[Tango-L] Brian and Jake Directional Notation Analysis

[Brian Dunn]

Hi Manuel!

>>>
While this is an interesting discussion, I question the value of developing 
and dwelling in a complicated system of nomenclature. I think that all these

things are quite useful and perhaps even invaluable to the advanced (I mean 
"really" advanced) dancer, they are wasted or even an impediment to the 
beginner or even intermediate dancers.
<<<

Well, that's not our experience.  Total beginners get parallel/crossed,
open/closed side of the embrace, and the "three-step" framework in the first
or second lesson, and tend to jump on it like water in the desert - they
start using it right away.  Since the definitions in this terminology imply
a partnership, it seems to fit a real need they have to explain to
themselves what is happening in the "partner dancing" thing (people with
previous partner-dance experience don't jump on it quite so much, laden as
they are with previous frameworks).

As for the system being complicated - I bet Gustavo and Fabian would be the
first to agree with you that it took them a lot of work to come up with the
scheme - but then they were doing the hard work of deciding what to name
things, and what was most important.  They were building conceptual
frameworks, teaching tools.  A well-designed tool can make your life easier,
and the best tools are intuitive and easy to use - but it doesn't mean the
process that produced that tool was simple or fast.  Think of how much
easier it is to use a good hammer than it would be to design and produce one
from scratch.


>>>
It seems that a simple way to describe relative positions of the man and 
woman is by alluding to the "open" or 'closed" side of the embrace (left or 
right of the man). 
<<<
I agree - we use "open/closed side" terminology all the time - it's clear
and unambiguous as long as we're using the conventional frame ("whoever has
their left hand up high is the leader", as Gavito would say).

>>>
As for the denomination of the steps, I much prefer to use the basic code of
the tango which is that the woman generally dances around the man, and the
man dances around the pista. 
<<<
These are common preferences, and they are in frequent use for sure - but I
don't find them very useful for describing the cases of two-step colgadas,
contra boleos, leader's sacadas, calesitas, or many shared-axis turns around
the follower, for example.  So I wouldn't find them comprehensive enough for
an interesting general framework - although they can effectively convey
choices that define a style.

The other terminology we use a lot is one we were given first by Daniel
Trenner in 1997, if memory serves.  Namely, describing the possibilities of
leg and foot positions in the walking systems as "2-track/4-track"
(parallel)" or "3-track (crossed)".  "3-track" and "4-track" are further
specified by saying that the leader is on the "open side" or "closed side"
of the embrace. Some of my favorite teachers don't like this "n-track" idea,
but we find it really useful shorthand in our classes for describing
possibilities in the walk.  Maybe it's because analogies using ski-tracks
play well here in Colorado...;>

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