[Tango-L] Heel-first versus Toe-first, teaching history

[Keith]

Tom, Manuel and other heel-walkers,

Yes, learning Tango with a 'normal sidewalk walk' does make everything a 
lot easier. But that's often how their Tango ends up - looking like they're 
walking around the dance floor. But, aren't we supposed to be dancing? I 
heard a comment recently in Buenos Aires that 'many people practise Tango 
but few dance it.' I've thought the same myself many times, but it was nice
to hear it confirmed in, when it comes to Tango, the only place that really
matters.

You can move around the dance floor, following all the tango patterns that 
you know, stepping in time with the music, leading your partner well, having 
good balance and posture, but unless you have the correct leg and foot action 
and correct foot-placement, there's a very good chance that you're not actually 
dancing at all. We dance with our feet and, as Deby said recently, when other 
dancers watch you dance, they look at your feet. They don't look at your "torso, 
hips and upper legs".

I do agree with Manuel that "A more natural way of moving is crucial for dancing 
and any exaggeration must be avoided if possible." 

But what's natural for walking isn't the same as what will feel natural for 
dancing - given time, practice and correct instruction. Don't just take 
the easy way - learning to dance takes time and effort and it isn't just 
sidewalk walking. And once a bad habit is learned, it's very difficult to
change. 

In the 90s, I attended beginner classes in Buenos Aires where entire 2-hour 
classes consisted only of walking, with the emphasis on correct foot placement and, 
trust me, it was never heel-first. And then we wonder why Argentines dance so much 
better than the rest of humanity. It's all in the walking folks - wake up!

As for Tom's comment that ... 'learning tango steps is more important than focussing
on details of foot placement', I don't normally talk in terms of absolutes, but Tom, 
you're absolutely wrong.

Keith


On Thu Mar 15 21:18 , "WHITE 95 R"  sent:

>
>>Focussing on details of foot placement, specifically telling a
>>beginner to land toe first, is a huge distraction from more important
>>things, like standing upright, walking boldly forward, walking in a
>>straight line, leading the follower, learning tango steps.
>>
>>More than that, the focus on toe first creates bad habits and really
>>weird walking. Again, it isn't about the foot placement, but about
>>what happens in the torso, hips and upper legs. Normal, "sidewalk"
>>walking is a great foundation for tango walking. Details of foot
>>placement should come later when the student has balance, posture and
>>confidence.
>>
>
>You are totally right on this Tom. I'd even go so far as saying that 
>focusing on almost all the finer points of technique can be a huge obstacle 
>to learning to dance tango. One of the worst problems I see is that some 
>dancers lean forward so much that they are always falling. I guess they are 
>focusing so much on "leading from the chest" form that they miss the whole 
>point of standing on one's own axis. A more natural way of moving is crucial 
>for dancing and any exaggeration must be avoided if possible.
>
>Manuel
>
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