[Tango-L] What Does It Take to Dance Tango?

[astrid]

That is why technique classes are so important for
> women. ..... In milonga, connection is everything."
>
> Tell me about it! I'm taking an techniques class for women this
September -
> I do need stronger muscles and a better sense of axis/balance. But I still
> think there are a few steps I need to pick up - I'm currently at
> Intermediate Level 1 so have a little ways to go yet in terms of tango
> steps.

Yes, absolutely. I don't believe in this "take 3 months or less of tango
classes and then go to milongas only" concept. Most of these people end up
being a nuisance to the other dancers. (sorry, guys...) I have been dancing
for over 7 years and I still take classes sometimes. Practicas are great,
too. Because people are not focused on what they are wearing, who has the
deepest neck lines, who is looking the coolest etc., but they come just to
dance, in a more relaxed atmosphere. And are more forgiving if you make
mistakes. And the lights are on and there is more room on the dance floor,
so you can see what you and other people are doing. And I can see the men at
the other end of the room and practise the cabeceo... My sight is not
blocked by umpteen couples on the floor, some of them bumping into each
other, on a bad day.
>
> I wasn't talking about tango dancers, I was refering to dancers in general
> which is why I mentioned clubs and other venues - but are you sure that
one
> does not need an innate sense of dancing movement and musicality to dance
> well?

Frankly, I don't know. I have listened to music all my life and started
dancing at the age of 14. So whether that sense of musicality and movement
can be developed later in life or not, I really don't know. But I think, it
is never wrong to run tango CDs on your car audio while you are driving,
play tango while you are washing the dishes... I tend to put on music I like
after I have brushed my teeth and maybe dressed myself in the morning, and
lately, breakfast is always eaten at a delay because I can't help dancing
around the dining table before I sit down if the music is playing . I am
sure, you can develop SOME sense that way...
I hear that professional stage dancers start their day by practising their
tango walk, no matter where they are. Hosts in other countries have the
visiting teacher walking up and down in their living room for a long time in
the morning...
I can tell almost immediately if someone has a sense of music or not when I
dance with him for the first time. And if it is a beginner who does, I make
sure that I dance with him more often til he gets better, because he has
potential... And true, men who don't have a sense of music are a drag to
dance with.

 I find there seems to be two classes of tango dancers, those who focus
> on the steps without regard to music and those who focus on dancing to the
> music and that the latter provides a better experience, at least for me
> anyways.

There are also two kinds of tango teachers: those who teach with music, and
those teach without.

I do think there's a distinct difference between those
> who dance because they're naturally good at it and those who seem to focus
> more on going from point a to point b without taking actual dancing into
> consideration.

Yes, you are right. Good description. Typical exemple: you are dancing to a
fast, flowing tango valse, and in the middle of a swinging passage in the
music the guy suddenly stops, does a parada and makes you step over his
foot. Just because this is one of the steps he learned. In my eyes, this is
a dead give away of a lack of musicality. Paradas should be banned
altogether from valse until one is able to dance them really fast and
smoothly.
>
leave the adornos til
> the second year, they just get in the way otherwise.
>
> Ok, I will try to take that advice - but it's hard to not want to learn it
> right away since at Milongas, leaders keep trying to get me to do them and
> it's embarrassing when I stand there clueless as to what it is exactly
they
> are expecting me to do. For example, when they pivot me on the spot as an
> attempt to get me to kick up my left foot behind me then crossing the same
> left foot over my right knee down to my right foot as I go into a cross -
> know what I mean?

This is a boleo.

That's the kind of leading I keep getting at Milongas and
> I feel like a clod for not doing them. If no one teaches me how and I take
> your advice to wait a year, then I'm doomed to another year of
> self-humiliation at Milongas.

A boleo is one of the more advanced moves for a woman. And it is not really
an adorno, it can be one of the steps, in my opinion. You can start by
practising them against the wall maybe 6 months into your tango dancing. Ask
your teacher how to do this. It is basically just a variation from
practising the backward and forward ochos. This does not mean you will be
able to follow a lead for a boleo. You have to learn to stand on one leg
first, and pivot on it too. Not easy. You have to have enough tone in your
back to respond to that twisted fast lead. AND last but not least, you need
a man who knows how to lead a boleo ! Because this is not an easy step to
lead. After I danced for a year, and nobody had ever led me into a boleo (my
teacher did not believe in ganchos and such) we got a new man in our class.
I danced with him, we were walking down the length of the floor together,
and suddenly- wiggle, snap ! - there was my boleo. Produced by him, without
me even thinking about it.
>
keep up the good work
Astrid