[Tango-L] Learning to have a voice

[Melanie Eskoff]

Trini said "BTW, getting women to "speak" more during the dance is
something we?re still working to solve.  That appears to be
much more difficult than getting the man to listen."

Nothing really new here, just wanted to share my take on it.  In my experience both sides can be slow to develop this level of conversation.  Of course, I'm speaking to those who include this concept in their definition of AT!  We all understand that some of you like very defined roles and don't think this is appropriate.  Those persons should all take this opportunity to scroll to the next message or catch up on laundry and shopping.  

Before I started dancing AT, I indulged in West Coast Swing, where, like many dances executed at a high level, a follower who contributes is valued.  One of the ways I learned to have a voice in WC was to put on my favorite songs and dance, as they say, "like no one was watching".  Move to the music.  You get good at what you practice.  It transformed my dance.  I also used this exercise for tango.  If followers get comfortable in their own skin, moving to the music, you will find yourself inserting this expression into the dance at those little moments that occur, where they're appropriate, where they fit in and add to, rather than disrupt the flow of the partnership. If you haven't practiced it ahead of time, it's harder to find it on the fly in the thrill of the moment.  During this practice time you'll will find yourself creating your own adornments and expressions rather than just copying others.  Of course, the greater listening and responding ability of the leader, the more adventurous you can be.  Then I practiced bringing this into the partnership by prefacing practice with my partner by formally asking, "Please excuse me for several songs while I indulge in some things I've been working on.  I won't be following as well as usual."  This allowed me to with play with my own legs, with his legs, with the speed of the dance, etc. with total abandon.  No guilt.  In reality, my following didn't really decline as much as one might think.  It was excellent practice for my partner in listening (something with which he was already familiar from WC).  Since all of the motivation for my expression in this private priactice is motivated by the music, when I bring it to the dance, it feels very natural and is not a "shock" to the leader any more than sudden musical expressiveness on his part is a shock to me since I'm riding the music as I dance.  I remember Rachel & Jaimes teaching an advanced class in Portland a few years ago in which they had all the leaders leave the room and instructed the followers to intentionally take a different step at a particular moment.  The leaders returned and the reaction was as varied as this list.  Some were outraged and glared at the followers for not following.  Some did what most good leaders do when they get something they didn't expect (whether they lead it well or not).  They kept dancing.  And some creative little devils used it to stimulate their own creative jucies and became brilliantly improvisational.  We really do dance who we are.

Trini,  encourage your followers to dance several hours by themselves, then make the formal apology to a partner with whom they're comfortable during practice, and then go a little wild for a song or two.  When they calm back down (or not!) their dance will be changed for the better.  They will learn to break out of the zombie follower mode and listen to the music and their partner AND themselves.  WARNING! Never under any circumstances do this with a monologue-only likes the sound of his own voice-style leader, if you like following him and want him to ask you again.  Leaders like this can be quit charming if they do indeed have a lot of interesting things to say.

Jake (he who writes like a house a'fire, but with slightly less smoke damage), in response to your request for what we think the most important first elements of understanding should be for new dancers,  I feel the above exercise of dancing alone and letting the music become the driving force behind your movement, is a great homework assignment for new dancers.   Encourage them to be comfortable in their own movement with this beautiful music, because we all know that the minute you put another human body in front of a leader his mind kicks in, "What foot is she on?, Same foot? Opposite?"  Same for the followers,  "Ohmagad! Ohmagod!  What's he gona' do next?"  This is also the opportunity to let them groove that pulsing transfer of weight and collection of balanced energy downward onto the new standing leg, before the next step.  My choices for most important first concepts. 

And NO, I don't think practicing moving by yourself only teaches you how to move by yourself!  That's a bunch of baloney.  Don't lose the point I'm trying to make on those few words.  I'm talking about being connected to the music and comfortable with your own movement as conditioning to doing so with a partner whether leading or following, whether dancing rhythmically in close embrace or open with more complex combinations.  Practicing and improving balance and musicality is never a bad thing.

Chau,
ME