Twas The Milonga Before Christmas

One Night In Tango

Last evening, I went to a milonga for the first time in quite a while. I wanted to relax and enjoy myself and forget about work and recent challenges. It was a Christmas milonga with special performers. I had looked forward to this evening for days.

The event didn't start off so well. The music selection was lackluster and a fight broke out. They separated the two guys and tried to get them to calm down, but a few minutes later, they went at it again. 

The mood was all but ruined at that point. We sat for a while without dancing. We considered leaving, but we'd gone to the effort to get dressed up and go out in the frigid weather, so we decided to dance a bit more and wait for the show.

I felt rusty at first - it had been a while since I'd last laced up my tango shoes - but after a few tandas, I was feeling like a dancer again. 

During one break, a well-dressed lady approached and asked whether we were from out of town. We said that we were local but that we didn't get out as much as we used to. She said, "Well, you dance beautifully together, and he's the best leader on the floor!"

We thanked the lady for her gracious compliments - I have to admit that that felt good after all that I've been through recently. We shared introductions and got back to dancing. A short while later, Junior and Guadalupe performed erasing all doubt as to whom the best leader on the floor really was. ;-)

Despite the rough start, it was an enjoyable evening. We danced well together, not just technically, but with passion and connection and synchronicity. The Significant Other was in such a good mood that she sent me off for a tanda with the lady who had complimented us earlier. Thank Santa, because that doesn't happen very often.


It wasn't a perfect night, but it was memorable and fun. Junior is always amazing; it was a thrill to watch him perform live again. It felt good to be back in the saddle, to move with the music and have my body respond to what my mind asked of it. I'm already looking forward to next time. I needed this.

Merry Christmas to All!

¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!

Daniel

Copyright © 2016 The Exploring Tango Blog

www.exploringtango.com

All Rights Reserved

It's All About The Follower

Focus On The Shared Experience

Imagine a milonga where every leader is fully dedicated to serving the needs of the follower, keeping her comfortable, taking care of her balance, holding her in a safe, comfortable embrace, providing a clear, sensitive lead that never exceeds her abilities, giving her time to recover when she needs it, shielding her from danger on the dance floor, and being supportive of her one-hundred percent of the time, especially when she misses a cue and strays from what he intended for her to do. Every leader in the room is dedicated to giving any follower that he dances with an enjoyable, fulfilling, and pleasantly memorable experience. 

Imagine that for a moment.

Imagine a milonga where EVERY follower feels special and knows the value of her role in the dance, where EVERY follower feels valued, respected, and appreciated regardless of her level of experience, regardless of her technical abilities, regardless of her age, size, or general level of attractiveness, regardless of her social connections. The leaders express delight when they have the opportunity to dance with her and file their tanda together with joy, passion, and playfulness. The leader does everything in his power to make the follower feel like the focus of their shared experience - as she should.

Imagine that for a moment. 

Do you think that followers who received that level of experience might want to come back for more? Would they come back to your milonga? Would they want to dance with those leaders again? Or leaders who subscribed to the same philosophy?

-

My first tango teacher drummed this lesson into the heads of the leaders in her classes, that the prime responsibility of the leader was to make the follower feel safe and comfortable and accepted. Give her an embrace that makes her feel safe and secure and respected. Give her a lead that's clear and patient so she never has to wonder about where she is going or where she has been. Be supportive and patient, so she never feels that she has let you down. Take responsibility for floor craft and watch the traffic on the dance floor, so she doesn't have to worry about having other dancers crashing into her. Get her out of danger when it arises, even if you have to put your own body between her and careless or rambunctious people. 

This philosophy has served me well over the years, but it took me a while to adopt it fully. 

Everyone understands the importance of protecting the follower from danger. That's a no-brainer. I wanted the ladies who danced with me to have a nice time. As I learned more about the embrace over time, I gave that more attention as I switched from follow to follower at the milonga.

But I have to admit, I wasn't fully ready to accept that my whole role was to make the follower feel good about the dance. I mean, what about me? When would I be able to express myself? Did I have to give up the advanced techniques that I had learned and practice? Did I have to hold back and slow things down when I really wanted to go crazy with a piece of expressive music.

The answer is, yes, I did have to scale back my ambitions at times. But I realized over time that this is not a sacrifice.

Think of it this way. I go to a milonga and dance fifteen tandas. I have a choice. I can focus on the needs of each follower and have fifteen awesome tandas where everyone had a great time - and they'll all want to dance with me again. Or, I can go in and try my most complex stuff and have mixed bag of tandas ranging from good to OK to barely tolerable to complete train wreck. Over time, I learned where my true preferences fell. I wanted to shoot for the highest success rate possible, every tanda, every follower, every night.

