[Tango-L] On Axis, Off Axis

[Tom Stermitz]

I like what Igor pointed out about how easily and smoothly the woman  
pivots when her axis if vertical. Also, that if she loses core  
support, the axis caves in and dissipates the energy.

I personally prefer the more vertical posture, as it makes her  
movements very efficient and my life very easy. I can stop thinking  
about holding her up, and just channel the music.

Core support or inner-tone makes her much lighter, even if she is  
leaning. Slumping onto me or bending at the waist makes her feel very  
heavy and sluggish.

On May 6, 2006, at 11:16 AM, Jay Rabe wrote:

> ...If I stand flat-footed, with my center of mass directly over the  
> center of
> my foot. I am clearly on-axis, in the most literal sense. If I lean  
> forward,
> putting my center of mass above the ball of my foot. I am still on  
> my axis,
> in the sense of fully supporting my own weight, but now my chest  
> has moved
> about 4" forward (a maximum of 1/2 the length of my foot, per Even's
> analysis of center of mass not extending beyond the edge of the
> "foot-print"). Mechanically, moving my chest forward is equivalent  
> to moving
> my feet back. If my follower does the same, the consequence is that  
> now
> there is more space between our feet, and we can dance without  
> knocking
> knees...

Not really,

POINTING YOUR HEEL DOWN.

Bumping knees means that the knee is bent. Commonly, this happens  
when the woman's heel comes up. Pointing the (moving leg's) heel  
downward, and stretching the achilles causes the leg to straighten,  
immediately solving the knee-bumping problem.

You could just say straighten your leg, but that often causes stiff  
legs and hips.

You could say move your feet back or get your legs out of the way,  
but I really prefer her legs moving with slower and closer connection  
to my chest. There is something very nestled and tango-esque about  
thighs almost touching.

You could argue that when the woman wears high heeled shoes her heels  
are up by definition, but I would still suggest that she should point  
her heels downward.

It isn't just about the moving leg. The sensation of "heels downward"  
has a big consequence for the supporting hip and the balance.  
Settling into the hip and the earth creates a very different feeling  
than being up on the toes and up on the hips.

(Also, pointing the heel downward lengthens the psoas, causing a  
softer, less-rigid line in the lower body. This makes spiraling much  
smoother. So many beneficial results from one single idea!)

(Leading with the toes to create a long line is a different issue,  
about style and appearance, not internal/intrinsic movement. This  
extrinsic issue becomes more important on stage, but in social tango,  
men are taking moderate-length strides and all that detail of long,  
reaching steps causes problems.)



> Teaching this concept (weight on balls of feet) can be challenging.  
> One
> device used by a lot of instructors is to have the dancers apply  
> forward
> pressure to their partner. Alex uses the expression "2 pounds of  
> force." In
> order to apply forward pressure, a person must push with their  
> feet, which
> has the consequence of putting their center of mass/force over the  
> balls of
> their feet. ...

Yes.

THREE POINTS OF LEVERAGE.

Pressing into the earth with the feet gives the leader one "point of  
leverage". He feels that the follower has completed her step, a pre- 
requisite for taking the next step.

Second point of leverage is the connection or "presence" (yes, a  
little pressure) on his chest.

Third point of leverage is the internal connection in the lower  
abdominal muscles, the "dan tien" if you wish. This is achieved by  
engaging the internal muscles. Helpful language from pilates is "pull  
your belly-button toward the back bone", but it is really a bit  
lower. This makes sense if you think about how the lower ab muscles  
solidify the skeletal framework where the backbone and pelvis meet.  
Any yoga or martial arts or athlete will be aware of this.

The same three points of leverage apply for the man. Engaging these  
leverage points and using internal power makes his movements powerful  
and confident. The inevitable force.


> ...
> Finally, all of these principles apply to open embrace as well as  
> close
> embrace. In close embrace, the forward force is applied with the  
> chest,
> while in open embrace it is applied with the points of contact in the
> hands/arms.
>
>      J
>      www.TangoMoments.com