Argentine Tango Best Practices - 3. Axis

Tip The Bartender, Not Your Partner

I wanted to write about the embrace next - I really did! - but I need to touch first on the topic of axis.

What are people talking about when they refer to your axis?

The axis is an imaginary line that goes from the top of your head, down through the center of your body, to a point between your feet.

If you are standing erect, your axis is almost perfectly vertical or perpendicular to the floor.  People would refer to the way that you are standing in this position as "being on axis."  Gravity works on our body along the axis line, which makes it easy to stand up by ourselves.

If you are lying on a flat bed, your axis is almost perfectly horizontal.

Two dancers who lean into each other and balance on each other to the degree that they could not stand that way by themselves - a position that's common in some, but not all, styles of tango - have an axis that deviates from the vertical by some degree.  I'll say more about this angular axis shortly.

Disregarding for a moment volcadas, colgadas, and dancers who lean on each, most of Argentine tango is danced "on axis".  If your partner steps away from you while you're dancing a forward ocho, you won't fall flat on your face.  Your body is supporting its own weight along your vertical axis.

What if one of those deep leaning couples does a forward ocho?  I would counter that it's not really a forward ocho but rather a set of off axis forward crosses.  (I would argue that it's not a volcada either, as volcadas require that the follower's non-standing leg hangs freely rather than making unassisted crossing movements.)

That said, the deep leaning tango couples are using a controlled axis regardless of the step that they are performing.  The angle and direction of tilt is not random.  The follower leans forward toward the leader, but she doesn't lean to the side at the same time, or it would be very difficult to hold her, let alone lead her.

Time for a definition...

Dan's Theory of Tango Axis: When we dance tango, we are either on axis (vertical axis) or we allow our axis to be tilted in a specific, non-random direction to a specific degree.


Why Is Axis Important?

Axis is important because it impacts our balance, our ability to execute movements smoothly and without undo effort, and it impacts the level of comfort (or discomfort) that we feel with our partners.

It's important to understand axis because sometimes our axis is compromised while dancing.  The compromise often stems from a lack of awareness.


Compromising Our Own Axis

Sometimes we compromise our own axis.  We begin to add a component of lean (often to the side) in an attempt to give more space to our partner.  When we struggle with a particular step or position, we compensate by twisting ourselves up like a human pretzel.

This compensatory tipping causes problems and should be avoided meticulously.  In order to avoid a bad habit, it's important to realize that we're doing it.

Always be aware of your axis.  If you intend to lean, do so at the proper angle for your partner and style.  Otherwise, make certain that you are "on axis," vertical, and balanced at all times.


Compromising Our Partner's Axis

It's very common to have our axis compromised by a partner, typically when their embrace is too stiff or too active.  The leader's left (open side) hand can knock the follower off balance.  The follower's left (closed side) arm or hand can connect too inflexibly with the leader's body and knock him off axis.


A Classic Faux Pax

I see this every so often, and it makes me cringe to the point where I can't even watch the couple.  Ochos, that simple pattern that we learned as beginners, can become a hideous, torturous nightmare when the axis of the person doing the ochos (typically the follower) becomes compromised.

If the leader attempts to pivot the follower before she completes her forward or backward step, the result is that she pivots while leaning to the side.  This looks bad aesthetically, and it can cause harm to her body.

Pivoting someone one while they are leaning sideways is tantamount to cruel and unusual punishment, and as a result, I believe that it has officially been outlawed in the United States. ;-)


Regaining Control

Axis is a critical component of proper tango technique regardless of whether the axis is vertical or maintained at a controlled angle.

Anything that compromises our or our partner's axis makes the dance physically much more challenging.

Be aware of your axis at all times.  Is it where you want it to be?  Are you letting it become compromised?

Be aware of your partner's axis as well.  Whether you lead or follow, be sensitive to the fact that your embrace could be knocking your partner off balance.  Keep your arms relaxed, let them adapt freely to different positions, and leaders please, never, ever, ever lead with your arms.  Ever!

¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!

Daniel

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Argentine Tango Best Practices - 2. Balance and Stability

Balance and Stability

Our bodies contain sophisticated control mechanisms that allow us to stand and move on two legs.  Through practice, we can develop these mechanisms for increased agility and assuredness as we tackle the demanding movements of Argentine Tango.


An Awakening

I would like to share an experience that illustrates the importance of balance and stability, and why I recommend dedicated practice time for these vital skills.

One night I went to a class presented by tango masters Claudio Villagra and Guillermina Quiroga.  I had been studying tango for a few years and felt quite confident in my dancing.  Claudio and Guillermina presented a sequence from one of their beautifully choreographed performances.

The sequence required the leaders to execute a back sacada after a 270-degree reverse pivot, while simultaneously leading the follower through a turn.  The steps of the turn and the entrance of the sacada had to be synchronized precisely. 

The leaders - and I include myself - began to gravitate toward the better followers in the room.  I think that most of us realized that we wouldn't be able to execute the sequence unless we were paired with a 'good partner'.

Claudio saw what was going on and put a stop to it immediately.

"No no no no no no no!"

"Leaders, you must not rely on your partner to help you through the step," he insisted.  "You must be able to lead this step with any follower."

Class participants were standing in a circle.  Claudio motioned to the nearest follower.  Together, they danced the entire sequence flawlessly.

Claudio took the next follower in the circle into his embrace.  They, too, danced the sequence flawlessly.

