[Tango-L] Women's technique: obliques

[Trini y Sean (PATangoS)]

--- "Jake Spatz (TangoDC.com)" <spatz at tangoDC.com> wrote:

> Trini et al,
> 
> The problem with all such anatomical discussions as tools
> for tango 
> instruction is that no dancer is moving as a solo entity
> when they're in 
> the embrace. Even if a woman starts dancing by herself,
> what she does 
> has consequences for her partner.

Exactly! And vice versa.  So with this understanding, one
can influence your partner's movements, regardless of
whether they are aware of the mechanics.

A couple of months ago at a milonga, I asked a friend of
mine to dance.  He initially declined, saying that he
hadn't been dancing well that night.  I talked him into it,
anyway, and when we embraced I immediately noticed that his
back was stiff, which meant that he had limited mobility. 
By exaggerating my own spinal movement more, I was able to
induce his spinal movement and free up the rest of his body
to move.  We had a terrific tanda.  Afterwards, he said,
"Trini, what did you do to me?".  He was so glad he had
agreed to dance.  I just smiled.  He had driven two hours
to get here.  I couldn't let him leave for home without
making sure he had a good dance.

It's also a simple technique I use to encourage novice men
to get out on the dance floor before they take a single
lesson.  All they need is the confidence that they can move
and a sense of freedom.  I just ask them to walk with me a
little bit.  Before you know it, they're trying changes of
front and turns as they are navigating along the dance
floor.  (Out of curiosity, Jake, what do you do when a man
visits a milonga to see what tango is like?  How do you
encourage him to try it?)

For leading, a man can use this rotation to get the woman
to extend her leg backwards without shifting his weight
forward.  A couple of my favorite partners can move my
right arm to induce me to do a back cross/ocho.  They do
not do any torsion themselves (only a arm structure
movement), but it still affects my spinal movement.  As a
follower, I just need to remember to keep my arm loose for
these guys, whereas I usually tense up more for a man who
uses my arm randomly.


Trini de Pittsburgh













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