way of leading
large steps in close embrace that never requires a
strong lead. I bend my knee. Im not saying its the
only way to do it, but it works well for me with most
followers.

Here is a little exercise that you can try by
yourself. Walk across the room twice. Once taking
short steps, and once taking very long steps. Pay
attention to what happens in your body to make the
long steps. You must bend your knees more deeply to
take longer steps. This in turn lowers your center.
Next, try extending your free leg like a follower, as
far as you can  as if you are being lead to a giant
step. The more you bend the knee of the weight bearing
leg, the farther you can extend your free leg. So my
pre-lead for a long step is a deep bend in the knee of
the weight bearing leg. Then we move together. I
learned this technique from Susana Miller, the Queen
of long steps in close embrace.

To lead the follower to take a long step in her
molinete, I do the same thing with my center as I do
to lead a long step walking in line. I drop it by
bending my knee. Then I twist my body to send her to a
long step around me.

If the man keeps his center up, he indicates a short
step. If he twists a lot, he indicates a large step.
If he stays up and twists a lot, he leads two
different things at the same time. When dancing open,
a strong lead can force the woman to compensate:
ignore his center, and follow his facing. Even so, to
take that long step, the woman must drop her center,
which creates a disconnection between them. The turn
will not feel smooth to her. When dancing in close
embrace, the womans center is stuck to the mans
center. Regardless of how much he twists, or how hard
he shoves her, she must take short steps if he doesnt
drop his center.

In the US at least, close embrace dancers are
generally taught to maintain their own axis and
balance. They may look like they are leaning on each
other to an untrained eye, but it is an illusion. If
women lean on you when in a close embrace, it might be
because they are following your center, not your
strong lead. In that case, your strong lead is shoving
them off balance, and they are just holding on for
dear life.

These are just some of my ideas you might try out, and
maybe add a new tool to your collection. It takes more
than a hammer to dance tango.

Sean

P.S. The free bonus: How do I lead large steps in open
embrace? Answer: I bend my knee.

Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 10:10:54 -0700
From: "Igor Polk" <ipolk@virtuar.com>
Subject: [Tango-L] Strong Lead
To: <tango-l@mit.edu>

Dchester,

The lead. Antonyms: Strong and Weak, right?

There is only one way for the good lead: Strong. Weak lead is not lead.

Strong but gentle and sensitive.

It can be soft or sharp, insisting or freeing.

But it is always strong.

Strong lead does not mean rough, it does not mean unconsidering, it does not
mean inexperienced, it does not mean "not with the rhythm", it does not mean
shaky, it does not mean uncomfortable.
Opposite to all of that.

But lead is strong. Otherwise it is not lead.

Good Strong Lead is gentle, sensitive, soft or sharp, considering, done with
the great deal of experience, knowing what to do, precisely with rhythm,
very stable, very comfortable, giving clear signals, playing with the womans
resistance, surprising her, carring her, freeing her for anything she wants,
moving her body and soul.
That what it means - Strong Lead.


And by the way, men - do not forget to dance while you are leading !
Otherwise it is not a dance.

Igor Polk

Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 13:18:07 -0400
From: Carol Shepherd <arborlaw@comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Strong Lead
To: Igor Polk <ipolk@virtuar.com>
Cc: tango-l@mit.edu

I have heard the word 'strong' used very differently about leading
(although I agree with you Igor on weak leading). A lot of times women
will refer to a 'strong' lead as a lead who uses a lot of pressure
(resistance) in the embrace/frame/arms and maybe 'steers' the follow's
body with the frame and or the hand on the back (as opposed to leading
with the chest and body placement). People prefer different amounts of
resistance in dance, although I think the more advanced the dancer, the
less resistance is desired, because it allows more nuance.

Igor Polk wrote:

> Dchester,
>
> The lead. Antonyms: Strong and Weak, right?
>
> There is only one way for the good lead: Strong. Weak lead is not lead.
>
> Strong but gentle and sensitive.
>
> It can be soft or sharp, insisting or freeing.
>
> But it is always strong.
>
> Strong lead does not mean rough, it does not mean unconsidering, it does not
> mean inexperienced, it does not mean "not with the rhythm", it does not mean
> shaky, it does not mean uncomfortable.
> Opposite to all of that.
>
> But lead is strong. Otherwise it is not lead.
>
> Good Strong Lead is gentle, sensitive, soft or sharp, considering, done with
> the great deal of experience, knowing what to do, precisely with rhythm,
> very stable, very comfortable, giving clear signals, playing with the womans
> resistance, surprising her, carring her, freeing her for anything she wants,
> moving her body and soul.
> That what it means - Strong Lead.
>
>
> And by the way, men - do not forget to dance while you are leading !
> Otherwise it is not a dance.
>
> Igor Polk
>
>
>
>
>

--
Carol Ruth Shepherd
Arborlaw PLC
Ann Arbor MI USA
734 668 4646 v 734 786 1241 f
Arborlaw - a legal blog for entrepreneurs and small business
https://arborlaw.com

Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 10:43:22 -0700
From: "Igor Polk" <ipolk@virtuar.com>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Strong Lead
To: "'Igor Polk'" <ipolk@virtuar.com>
Cc: tango-l@mit.edu

We are not talking about beginner's problems here, right Carol?

Steering with arms is a feature of a Weak Lead no matter how paradoxically
it sounds.

More advanced dancer is not characterized that he or she uses less
resistance, but with that that More advanced dancer is able to use broader
range of resistance to fit to music, dancing style, partner, and his own
pleasure.

Igor Polk.

Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 12:15:48 -0700
From: "Igor Polk" <ipolk@virtuar.com>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Strong Lead
To: <tango-l@mit.edu>

Igor(me) said previously:
"Steering with arms is a feature of a Weak Lead no matter how paradoxically
it sounds."

I take it back, sorry.
Steering is NO LEAD.

Week lead means a guy is on the right path to the good strong lead, but
still too weak - unclear, not enough energy, not percise, forgetting about
the lady. Just a bit more work - and it will improve! Become Strong.



Igor Polk