With the third follower, perfection.  The fourth - well, you get the idea.

Claudio performed the step flawlessly with NINE FOLLOWERS IN A ROW, including some of the ones whom the guys in the class were deliberately avoiding.

I was in awe.  To this day, I am in awe of Claudio's skill as a dancer.  He's superhuman.


The Lesson

Afterward, I asked Claudio and Giullermina if I could take a lesson with them while they were in New York.  I secretly wanted to understand more about Claudio's 'superhuman' ability to lead any and all followers through a challenging sequence.  They were very nice, and we arranged a time and place to meet.

I spent an hour working with both of them and then a second hour working with Claudio alone, who had me work on exercises for balance.  My Goodness!  What a revelation!  Let's just say that the exercises brought certain weaknesses to light with devastating clarity.

Here I was thinking of myself as an 'advanced' tango student, and yet I was wobbling and stumbling all over the place.  Claudio would demonstrate an exercise with smoothness and accuracy. I would make my attempt and stumble all over myself.

The experience was humbling and enlightening.  I understood how Claudio could dance so smoothly and effectively with any follower.  He had AMAZING skills that I simply did not possess.

My weakness had been exposed, and it had to change.  I was determined to turn my struggles with balance into an asset.

I rented floor space and worked on my balance exercises.  At practicas, I would go off to a corner by myself where I worked on balance exercises.  Week after week, month after month, I devoted time and effort.  It wasn't easy, and improvement came slowly.  But it got better, and my dancing improved along with it.

To this day, I dedicate regular practice time toward maintaining and improving my balance.


Stability

Stability and balance are closely related.  I see balance as an ability to control our own bodies and stability as the ability to maintain our balance in the presence of outside interference. Can you walk smoothly alone at a slow pace?  That's balance.  Can you maintain that smooth walk when your partner is falling off balance?  That's stability.

I tell my students that the secret to stability is dog food.  The more dog food that you eat...

Okay, that was a joke.  You don't actually EAT the dog food.  You catch it.  Or at least you imagine yourself catching it.  Imagine someone tossing a large bag of dog food toward you, and you have to catch it.

If you do this exercise in earnest, you'll feel muscles engaging in your hips, thighs, and abdomen.  The muscles aren't tight, but they're ready to jump into action when the mass of the bag arrives.  Your knees will be bent slightly to increase stability and mobility.

The feeling in your body when you imagine catching a heavy object is something that you should maintain throughout your tandas.


Exercises

You can work on your balance and stability in a variety of ways.

• Walk slowly forward and backward.  Start with one step for every two strong beats in the music (approximately one step every two seconds), and work up to one step every four strong beats.
• Practice forward and backward ochos by yourself without hanging onto a partner or a wall.  Begin with pivots of ninety degrees and work up to 180 degrees and beyond.
• Take a workshop on embellishments, which are also a good way to improve your balance.
• Review the dog food exercise.  Use the image to prepare your body for dancing.

That should be enough to get you started.  Ask your teacher for more advanced exercises when this material becomes comfortable.


Conclusion

I'd like to leave you with three rules of thumb for balance and stability.

1 - Don't ask your arms to do work that your legs can do more effectively.

2 - Don't rely on your partner to help you keep your balance.

3 - Don't expect to execute challenging material smoothly until you have invested time and effort on the fundamentals of balance and stability.

¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!

Daniel

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Argentine Tango Best Practices - 1. Music

A Timeless Love Affair Between Music and Movement

The Argentine Tango is an advanced spacecraft ready to take us on fantastic journeys through the physical and emotional universe.  Music is the powerful fuel that propels that craft.

The more that you understand about music, the farther and faster your tango spaceship will soar.

Music is fundamental to all dance regardless of genre.  We can dance without music, but to do so we need to have music, or at least a clear and well-developed sense of rhythm actively imagined in our minds.

The best dancers that I know - and those whom I have not met, but whose work I admire - tie every movement to music.  Music influences all aspects of their tango, from step selection to the form and feel of their embrace, the pace, rhythm, and intensity of their walking steps, the speed and shape of their turns, even the amount and quality of their adornments and embellishments.

Music has the power to inspire creativity and direct improvisation in real time.  It influences not only how we move, but how we hold each other, how we think an even how we breathe.  Watch a pair of elegant dancers in action.  Even their pauses are tied to details that they hear in the music.

When my students - even those at the beginner level - struggle with a technique or a figure, I put on music that supports the movement, and everyone dances better right away.

I have written about musicality in the past, and I plan to write much more on the topic in future posts, so I'll skip the details here.  Here, I simply want to express how important music is to the Argentine Tango and how much we all stand to gain from a study of music as it applies to dance. 

Note that music is Number One on my list of 'best practices'.

On a cautionary note, I have seen dancers with considerable skill who lack the ability to dance musically.  As impressive as their movements are, they suffer from a lack of connection to the fundamental driving force of dance, the source of emotion and power within the tango, the music.

Watching dancers who struggle with this limitation is like listening to someone tell jokes in a language that we don't understand.  We don't get it.  Because they don't get it.

So, please please please!  Dance as musically as you can, even if musicality is a struggle for you.  I understand that this skill comes much more easily to some dancers, but everyone can improve.  The musical novice can improve, and the musical expert can improve as well.

Keep working hard, and progress will come.

¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!

Daniel

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