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

[Tom Stermitz]

On Mar 16, 2007, at 1:56 AM, Keith wrote:

> Tom, Manuel and other heel-walkers,
> ...
> 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 disagree with this comment.

OF COURSE they are dancing: "Moving a beautiful partner around the  
floor while the band is playing glorious music". It may be inelegant,  
awkward, look bad, but by gosh it is certainly dancing, and that is  
why they are there.

My bigger gripe would be when they don't step on the beat, or don't  
move in a musical fashion, i.e. energizing movement to correspond  
with the phrasing. If there is a single missing thing in Tango  
outside of Argentina it is musicality.... who cares about the  
footwork if they aren't even musical.


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


Natural movement is the crux of my point. "Sidewalk walking" is  
natural for people, so that is a great place to start. The average  
guy arrives at tango capable of walking apartner around the room with  
out bumping into anyone; many teachers take away that ability in  
class number one, for example teaching them the 8CB with dreaded  
backstep. Memorize that pattern and they won't be dancing (moving  
around the room) for months.

I don't disagree that careful footwork and training and practice in  
how to walk is important. But, my point is that you can't feed  
details like that at beginners (or even intermediates), or else you  
create strange distortions.

It is a fair question whether allowing them to continue heel walking  
would instill bad habits. My experience (10 years) leads me to layer  
the learning, starting with a foundation and adding details later.  
What happens in the torso, a conception of movement and how to lead  
follow are foundational.

Attempting to have beginners walk with toes first distorts the  
foundation. Worse, it distracts them from a 20 other things that are  
more important. Those poor guys trying not to step on their partners  
feet, sticking their butts out, walking splay-legged, and now you  
want to ask them to walk toe-first?




Tom Stermitz
http://www.tango.org
2525 Birch St
Denver, CO 80207