I see the same mistakes year after year at milongas and practicas. It's difficult to watch, because in many cases these are simple problems that could have been corrected with awareness and a small amount of effort.
I realize that most tangueros are social dancers who dance for fun. That's wonderful! I want them to HAVE fun. I want them to ENJOY their time on the dance floor regardless of their level of experience. I want them to walk out of the building at the end of the evening feeling confident and energized.
When are you more likely to feel confident and energized? When you're dancing well and your technique is flowing smoothly? Or after an evening of struggle, discomfort, and disappointment?
Opportunities For Avoidance
There are three ways to deal with a challenge: Quit, Avoid, or Improve.
Some people quit. They decide that tango isn't worth the effort anymore, so they more on to other activities. It's sad when people give up on something that once promised so much joy and fulfillment.
A more common way to deal with challenges is to avoid acknowledging them or to avoids taking responsibility for their resolution. We might be tempted to blame others for out difficulties.
"There are no good dancers around here. I have to go to Milonga X to find good people to dance with."
"I'm not coming back to this milonga. The people are rude, and the music is horrible."
"I stopped taking their classes. The material wasn't advanced enough for me."
I hear comments like this quite frequently, and I'll bet that you have, too.
Avoiders are prone to change teachers frequently, jump prematurely to higher level classes, or abandon a neighborhood milonga. None of these choices are inherently bad. But until the person takes responsibility for addressing their own developmental needs, improvement will come slowly and be largely coincidental.
Here's a hint. The quality of your dancing begins with YOU. You'll never outrun your weaknesses. Never. They'll follow you to your last day on Earth unless you face them and take corrective action. Avoidance won't get you to where you want to do.
It Begins With Awareness
Awareness is the first step toward improvement. Maybe by writing about the widespread issues that I'm seeing, I can inspire some folks to strive to change.
Stumbling Blocks
Awareness Exercise Número Uno - This is the single most common technical problem that I see at milongas. I see lots of followers stumbling from step to step instead of moving gracefully with confidence and clarity. Foot placement is hesitant and unsure, as if the follower isn't clear as to when and where to take the step. Movements are tentative and lack smoothness and expression.
Sadly, this is a widespread problem. I see it everywhere I go. But why is this happening? What is the root cause, and how can it be addressed effectively?
I'm certain that every lady at the milonga walked into the salon smoothly and confidently. And I'm certain that they'll walk beautifully when they leave at the end of the evening. Why is it that they can't walk smoothly and confidently when they're dancing in the embrace of a gentleman?
To be fair, the gentleman might be contributing to the problem. Leaders knock followers off balance with some frequency. The leader's embrace might be interfering with her posture at a critical moment. Or the man's lower body might be too far forward, causing the follower to trip over his feet. The timing of his steps might be inconsistent with the timing of his lead.
But we can't always blame the leader, because it's not always his fault. Sometimes the followers fail to take care of their own stability. They rely too heavily on the embrace for support.
A Simple Test
Ladies, sometime when you have a chance to practice with a leader who's willing to work with you patiently, ask him to lead a short sequence of tango steps in three different levels of embrace.
First, run through the sequence in the full embrace.
Now, try the sequence again, but this time let go of each other on the closed side of the embrace. This means that he is not holding you with his right arm, and you are not holding him with your left arm or hand.
Are you still able to execute the steps? Is it more difficult to dance without the full support of the embrace? Do you find that your balance is challenged at one or more points within the sequence?
For the third try, separate a bit further. Now, your only contact point will be your right hand in the leader's left. Don't worry - you won't have to dance like this in a milonga - this is only an exercise. But in order to do the exercise successfully, you'll need to manage your own balance. Your legs will need to support you completely.
Can you do it?
Try the whole three-stage exercise again with a different step sequence. Start in the full embrace. Try it again without connection in the closed-side arms. Then, try it a third time with contact only in the open-side hands.
