[Tango-L] Heels first vs. toes first

[rockies@comcast.net]

So far, this discussion has only touched on the mechanical aspects of walking. In a street walk anyway, there is a slight whipping action of the spine. In order to take a step, the body has to become off balance. It then regains it's balance after the step is taken. That may seem like common sense, but we usually do not analyze our own movements much, they become subconscious. So, the body is placed off balance by a slight whipping action of the spine, a stride occurs, and then the body regains balance, ready for either the next step, or it can of course pause at equilibrium. When accelerating in the step, the amount of lean of the body is determined by how much acceleration is desired. If there is a great whipping action, resulting in a great lean, then the forefoot is called into play, with the body stepping onto the toes and balls of feet. If there is not much of a whipping action, then the heel is called into play. This is referring to the natural way of walking, on the s
 treet.
 The ball/forefoot landing can be seen in sprinters, for example, as they come out of the starting blocks, they have an extreme body angle in order to acclerate hard, for the first few strides, and they are up on the toes and balls of feet. AS they reach top speed, the lean decreases, and they land in a more heel to toe fashion. But we do not dance with kinds of accelerations and forces that a runner would, so it is very difficult to land toe first, unless the strides are short.

If a person is to pull their pelvic girdle back, then other parts of the body have to compensate to maintain balance. The head may be out over the feet, but the pelvis lags. However, this would reduce contact with the follower, unless the follower conforms to the mirror image of the leader, which means, putting her hips forward. Most followers will say that this is a very uncomfortable position to be in. If they maintain a straighter stance instead, and the leader is still 'curved' then you will have reduced contact, which potentially means a less clear lead. Mind you, when both partners are in a very leaned but straight backed stance, they may reduce some contact over being absolutely vertical, but it can't be avoided, in order to communicate the lead effectively, and allow for movement. So... a very forward lean places the weight over the balls of the feet, at all times. But to maintain that forward lean requires back pressure from the follower, or one would fall over. Not 
 everbo
dy likes to dance this style. Obviously, it IS possible to walk on the toes and balls of feet all the time while dancing, but my point is, with a proper posture alignment, which is really just a balanced skeletal alignment (chest over hips over feet - the center of gravity of the upper body is always positioned over the center of the arches of the feet, at rest), it's very difficult to transition from the forefoot to the rear of the foot in order to give the impulse to the follower, unless of course she is providing back pressure. The majority don't really seem to dance this way though (some have referred to it as Apliado). When providing the impulse to the follower, I have heard it described as 'driving your heel into the floor.' This (and the slight whipping action of the spine) is what gives the follower the impulse to step. 

As for driving with the pelvis and legs, as opposed to the chest, they are tied together, and you can't really seperate them, but power movements, such as providing impulse to the follower should be originating from the lower body, not the upper body. I recall one beginners class with Rebecca however, where she stated that the leader should 'fall slightly forward' on the first step, to provide the impulse for the follower to step. This didn't entirely make sense to me. I had never had a problem with making a follower take the first step, so why modify my technique? Instead of falling forward, I was using a slight whipping action like mentioned, and 'driving' the heel into the floor, but harder than usual for a step once underway. Most people say that a firm core is required to dance tango (although they will use different words for it that are confusing, such as ' you need to be up from here --points at mid rib cage level-- and down from here --points at upper level of pelvis
  more 
or less below navel). With a firm core, the impulse at chest level become much more pronounced and better communicated, but it is still coming from the lower body as Trini mentions. I will admit to not being a movement expert, and these thoughts are only my own analysis of movement. As always there may be differing schools of though. 

I still think that the vast majority of dancers, even the ones who are said to be toe first, are in fact dancing heel first, but the toe makes contact so quickly after the heel (and toes stay so close to the floor as to never appear raised), that we see them as toe first dancers. 

Randy F


 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "Trini y Sean (PATangoS)" <patangos at yahoo.com>
> 
> --- Michael <tangomaniac at cavtel.net> wrote:
> > To get onto the ball of the foot, I pull my hips back. As
> > the hips go backward, my weight comes forward onto the
> > ball of the foot. 
> 
> Hmmm.  Pulling the hips back give me a different sensation
> than when I think about bringing my chest forward by
> tilting my pelvis forward.  Interesting.
> 
> 
> > With my weight forward, my chest is forward, making
> > contact with the woman's chest. As I move my chest
> > forward, the woman steps backward.  My free foot comes
> > forward to support my weight AFTER the woman moves
> > backward.
> > 
> > I also dance ballroom where the lead is different. When I
> > step forward with my heel, my pelvis goes forward for the
> > smooth dances (Tango, Waltz, Fox trot). The lead ISN'T in
> > the chest. I don't understand how to lead Argentine tango
> > same way as ballroom, stepping on the heel. If I move my
> > chest first in Argentine tango, I don't understand how I
> > can dance with my heel. 
> 
> > Michael
> > I'd rather be dancing Argentine Tango
> 
> It may help you to think of all walking movement as
> starting from the pelvis with the chest simply resting on
> top of the pelvis.  This is independent of whether you're
> dancing toe-first or heel-first.  A good exercise is to
> have someone place their hands on your hips and give you a
> lot of resistance (I mean a lot).  When I work with student
> on this (I'm the one giving resistance), I watch their
> shoulders.  If their shoulders start coming forward before
> I feel their hip movement (which usually happens), I
> immediately stop them and point out that they are trying to
> use their chest to walk, rather than their pelvis.  The
> common beginner's exercise of woman placing her hands on
> the man's chest does a disservice in associating the
> impulse to walk with the chest.  It actually comes from the
> man's body position.  As the student learns to drives with
> his/her pelvis & legs, I ease up on the resistance.
> 
> Also, I think of the chest as more of a space
> creater/blocker than as something to force a movement from
> the woman.  The woman should be moving on her own.
> 
> These concepts may make walking forward heel-first easier
> for you.
> 
> 
> Trini de Pittsburgh
> 
> 
> PATangoS - Pittsburgh Argentine Tango Society 
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