[Tango-L] Subject: Melina & Detlef

[Andreas Wichter]

Hello John,
  I happen to know Melina and Detlef quite well, in fact we work 
together in the Tangokombinat. So please let me make a few remarks on 
your observations, below.

> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2007 22:27:00 +1000
> From: John Lowry <john at lowry.com.au>
> Subject: [Tango-L] Melina & Detlef
> To: tango-l at mit.edu
> Message-ID: <8B2350A0-5D6E-4224-9014-DC33FA80E3A7 at lowry.com.au>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
>
> Agreed, I too have admired this couple's dance for some time.  I'm
> not enthusiastic about the "fashionable" embrace, where she hangs on
> his shoulder, totally off her balance.

I must borrow your microscope. Where exactly is she off balance? If you 
mean the "apile" or "lean", that is something quite different. She 
certainly doesn´t hang on his shoulder. I dance with Melina regularly, 
and she is one of the best I ever danced with, and that includes some 
Argentine big names. If I dance with her and something doesn´t work 
like intended, I can be 100 percent sure it was my lead, she´s that 
precise.

>  Nor am I enthusiastic about
> his posture which is broken at the waist, leading to over-leaning and
> crowding the lady. (He has never corrected this habit).

Uh-huh. It is strange how with non-Argentine dancers such things are 
habits to be "corrected". I don´t think anybody ever asked Gavito or 
Alberto Dassieu to correct their head positions, and if you watch 
Osvaldo Cartery dance, whom you compare them to, it doesn´t seem to me 
to be a textbook posture... (and make no mistake, all of the above are 
among my favourite dancers). With them, it´s their personal way of 
dancing, right? I´d rather see that than all of the current bunch of 
cutout model athletes copying their masters´ moves.

>    Note
> (especially in the early part of the clip) where she is anticipating
> the step (presumably because it's  semi-choreographed performance)
> leading to some off-balance maneuvers.

I must have seen a different clip...or maybe I need that microscope. 
But seriously: I don´t see her anticipating, he´s starting to lead a 
movement, so she starts doing it. I assume that´s what you are 
referring to. I don´t see off-balance maneuvers. But YMMV.
One thing, though, which I know really tickled Melina about your post: 
they don´t use choreography. I remember about six years ago they tried 
a semi-choreography to combat their stage-fright reduction of 
repertoire. They worked out a few figures they planned to do in the 
demo, in no particulat order. It failed miserably because then they 
started thinking (and she, anticipating, I guess...). That was the end 
of that.
If it was choreographed, the variety of moves would be much greater. 
They are one of the few couples that are actually much better (and with 
a greater repertoire) dancing in the milonga. That is a good thing in 
my book - it means they are social dancers first and foremost.
Melina would never dare anticipate a move when dancing with Detlef, 
because she actually never knows what he´ll do next. Few people match 
his degree of improvisation.
So if you don´t like their dancing that´s fine (I know you didn´t say 
that ;-) ), but don´t accuse them of choreographing because that is 
simply not true at all and is somewhat akin to accusing them of lying. 
Tsk, tsk.

Cheers,
Andreas