[Tango-L] Leading with hands... and even legs

[Christopher L. Everett]

Chris, UK wrote:
> OK, some dancers report that good social dancers do not lead with their 
> hands, others report that they do.
>
> But look, the "don't" reports come from people who have felt it. Whereas 
> the "do" reports come from people who have seen it, e.g. 
>   
Except for the Nuevo Tango practicas, there's no place in BsAs where 
I've seen
anyone dancing open.  I have plenty of time, as I'm taking mostly 
privates and
just a few classes, so I'm willing to investigate any and all reports of 
milongas
where everyone (or a majority) there dances open embrace.

I've been to a few barrio milongas like El Baldosa in Flores, and most 
of the
tourist milongas in  Palermo, Centro and San Telmo.
>> The milongueros I see in Bs As lead with everything; All of their body
>>     
>
> Perhaps this is because, as in all of tango, you cannot tell what is really 
> happening by sight. And the only one who really can tell /how/ the guy is 
> leading is the girl who is feeling it.
>
> Why are there class teachers saying "lead with hands"? Well, notice these 
> are ones who teach by sight, not feel.
>
> But the girls are saying they don't like it. Because it does not feel good.
>
> Guys, what is more important to us: giving the girls what they want, or 
> giving the girls what a teacher wants?
>
>   
people dance open and lead with their hands because they have bad 
posture or
they've been taught wrong.  As the people teaching me here say, posture 
is a
thing that describes the wholeness of you stand and move, and reflects 
one's
balance and awareness of their axis--it's not a static thing.

If you see a good woman dancer following a man in open embrace here, 
they are
protecting themselves from the man's lack of balance and axis.  There are no
shortcuts--your awareness of your axis is your frame of reference for your
partner axis.

Finally, the "milonguero" style vs. "salon" style is a distinction 
without much
of a difference.  Milonguero style has a slightly different embrace, and 
uses
smaller length steps.
> Then there's the advice of Viejo Milonguero who yesterday demanded
>
>   
>> when you talk about technique, specify "the way I dance I do this or that"
>> and that will be fine but refrain to speak for the tango world as a whole,
>> because it is wrong.
>>     
>
> but today specifies how we should dance, as follows:
>
>   
>> It is when you go beyond that level of dancing that you are going to use
>> your torso, your arms, your hands, your legs and more, to lead."
>>     
Yeah, I want to know, who's doing this considered by all as a good dancer?

By the way, the quality of demonstrations I've seen has left me 
disappointed.
Anyone can  do a demonstration at a milonga.  I should see if they will let
me do a demonstration, it's been so crappy.
> Wow. Does anyone here have experience of being lead by the /legs/?
>
> How did you avoid falling over? Was it in some kind of nuevo tango which, 
> turning tradition upside down, has the couple embrace with their legs so 
> that they can dance on their hands? <smile>
>
> Chris
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