[Tango-L] Snow in Buenos Aires - Toe First

[Tom Stermitz]

We are in agreement on the main technical point, i.e. dancers should  
be skilled at multiple techniques.

Actually, we both agree that carrying your weight or balance forward  
over the balls is important. I just want them to walk "normally" and  
hit the ground heels first rather than reaching with the toes.

Stylistic disagreements are subjective. Neither heels nor balls is  
inherently more or less elegant.

Our most important disagreement is with respect to methodologies for  
teaching beginners. I claim (based on over 10 years of experience)  
that you get better progress and retention if you work with the  
skills they have when they walk in the door. In this case, "normal,  
sidewalk walking", which I truly believe is a better foundation for  
learning tango than trying to teach a new, specific detail of foot  
placement.

I certainly disagree that people who learn heels first are stuck with  
it forever; that depends on training over their tango career, not  
their first year experience. In contrast, bad posture deforms their  
technique through time, like a flaw in a growing crystal, and it is  
REALLY difficult to unlearn later on.

On Jul 10, 2007, at 11:11 PM, Keith wrote:

>
>  Tom is correct when he says that most good Tango dancers use  
> either heel or ball first
>  depending on the situation and which is more appropriate. But the  
> point is they don’t need to
>  think about it. Because of training and practice, both feel  
> equally natural and easy to use. The
>  question is which should be taught? Unlike Tom, I’m of the view  
> that ball-first should be taught
>  and some of the reasons are:
>
>  1. Ball first produces a far more elegant walk and style of  
> dancing than heel first.
>
>  2. Ball first helps beginner students to learn to walk with a  
> forward posture. Heel first tends to
>   produce a backward posture, which is what we have in Ballroom Tango.
>
>  3. Students will quickly understand the difference between dancing  
> and walking. I know many
>   people who, even with 5 years experience, still walk the Tango  
> and have never ‘danced’ a
>   step.
>
>  4. Students who are taught heel first will be stuck with it and  
> will never be able to dance ball
>  first. It would be nice to think, as Tom does, that students will  
> continue to learn for a number of
>  years. Unfortunately, we all know that isn’t the case.
>
>  5. Students who are taught ball first will easily be able to use  
> heel first, when the situation
>  arises, without the need for additional instruction. It’s more  
> natural and we can all do it  already – why teach it? And, as Tom  
> correctly states … “using only one or the takes away
>  options’.
>
>  6. Unlike Tom, I don’t think learning ball first imposes a  
> “distracting detail”. I think it’s a
>  fundamental aspect in teaching students to dance Tango. And the  
> sooner, the better.
>
>  Keith, HK
>
>
>
>  On Wed Jul 11  8:38 , Tom Stermitz  sent:
>
>> MASTERS
>>
>> A master tango dancer has a lot of control over their foot placement.
>>
>> They can choose whether to land heel or ball first, depending on the
>> technical needs of the situation. Also, if you watch, the master
>> dancer may land flat-footed, and it takes a discerning eye to
>> determine whether they are landing first on the heel or first on the
>> toe.
>>
>> Any high-end ballroom dancer would say the same thing.
>>
>> As I said before, control of weight over heel OR ball allows for a
>> greater control over how fast or whether the follower collects. Using
>> only one or the takes away options.
>>
>>
>> BEGINNERS.
>>
>> The problem with teaching beginners toe-first is that it imposes a
>> distracting detail on them. Worrying about that specific detail takes
>> away learning more important things like balance and just moving
>> around the floor. It is far better to start with a natural walk and
>> emphasize posture, balance, walking in a straight line, leading &
>> following.
>>
>> I teach many men how to dance tango. These are "normal" guys, not
>> necessarily previous dancers or young athletes. The first problem is
>> just getting them to feel comfortable and competent enough to stick
>> around for more than a few lessons.
>>
>> As we all know, tango takes a number of years to perfect, so they'll
>> get plenty of chances later.
>
>
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