2978  [tango-uk] floorcraft etiquette

Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2004 07:07:34 EST
From: LGMoseley@AOL.COM
Subject: Re: [tango-uk] floorcraft etiquette

We consciously teach navigation with exercises in which people (teachers or
other students) deliberately occupy space near the dancing couple. The dancing
couple can do a variety of things, in part depending on where they are and
what the pattern of dancers on the floor may be:

If you (and those behind you are being held up, and you wish to move on) -
examples only:-


1. Be aware of the fact. For example, if you feel that you are being held up
by the people in front of you, do any figure which permits you to glance or
look behind you.
2. Make a move into corner to give yourself space e.g. a turning closing
finish, half a Giro, a Media Luna, a Rulo, or a Barrida and Llevada.
3. Do a number of closing finishes - one to your right, a few steps forward,
then one to your left, for example, to overtake the couple who are holding
things up.
4. Do a reverse start, but moving backwards into a corner or towards the
wall (so that you are not stepping backwards at anyone), and then change
direction and move off.
5. You can always create space behind you by adjusting your line of dance,
as in 3 or 4 above, and then move off with some quicks. With experience, you
can use this as a neat way of interpreting the music. One way of doing that is
to dance through the Cross.

If you and those behind you are being held up, and you do not wish to move
on (e.g. because it is obvious that there is no space for the couple in front
of you themselves to move on), but you wish to keep dancing:-


1. Be aware of the fact. For example, if you feel that you are being held up
by the people in front of you, do any figure which permits you to look behind
you (Yes - that is a repetition - and it was deliberate)
2. Do a few cunitas to give the people in front time to move off.
3. Embellish without changing position
4. Dance any figure in a circle (you can even do a Basic 8 in a circle,
rather than a straight line, if you wish to do so)
5. Do a 360 degree molinete
6. Do a Callesita to give you an opportunity to have a look around.
7. Again, Barridas and Llevadas keep you dancing without forcing you to
occupy other peoples' space

Indeed, almost anything is possible. The first step is to help people to
dance so that they are aware of other couples, especially those behind them. The
really impolite ones, in my view, are:

A. Those who try to do their fancy Tango Fantasia moves in utterly
inappropriate places, often interfering not only with those behind them, but also
others around them at various angles (although they are OK when the couple have
manoeuvred to a more appropriate place)
B. Those who moon along, often with eyes closed, apparently unaware of, and
unconcerned about, other couples on the floor. This may not be a problem when
the lady is behaving in this way, but it certainly is if the man is so doing.

These are only examples. The general point is that teachers should be able
to find ways of teaching floorcraft. Sure, you should tell students that they
need to be aware, polite, and skillful in avoiding causing problems to others.
However, simply telling them is not enough.Teachers should go beyond that,
and actually show their students practical ways in which thay can do it. As in
most areas of life, attitude follows behaviour, not vice versa, and
behaviour is teachable.

Incidentally, I suspect that those who are asked to help out by deliberately
getting in the way of other dancers (for learning purposes only) themselves
start to learn to be more aware of the total floor pattern, and to be less of
a nuisance. That makes dancing more pleasant for them as well as for the
others on the floor. Once again, teaching-and-learning is not the same as
dancing, and may require different skills and exercises.

Laurie