-

I had a great mentor when I started out in tango, a fellow student who was a few years ahead of me yet who always encouraged me. He set a great example. On occasions where there weren't enough followers in class, this guy and I would end up dancing together. (We're both pretty tall.) 

His lead was AMAZING! Even though I wasn't a follower, I knew exactly where he wanted me to do. Every instruction was clear and well-timed. The embrace was comfortable - no pushing, pulling, no twisting of wrists, no compensation with force. He never impeded my movements or knocked me off of my axis. And he was always super-supportive and encouraging in his comments. 

That's the kind of leader that I wanted to be. It took me a while. I had to practice, and I had to accept some things that I didn't want to accept in the beginning. But the rewards for making ladies comfortable and treating them well have been astronomical.

-

So, to any leader who has bothered to read this far, I would encourage you to re-read those first few paragraphs. I'm sure that you are doing lots of nice things for your followers already, but would you be able to do some things better? Can you shift your focus more toward enhancing the follower's experience of the dance? Can you derive your own sense of satisfaction from the satisfaction that you give to your partner?

Take this as an exercise. It's not something that you can accomplish without some trial and error. Your ego will argue with you at first, I can promise you that. But try setting the follower's experience as your standard and moving toward that objective. You may be surprised where it can take you in the long run.

¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!

Daniel

Copyright © 2016 The Exploring Tango Blog

www.exploringtango.com

All Rights Reserved

   

Take Care Of Yourself

Avoid Injury at Any Cost

I almost didn't take that workshop - it was getting late, and I had long drive ahead. 

Further, I generally avoid classes on volcadas. Teachers don't always explain the technique well, and even when the instruction is clear, many students have difficulty with the execution. Imagine a roomful of eager but under-prepared students hanging desperately from each other's shoulders while struggling to keep from tumbling to the floor. 

As an aside, on occasions when I have had a chance to teach volcadas, I stressed safety first and put the students through exercises to prepare them to execute the technique properly. With proper technique and clear advice on avoiding mistakes, most students can learn to perform a smooth and relatively struggle-free volcada in a short amount of time. And no one gets hurt, which is the most important factor.

Anyway, back to that fateful day. The instructors promised to show a new volcada technique that was (supposedly) gaining popularity in Buenos Aires.

Wow! That sounds interesting! Please tell us more!

Alarm bells went off in my head when they described what we were going to do. "That doesn't sound like a good idea!" I should have listened. Instead, I decided to keep an open mind and try it. 

The "new technique" was to execute the volcada with a momentary separation between leader and follower. The leader encourages the follower to lean forward, lets go of her for a split second so she is literally falling forward, and then catches her before she hits the floor.

Oh, that sounds so dramatic! So exciting! So lucrative for orthopedists and chiropractors!

One of the cardinal rules of partners dancing is that you NEVER, EVER, EVER put weight onto your partner's shoulders - not by leaning, not by hanging, and definitely not in the process of falling. Doing so puts your partner's spine in extreme danger. 

One of the dirty secrets of dance instruction is that many professional dancers are forced to cope with lower back injuries. They sustained these injuries when someone - often a student - grabbed onto them for balance. One moment, one slip, can easily turn into a lifetime of pain.

Your legs are there to support your weights; that's their job. Let them DO their job. If you walked into the building without hanging on to the walls, you can dance without hanging onto a partner.

During the fateful volcada workshop, one rather tall young lady followed the instructions and fell forward. But instead of waiting for me to catch and support her torso, she threw all of her weight down on my shoulders through her left arm. I felt a horrible "pop." 

Boom! Welcome to the back injury club! You're now a lifetime member!

The pain went away after two months, but it get aggravated from time to time. I have been struggling with it this week. I bent down to tie my shoes one morning, and as I stood I felt that old familiar pop. One moment can change your life.

If something seems risky, if you feel that a technique isn't being explained well, or if someone is making you physically uncomfortable with their embrace, please, for the sake of your health and your future in dance, get out of that situation. Even at the risk of seeming rude, just stop and walk away. I would rather be a person that no one likes than one who has to live with a spinal injury.

Be safe. And don't put up any nonsense, even from dancers and teachers that you otherwise respect and admire.

¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!

Daniel

Copyright © 2016 The Exploring Tango Blog

www.exploringtango.com

All Rights Reserved

   

Teaching The Cross (Cruzada)

Fundamental Challenges

Ah, Argentine Tango! You don't make anything easy for us, do you? Even your most fundamental step sequences contain technical elements that will keep devoted students sweating (and cursing) for years!

