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

[Trini y Sean (PATangoS)]

This is somehat true, Christopher.  You've studied
authentic movement, correct?  Getting good quality of
movement in real life is the same between the genders but
adding in leading/following for tango brings in
differences.

There exists a preponderance of different movements between
the different genders.  For example, men don't walk
backwards nearly as much as women.  The technique for that
is different between the genders (men do not extend their
back leg as much).  Regarding spinal movement, for men,
it's more bottom-up, whereas with women, it is more
top-down.  There are also a lot of things men can do so
that the woman can be comfortable, such as making the chest
convex or concave.  Obviously, women do not need to change
the convexity or concavity of their chests to accommodate a
step (as far as I know, anyway, aside than colgadas). 
Knowing these details for their roles are what makes good
dancers...well...good.

Trini de Pittsburgh


--- "Christopher L. Everett" <ceverett at ceverett.com> wrote:

> Trini y Sean (PATangoS) wrote:
> > As has been discussed before, women do need training. 
> I am
> > currently teaching a women's technique class that
> focuses
> > on the quality of movement.  Yesterday, we were working
> on
> > the spinal movement regarding the pivot (which
> minimizes
> > using muscle to pivot) and it opened a lot of eyes.  I
> > heard several times from women about how it was
> something
> > they hadn't thought of before.
> >   
> 
> To this I must relate an episode from my BA experience.
> 
> Afteer taking Mimi Santapa's technique class several
> times
> a week for about 4 weeks, I was in a private with Roberto
> Dentone when he had occasion to show me what a woman
> had to feel during a giro.  He led me through the giro a
> few
> times, and then he exclaimed,that I was a perfect
> follower
> for him, except I was a bit too fat (and of course a
> guy).
> 
> The poiint is that, there is no "women's technique" or
> "men's
> technique", there is only technique.  The history of
> tango,
> especially how men learned during the Golden Age should
> make
> that very clear, yes?
> 
> I am pretty much dead set against the false distinction
> of
> gender related technique.  The biomechnics are identical,
> and teaching women to move differently from men, means
> that someone isn't moving right.
> 
> Christopher
> 


PATangoS - Pittsburgh Argentine Tango Society 
Our Mission: To make Argentine Tango Pittsburgh's most popular social dance. 
http://www.pitt.edu/~mcph/PATangoWeb.htm


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com