[Tango-L] The leads left arm--elboe down

[Michael Figart II]

Hi Burl,

You've already received some great advice. I
especially like practicing a lot without that arm at
all. Just relax it at your side, or put your hand in
your pocket like Gavito.

But maybe this will help also....upper arm always
pretty firm, and out in front, just a tad (2 inches,
about, ahead of exactly lateral), forearm soft, but
ready to firm up if needed, kinda like spongy
hydraulics. And...imagine a line coming straight out
of left palm pointing to the other side of the
embrace's main contact point (your right upper
arm/side of follower).

Good luck, and kudos on the search for "quiet tango"!!

(Ladies, please don't grip thumb!)

Regards,

Michael

--- burl burl <burlq7 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> 
> I have a constant fight with my left arm.  I just
> want it to stay put and it either creeps up at the
> shoulder or starts thrusting my partner into a back
> ocho.
>    
>   A friend of mine pointed out that if I hold my
> hand so that the palm faces backward I will do two
> things naturally--my elboe will drop and I will be
> far last temped to shove my partner "back-handed"
> since there is far less power when pushing in this
> way.
>    
>   I see some leaders (here in New York) who have
> this left hand curled with the back of the hand
> facing up (I think there is some famous guy who does
> this too) but this seems to raise the elboe to near
> right angles with the shoulder which encourages my
> other bad habit--the slow hunching up of the
> shoulders in a Frankenstein effect.
>    
>   Another respected dancer tells me that I need to
> think of surrounding my partner (the giant beachball
> lecture) and so the hand has to have the inside
> plam-side toward her (ie tangent to the surface of
> the theoretical beach ball).
>    
>   Another respected dancer tells me that I can't
> have my hand turned away from my parnter because my
> left hand, while it excerts very little preasure,
> needs to be available if my partner decides she
> needs it (I guess if she trips or finds my lead
> difficult to detect).  His idea is that while it may
> be good for my posture to have the hand either
> curled up in the air, or facing back it is
> selfish--and in the long run bad for my lead.
>    
>   Yet another unrespected dancer here, tells me that
> it is nearly impossible to dance Tango Nuevo without
> using a swing dance hold (ie palm up with the thumb
> over the womans' back hand).
>    
>   I am working on the quiet tango--very close, no
> noisy moves.  So it is all about style and I would
> appreciate any comments you might have on the left
> hand.  
>    
>   Yours
>   Burleigh
> 
> 		
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