[Tango-L] Axes, balance and physics

[Roger Ray]

This thread is reminiscent of the discussion of "syncopation" in which some dancers used a well-established musical term in an inappropriate way.  Experienced dancers may find the discussion of axes, rotation and physics to be headache-inducing, but it's not an idle question for teachers and their students.  In fact, teachers may not be conveying what they intend and students may be misinterpreting what they hear.  Teachers ought to strive for clear, accurate and unambiguous explanations while students need to press for explications of things they don't understand.
   
  In the end it comes down to what do instructors mean when they use terms like "be on your own axis", "on axis vs off axis", "shared axis", etc. and are there clearer ways to express these concepts?  To me, these terms can have several meanings depending on context.  I'm not a teacher, but I know enough about physics to know that these terms are likely to cause confusion and hence are of limited usefulness without further elaboration.
   
  Roger Ray

		
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