Ideally, a follower should be able to execute most tango sequences without relying on the leader's frame for balance. There are exceptions, of course, which cannot be done without support from the partner (volcadas, colgadas, lifts). But you should be able to do most steps smoothly and confidently while supported by your own balance.
Please remember that this is only an exercise. Dancing like this in a milonga is not recommended. The embrace is important, and we should use it to its fullest benefit while we're dancing.
But followers shouldn't depend on the embrace for stability. Stability begins with our own legs and hips even when we are dancing very close to our partner. In order to step confidently in response to the lead, the follower needs to feel stable within the structure of her own body.
¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!
Avoiders are prone to change teachers frequently, jump prematurely to higher level classes, or abandon a neighborhood milonga. None of these choices are inherently bad. But until the person takes responsibility for addressing their own developmental needs, improvement will come slowly and be largely coincidental.
Here's a hint. The quality of your dancing begins with YOU. You'll never outrun your weaknesses. Never. They'll follow you to your last day on Earth unless you face them and take corrective action. Avoidance won't get you to where you want to do.
It Begins With Awareness
Awareness is the first step toward improvement. Maybe by writing about the widespread issues that I'm seeing, I can inspire some folks to strive to change.
Stumbling Blocks
Awareness Exercise Número Uno - This is the single most common technical problem that I see at milongas. I see lots of followers stumbling from step to step instead of moving gracefully with confidence and clarity. Foot placement is hesitant and unsure, as if the follower isn't clear as to when and where to take the step. Movements are tentative and lack smoothness and expression.
Sadly, this is a widespread problem. I see it everywhere I go. But why is this happening? What is the root cause, and how can it be addressed effectively?
I'm certain that every lady at the milonga walked into the salon smoothly and confidently. And I'm certain that they'll walk beautifully when they leave at the end of the evening. Why is it that they can't walk smoothly and confidently when they're dancing in the embrace of a gentleman?
To be fair, the gentleman might be contributing to the problem. Leaders knock followers off balance with some frequency. The leader's embrace might be interfering with her posture at a critical moment. Or the man's lower body might be too far forward, causing the follower to trip over his feet. The timing of his steps might be inconsistent with the timing of his lead.
But we can't always blame the leader, because it's not always his fault. Sometimes the followers fail to take care of their own stability. They rely too heavily on the embrace for support.
A Simple Test
Ladies, sometime when you have a chance to practice with a leader who's willing to work with you patiently, ask him to lead a short sequence of tango steps in three different levels of embrace.
First, run through the sequence in the full embrace.
Now, try the sequence again, but this time let go of each other on the closed side of the embrace. This means that he is not holding you with his right arm, and you are not holding him with your left arm or hand.
Are you still able to execute the steps? Is it more difficult to dance without the full support of the embrace? Do you find that your balance is challenged at one or more points within the sequence?
For the third try, separate a bit further. Now, your only contact point will be your right hand in the leader's left. Don't worry - you won't have to dance like this in a milonga - this is only an exercise. But in order to do the exercise successfully, you'll need to manage your own balance. Your legs will need to support you completely.
Can you do it?
Try the whole three-stage exercise again with a different step sequence. Start in the full embrace. Try it again without connection in the closed-side arms. Then, try it a third time with contact only in the open-side hands.
Ideally, a follower should be able to execute most tango sequences without relying on the leader's frame for balance. There are exceptions, of course, which cannot be done without support from the partner (volcadas, colgadas, lifts). But you should be able to do most steps smoothly and confidently while supported by your own balance.
Please remember that this is only an exercise. Dancing like this in a milonga is not recommended. The embrace is important, and we should use it to its fullest benefit while we're dancing.
But followers shouldn't depend on the embrace for stability. Stability begins with our own legs and hips even when we are dancing very close to our partner. In order to step confidently in response to the lead, the follower needs to feel stable within the structure of her own body.
¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!
Daniel
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