[Tango-L] Notation/ Cross System Salida

[Sean]

Thanks Jake for bringing up this discussion about notation, very  
interesting. You also asked about a cross sytem salida.
I have a salida here that I think is a tricky one to notate, teach or  
learn. I feel that I will struggle for clarity describing it only in  
words. So here is a video source.

Tete almost always starts his dance this way:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJDowJI0-7s

First Step or weight change:
I think Brian Dunn might describe her as being led to step open to  
the rear with her right foot (pilots might say to her 6 o'clock).
Tete steps open forward with his left . Their relationship is open to  
open, parallel system.

Second weight change:
He again leads her to step open to the rear  where she changes her  
weight to her left. (again to her 6 o'clock).
Tete stays on his left (now they are in crossed system) and she is  
still open relative to him, while he is on the border between open  
and front cross. It's a little fuzzy, but I think it's open until he  
actually does move forward. It's that 99.999% thing. This is where  
the notation gets stressed, but it's only for a moment, nothing to  
worry about.

Third weight change:
She is clearly led to another open to the rear, crossed system.
He steps a cross to the front. (not the same meaning as crossed system)

They both will observe the same relative positions at the point of  
the third weight change. She can see him, clearly now, in a forward  
cross and herself in an open.  He sees her in an open relative to  
himself, and he sees himself in a forward cross. I see it from across  
the room also.

Further, Tete rarely leads this salida exactly the same way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tAUGkBpUtY

In this version at the second weight change you still see her left  
foot moving to the rear, but  somewhat subtly around and behind her  
right foot (pilotspeak to her 5 o'clock). If she changes her weight  
anywhere beyond 6 o'clock, even 5:59, I say she technically has done  
a cross to the rear. The further she crosses behind herself, the  
clearer the relative positions become. During and after the third  
step, Tete and Sylvia move left, toward the middle of the floor; it's  
because of the cross to the rear. It's also a left turn, technically.  
In the first video in which she was led to an open in the second step  
they initially moved straighter to the line of dance. I know both  
versions look similar, but the sensation for the couple is totally  
different depending on whether the second step is a small back cross  
to the left, or an open to the rear. It's a fine line between  
something really juicy and something dry. Something about pelvis  
articulation maybe, I dunno.

Accurate analysis is required if you are trying to teach someone to  
lead a movement like this. It speeds up the whole learning process. I  
try to teach this salida the hard way, with an open by the follower  
rather than a cross to the rear so as to keep the couple out of the  
middle of the room. If they get the concept just once, they can apply  
it other movements without help. If they are smart. And it
definitely helps with videos.

Maybe this makes no sense to anyone, but for me growing up left  
handed in a right handed world and being easily confused I learned to  
translate most physical things into something I could process. After  
coming to tango and finally hearing this concept from Gustavo,  
Chicho, Fabian, Luciana, I embraced it. Oh, by the way I don't dance  
Nuevo, mostly Milonguero/ close embrace,but it's all good. I'll take  
and use whatever I can make work.

ciao,
Sean
milos-gloriosus at comcast.net