The cross (Cruzada) is a good example. This common and widely performed movement is part of one of the first sequences that beginning tango students learn (the 8-count basic or salida).

If you're not familiar with the term, the movement itself is easy to visualize. While walking backward, the follower momentarily crosses one foot (usually the left) over the other, transfers her weight onto the crossing foot, and then takes a step with the foot that is now free of weight.


How Hard Can It Be?

It's fairly easy to show someone how to cross their free leg over the weight-bearing foot and transfer their weight to the crossed leg. In my beginner classes, I used to have the followers practice these movements until they could execute the cross several times in rapid succession. Most people can do this after a few minutes of practice.

But here's the root of the problem. If you teach the follower to cross her legs automatically at a specific point in a sequence, she's no longer reacting to the lead, at least for that moment. What if the leader wants her to do something else at that time, something less typical? She'll do what she was been trained to do instead of following the direction of his lead. Expectations will be missed, and spirited discussions may ensue.

The leaders will have their own challenges. If you teach followers to cross automatically, the leaders aren't learning how to lead that movement. The lead for the cross is tricky. Learning to lead the cross effectively requires lots of practice, lots of trial and error with followers who have their teacher's assurance that they can provide honest feedback in class and at practicas. 

Followers who cross automatically won't provide the level of feedback that leaders need in order to improve. When the feedback says, "Hey, look! I'm crossing. You must be doing it right!", the leaders assume that everything is working properly.

When those leaders go out to the milonga, and the followers there don't cross as expected, the leaders will become frustrated. Typically, their lead will force the follower to continue to walk backward.


Balancing Student Expectations With Their Capabilities

The solution to all of this sounds straightforward. Just teach the students to lead and follow the cross. Teach them to do things right from the beginning. Unfortunately, that may not work either.

Leading the cross is challenging and may be too much for some beginners. It's important to encourage beginner students. If you give them material that's too demanding, they may give up and stop coming to classes.

Further, students come to class with the expectation that they are going to learn step sequences. If you focus the class on exercises but don't let the students take away "moves" that they can demonstrate for their family and friends, they'll feel frustrated, and they may not return to take more classes.


Weighing The Alternatives

One approach, and many teachers prefer this, is to just go ahead and teach followers to execute the cross automatically. Yes, this leads to all of the problems and frustrations listed above. Dedicated students eventually will need to revisit the technique of the cross and learn to do it properly if they want their dancing to progress to higher levels. At least the beginners will be happy, even if they aren't leading and following fully.

Personally, I don't care for that approach. I don't want students to develop bad habits that they'll have to revisit and un-learn in the future. The cross isn't impossible. I've taught the technique to lots of beginners. It did take some patience on their part as well as mine, but we got through it, and they were better dancers for the effort that they invested.

My approach was to defer teaching the cross for a few weeks. There are lots of other topics to cover in those early classes: walking to the beat of the music, walking together in a comfortable embrace, leading and following weight changes and side steps, rock steps, forward ochos, and simple patterns built from these components. 

After two or three weeks, most students will have the skill and confidence required to start working on the cross, not as a step in a memorized sequence, but as yet another step that can be led and followed from anywhere, even from simple parallel or cross system walking in the line of dance.

In the following sections, I'll break the lead for the cross down into its component parts and discuss common problems and prescriptions for their resolution.


Technique for Leading The Cross

The lead for the cross has three components. Each component has to be led at the right time and with just the right amount of emphasis. 

1 - The line of dance component that leads the follower to continue to walk backward.

2 - The lateral component leads her to move her center of gravity sideways (in the direction of her right shoulder). This is what encourages her to cross over the other foot.

3 - A brief but well-timed pause in the movement gives the follower a moment to transfer her weight onto the crossing leg. 


Typical Problems and Solutions

1 - If the line of dance component of the lead is too long or too forceful, the follower cannot cross. 

Symptom: The follower has to take a step backward, or she'll risk falling to the floor. She can't even fake a cross.

Solution: Leaders, think of the cross as a step that's half of the length of a normal walking step. Make your own step short, and don't ask the follower to step back too far. When the step is the right size, the cross will come much more easily.

2 - The lateral component isn't long enough. 

Symptom: The follower steps beside her standing foot without crossing it. 

Solution: Leaders, think about leading her belly button to cross (laterally) the toes of her standing foot. That image should give her enough impulse to cross over to the other side.

3 - The pause isn't well timed, or it's not long enough.

Symptom: The follower will seem rushed or off balance at some point. The exit from the cross will be rough.

