2482  Tango festival in Denver & shuffle step.

Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2004 20:04:02 -0700
From: Rick McGarrey <rickmcg@FLASH.NET>
Subject: Tango festival in Denver & shuffle step.

Denver:

This was our fourth Denver tango festival, and I thought this one was the most
fun. Thanks Tom. The DJ's were great- I think certainly as good as the best
in BsAs (this is coming from someone who almost always finds something to
complain about regarding the music). They really know their jobs. And
Alejandra and I enjoyed watching some of the younger dancers (younger than we
are anyway). To me, they are developing a very nice way of moving, and using
the music. But, damn, the floors are getting crowded! Are we being tested, or
what?

Shuffle step:

This is a touchy subject. The underlying implication is that followers in BsAs
are generally better than followers in the U.S.- and I would have to say that
they probably are. When I watch tango I usually look at what the leaders are
doing because that's what I want to learn, but the one thing that I've noticed
about the good Argentine women who dance with the best men dancers is that they
stay very centered and grounded. They rarely move their hips, or let their
legs go very far from under them. It's not flashy, but because they are so
centered at the heel-to-heel position, so balanced, it's easy for them to feel
a push or a weight change in any direction. A small movement by the leader
will tip them off center, and these are the women you usually see dancing with
the best leaders. They are very aware of their equilibrium, and if they feel a
movement by the leader, no matter how small, they will go with it. If they
don't feel it, they do nothing. Many U.S. women look great when they dance,
but they sometimes tend to add a bit more- maybe stylistic things, hip
movement, leg movements, active steps. This added energy can look good, but
the price can be a loss of the ability to respond to subtle movements from the
leader.

Again, maybe a touchy subject- but I don't think we should feel sensitive about
it. We are relative beginners in the U.S. and Europe. Most of the really good
dancers in BsAs have more than 10 years of experience, and many have been
dancing in milongas for 40 or 50 years. The best followers dance with leaders
who know the music. After many years, these men have developed a lot of subtle
ways of communicating- and many U.S. women don't get much experience following
this type of leader. So it's logical that both the leaders and followers in
BsAs with this much experience are going to be pretty good.