2690  teaching close embrace

Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 13:02:04 +0200
From: Eero Olli <eero.olli@ISP.UIB.NO>
Subject: teaching close embrace

Michael asks why is it too difficult for a beginner to dance close. I do not
think it is too difficult.

>Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2004 13:27:16 -0700
>From: Michael <michael@TANGOBELLINGHAM.COM>
>Subject: Re: dancing styles (was: progress report?)
>
>Why is it too difficult for a beginner to dance close? BTW, this is not
>a troll, I am sincerely interested in why people feel this is the case,
>i.e., case histories, what exercises used, what criteria, etc. Going
>back to Randy's OP (see "progress report" thread), he said that his
>students progressed faster when started out in close.

I prefer to mix close and open style in a class.

Basically, I do many exercises (walk & tempo changes) in both open and
closed style, but let students dance mostly in open, and allow them to find
their way to the close embrace, with the people they feel comfortable with.

I try to do following during the first 45 minutes for people who never have
danced tango:

we start without partners:
- we walk in one large circle to the music, and I tell them that this is the
direction of dance, and give a few pointers about walking and posture. keep
it easy and with musicality.
- We do a weight shift, first feet apart, then feet closed.
- then we do a weight shift + a step on my lead, in all directions, now
everybody is behind me.

We form couples.
- we start with a hug, and I tell partners to find and synchronize their
breaths. (most will already now enter a close embrace!). I give them a
minute or two, quite music - watch out for those people who choose to come
out of the hug sooner.
I tell them that hands are used as a tool for listening to the partner. and
the way of touching the had, while they synchronized their breath is the way
we touch always when we dance!
- Then they are allowed to do weight shifts in couples. first without music,
then with music. When you are in a hug, all the leader needs to do is to do
it himself - no pushing.
- Then we open a little bit to a open hug, and they start walking around
carefully, first without any music, just listening to each others.


They know following rules:
1. the dance floor follows same rules as a roundabout in traffic (we have
lots of them here).
2. a weight shift can happen on every step.
3. the leader decides on which foot the dancers stand, and in which
direction the next step comes.

This is all they need to move together to the music without damaging each
other, enjoy a profound contact, and play with an other person. It is not
much, but it is enough for them to understand, how tango is different from
many other dances.

There are several challenges with teaching beginners close embrace, but
challenges can be good, too:

First, Several people have a bad walk, bad posture or under-developed
balance. In close abrazo all these problems can take the fun away from
dancing. However, this is a great teaching-tool. When somebody has
difficulties understanding what their body 'actually' does, using close
embrace (with no hands) will force them to figure it out fast.

Secondly, Some people have issues about being that close to people they do
not know. Thus it can become difficult to rotate the couples enough. One
must take care of these few people, and allow them to keep their personal
limits. It is important to teach women, how they, too, can put a limit for
how close they want to dance, by regulating the height of their left elbow.
I think that if the classes are playful and people feel safe only very few
will feel threatened by a close embrace. (watch for them in the first hug
excersice and have a talk with them, often the problem is just the partner,
but they cannot say this in front of the partner)
The use of close embrace will enhance beginners experience of communication.
Even if they do not now how to do fancy figures, they can at least perform a
walking-hug that keeps everybody happy. :-)
I think that people have a natural need for close contact with other people.
Many people seek this in physical and mental intimacy in tango. It is good
to teach close embrace, but one has also to teach how to control the degree
of intimacy in these situations.

best,
Eero

https://eero.no