[Tango-L] Brian and Jake Directional Notation Analysis

[Brian Dunn]

Martin, you wrote:
>>>  
I have a question for Brian and Jake: why not simply use the term clockwise
and counter-clockwise, not just for the situation where both are turning,
but also for the center and circumference situation described in paragraph 4
of Brian's post ? 
<<<

I agree that using CW/CCW more universally would make a certain amount of
sense.  Perhaps what happened historically was that, since this was a bunch
of leaders (including women leaders), trying to figure out how to simply
express these concepts, it was easy to leave it at first as "Leader's left"
and "Leader's right", since that frame of reference is more readily
available in the moment to most leaders.  As a result, it would be far
easier to teach than CW/CCW - and a primary goal of the group, as I
understand it, was to simplify and accelerate the teaching of tango,
especially in the face of the incredible demand from portenos for tango
instruction in Buenos Aires in the 1980's. 

I do remember that when we studied changes of direction with Gustavo in
2003-2004, he had started using CW/CCW as a way of distinguishing the
couple's "frame rotation direction" from the other question of naming a turn
to the left or a turn to the right.

(I'd have to check my notes, but in that class I think there was an
interesting case where one person seems to be going around the other in one
direction, say CW, while the couple's frame is rotating CCW...but maybe
memory fails...)  


>>>
Also, Brian, have you seen Chico's old video on changes in direction?  I was
under the impression he spoke of it as you did in the first draft of par 4,
from the point of reference of the person in the center of the turn, rather
than the leader. Seems more intuitive to analyze from the center of the
turn, as he explains what is done to shift to a new center at any given
point. Please correct me if Im wrong.
<<<
No, you're right - my copy of those Chicho videos doesn't have a publication
date, but I think they were taped around 1999-2000.  I haven't looked at it
in awhile, but you're prompting me to reexamine it (soon, soon).  

Of course, in describing turn directions, both the perspective of the
"center partner" and the perspective of the "leader" are equally "valid" -
but since in tango the leader is the "architect of spontaneity", for
training purposes it may be more useful to allow the leader to conceptualize
what's going on with leader-centric "to-the-left/to-the-right" rotational
terms, easily grasped without retraining.  

All the best,
Brian Dunn
Dance of the Heart
Boulder, Colorado USA
www.danceoftheheart.com
"Building a Better World, One Tango at a Time"