Solution: Leaders, be aware of each follower's pace or movement. Not everyone crosses at the same speed. Advanced followers will tune into the lead for clues as to how quickly or slowly they should cross, but less experienced dancers will move at their own pace. Be aware of when they change their weight. Never move until they have completed the transfer. When in doubt, slow down.


The Value of Instruction

Teachers need to weigh their students needs and expectations. Many times we are called upon to teach tango to a roomful of people who have never danced before and who are unlikely to pursue the dance beyond that event. In these cases, do what you can to encourage them and to show them a good time. You don't need to break down the technical components of each movement.

But when you work with students who are eager to learn and who plan to spend more than a few weeks in your classes, it's best to err on the side of doing things the right way. I don't want to look a student in the eye and tell them that I took money from them while teaching them short cuts that were fun but were of limited utility. 

I assume that students come to classes to learn and to improve over time. I prefer to teach them in a way that will support their long-term development rather than showing them fun bits that won't do much to help move them forward. 

¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!

Daniel

Copyright © 2016 The Exploring Tango Blog

www.exploringtango.com

All Rights Reserved

   

Pros and Cons of Teaching Sequences

"Just show me the steps!"

Most of the tango classes that I have taken over the years were structured around a sequence of steps and related movements. The teacher demonstrates the sequence at beginning of the class. Next, they'll show the first few steps in isolation so the students can attempt to replicate the movements. 

The students practice this section of the sequence by repeating it over and over with various partners. The teacher observes and offers corrections and clarifications. Their comments may include tips or an explanation of technical details that are important to executing the sequence. 

When the teacher feels that the students have made progress, they continue on to the next part of the sequence. This process continues until the end of the sequence is reached or until class time expires.


A Note On Terminology

Sequences are sometimes referred to as patterns, combinations, or simply steps. These terms are used interchangeably. I'll explain below in an appendix why I prefer to call them sequences.


Why Are Classes Structured This Way?

The simple answer is that this is what students expect. They want to learn a sequence of steps that they have never seen before. They feel that this is the best way for them to expand their dance vocabulary. (It's not, but that's another matter.) The students picture themselves performing the sequence at an upcoming milonga and hopefully gaining attention if they perform it well.

You can't fight the tide. Students expect to learn sequences, and if you don't give them what they want, eventually, they'll stop coming to class. Other topics, even important topics like musicality, simply won't hold the interest of the average student for very long.


The Pros of Learning Sequences

All hope is not lost. Sequences are effective teaching tools. A sequence provides a framework for introducing and discussing important techniques. When a technique is introduced in context, it's easier for the student to remember it.

A sequence also provides a framework for discussing musicality, floor craft, quality of movement, and other essential components of the dance.

A well-crafted sequence is an encapsulation of dance logic. As students repeat sequences, they absorb important techniques and concepts, even though they might not fully understand those concepts.

And, as mentioned, students expect to be taught sequences. They feel a sense of accomplishment when they can perform the sequence by the end of class. When the students are happy, they keep coming back and working on their dance technique. Obviously, it's not good for their progress if they get bored and stop coming to class.

Sequences are indispensable building blocks in the process of learning to dance. Learning a dance without studying useful sequences would be like learning a language without studying common phrases. But this highlights the limitation of sequences as a teaching method. A language student won't be able to converse fluently if their study is restricted to the memorization of phrases. They need to be able to adapt their responses dynamically to meet the demands of different situations. The same principle applies when learning to dance.


The Cons of Learning Sequences

A class where students repeat the same sequence over and over again can be particularly unpleasant for followers. Effective following requires the ability to react in the moment to unexpected variations in the lead. Repeating the same sequence for fifty-five minutes isn't helpful. 

A sequence-oriented class can provide followers with an opportunity to focus on technique. Even so, the value of repetition to followers is questionable. Can followers assimilate techniques effectively in an environment where the lead is predictable? In other words, will they be able to execute those techniques when they are following the leads of different partners at the milonga? 

The Argentine tango in its ideal state is improvised and unpredictable. Nothing in tango is more challenging than following an improvised lead. Classes should be structured in a way that supports the development of critical following skills. Sequence repetition falls short of this objective.


Let Them Eat Cake

If a sequence is an encapsulation of dance logic, how much of that logic can be learned through simple repetition?

Imagine that you sign up for a baking class. The teacher gives you a slice of cake at the beginning of class. It's delicious. Then they give you the recipe and help you to bake the same cake.

You feel happy. You learned how to do something that you weren't able to do before. But you learned only how to make that one cake. If you want to learn how to make something else, you'll have to take another class.

An experienced baker doesn't need a recipe to know how to make a different kind of cake. They can make dozens of kinds of cakes, including cakes that no one has ever created before. They can do this because they understand the basic principles of baking. 

