[Tango-L] heels, et al

[Deby Novitz]

How many times have I sat in the tango shoe stores watching women who 
cannot stand in 9 - 10 cm heels wobble around the store.  Oh but they 
look so sexy.  These are usually the same women who think it is sexy to 
do a high boleo while hanging off of their partner.  (OOOHHHH I look so 
"Forever Tango") Part of the problem is the leader but not all of it.

Yes, a good leader should be able to navigate the floor and protect his 
partner.  How does he stop a wild card from doing an unled boleo?  In my 
observations the majority of these kicks and punctures come from women 
who are more into looking rather than dancing.  They want to fit an 
image of what they think a dancer should look like.  An experienced 
dancer is aware of their feet.  I know when my feet touch anothers, I 
back off immediately.  How many times have I had one of these women 
continue to grind down on my foot because they don't know the difference 
between the floor and someone's foot.

I always point out to the women who come to BA and sit with me, how many 
stiletto heels do they see in our milongas?  Almost none, and when they 
do, who is wearing them?  Usually tourists and people that do not dance 
that well.  Your shoes are a tool.  Professional dancers know that 
plastic stiletto heels interfere with their balance, they are not 
stable.  How many of us do you see in lime green leopard print shoes 
with gold trim?  We wear basic but pretty shoes.

I wore 9 - 10 cm heels before the accident last year.  Now I wear 8.  
Why?  Because I am more stable.  On days when I have no pain and I am 
feeling good, I still wear my higher heel.  All my new shoes are lower.  
I feel the difference in my dance.  I want my dancing to be comfortable 
for my partner.  I don't lose my balance or axis in the higher heel.  I 
have to concentrate too much on keeping both.  I would rather let it be 
natural and just dance.

I think too many women buy the wrong heel.  They buy shoes that do not 
fit them properly.  But oooohhhh they look so sexy.  Look at the height 
of heel that Milena Plebs wears, Carina de la Rosa, Mimi, and many 
others.  They are a reasonable height.  Most wear an 8cm heel. (Some 
even wear 7)  When you can control your own dance, you don't become a 
part of someone else's.