[Tango-L] Axis vs. Balance

[Jay Rabe]

If you are stationary, or perfectly spinning like an ice skater, then your 
axis of rotation is indeed vertical, perpendicular to the ground and passing 
through your center of mass. But if you're doing a colgada, each dancer's 
axis of rotation, while it may still pass through their center of mass, is 
now angled, quite off-vertical, though the axis of rotation Of The Couple is 
presumably still vertical.

     J
     www.tangoMoments.com


----Original Message Follows----
From: Euroking at aol.com

At the risk of over analyzing, I think we need to agree on some basic
definitions. I will posit the following with the knowledge there are 
exceptions  and
expansions but IMHO are at best marginally useful to this thread.

Axis: Is a vertical imaginary line running through the  dancer's Center of
Mass and is perpendicular to a point on the floor at any  instant of time.
(dynamic or stationary)

Balance: Is the ability of the dancer to maintain their  center of mass over
that point on the floor without assistance from another  dancer or object.

Shared Axis or Shared Balance: When the dancers become  dependent on each
other or the other they create a common center of mass for  themselves. When 
this
occurs we no longer worry about individual axis but  move on and around the
shared axis.

I recognize that this may not be the basics as outlined in the depths of
science, but I think it is close, IMHO.

Just some thoughts,

Bill in Seattle