(The baker still enjoys reviewing recipes from other bakers. They'll do this to pick up new ideas. But they don't depend on having someone show them how to bake things.)

Where do tango sequences come from? Is there a secret encyclopedia of tango movements that's off limits to social dancers? There is a historic tradition of choreography that performers have created over time. Some teachers present steps that they have seen in a performance. But in many cases, the teacher simply creates the sequence from a toolkit of fundamental components.

How does a skilled teacher create new steps on the fly, steps that students will pay to learn? The answer is simple. They understand the components better than the students do. 

Ah, but how did they develop this advanced understanding? And can the students develop it, too?

Most tango students beyond the beginner level can learn to understand the principles behind the workings of a tango sequence. Most students can learn enough to begin create not only their own sequences, but full, original choreography. Unfortunately, they're not likely to arrive at this level of understanding if all they do is repeat other people's movements. 

An advancement in understanding requires an extended period of analysis and experimentation. Students who simply show up to consume the step of the week aren't going to develop that level of understanding, no matter how many years of classes they take.


Alternatives to Sequence Memorization

Here are some alternative approaches that you can try with your students. They'll still be learning sequences in your classes, so hopefully you won't face an angry rebellion.

1. Variations on a Theme

Teach the sequence, but decide on at least one decision point where an alternative version can be introduced. Have the students alternate between versions. The leaders have to think in real time, and the followers have to pay attention and follow a lead that isn't entirely predictable.

For beginner and pre-intermediate students, I found it useful to develop a coded signal for the leaders. I could get them to lead a particular variation in real time without tipping off the followers. Those classes were always a lot of fun!

2. Super Sequence

Combine a few sequences that they already know into a longer sequence, a mini-choreography of sorts. It adds a degree of difficulty for both the leader and the follower, and students always seem to enjoy the experience. For more advanced classes, ask the leaders to mix sequences randomly. Just don't be surprised if they struggle with this. Again, you can develop a system of coded messages if you feel that the leaders would benefit from some interactive guidance.

3. Sequence On The Fly

Poll the class for ideas and make up a sequence using some or all of the elements that they suggest. This technique tends to generate lively discussions. Most importantly, it helps to demystify the sequence development process. Hopefully, some of the students will come away with the confidence to explore their own possibilities.  



Appendix on Terminology

Sequence, Combination, Pattern, Step - These terms are used interchangeably in the tango community. There's no right or wrong way to use these terms - People will usually understand what you mean by context. - Here, I am listing my own preferences for clarity.

I prefer the term "sequence" or "step sequence" because I feel that it describes the concept clearly.

Combination, to me, implies a combination of multiple sequences, like the "Super Sequence" that I mentioned above.

Pattern, to me, sounds more conceptual such as a rhythmic pattern of slow-slow-quick-quick steps in a molinete.

Steps, to me, are more fundamental, atomic movements. A forward step. A step to the side. A back cross step. A rock step. If find it confusing when people refer to an entire sequence as "the step." I find myself wondering, "which step?"

¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!

Daniel

Copyright © 2016 The Exploring Tango Blog

www.exploringtango.com

All Rights Reserved

   

Keep Working On It

Improvement Happens When You're Too Busy To Notice

I had a wonderful experience a few years ago when a former practice partner joined me for a trip to the milonga. We hadn't seen each other for a couple of years - her job had taken her overseas - but when she passed through New York, we found room in our schedules for some tango.

Our dances together were sheer joy. We always had a natural tango chemistry. I used to joke with her that we could go six months without dancing and pick up right where we left off. Now, even after two years, our partnership was still as smooth and connected as ever.

At one point, when I did a step sequence that we used to practice together, my friend let out an audible "Wow!" 

I was surprised. "We used to do that step all the time!" 

"I know," she recalled, "but it's so much smoother now!"

In my mind, I was executing the step the same the way that I always had. But to my friend who hadn't danced with me in two years, the improvement that I had made in two years of additional practice was not only apparent, but obvious. 


The moral of the story is: Keep working on it!

If it's rough, keep working on it. Focus on what you need to do to improve it, and over time it will get better.

If you think that it's pretty good already, keep working on it. Techniques can always be improved. You won't see the improvement, but your friends will notice when the time comes.

If you think that your technique is already spectacular, keep working on it. The best of the best in every field continue to strive to improve. They work on improving their technique every day. That's why they're the best of the best.


Until next time ... Keep working on it!

¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!

Daniel

Copyright © 2016 The Exploring Tango Blog

www.exploringtango.com

All Rights Reserved