[Tango-L] Let's discuss WALKING

[Trini y Sean (PATangoS)]

>  On Mon Feb 11  1:36 , Mario  sent:
> 
> >  I would like to start a thread that discusses walking
> and all of its many variations 
> >   and challenges ...

Such a thread could take forever because they can be so
many details!  And controversy over teaching versus
stylistic issues.

I agree with Keith's post. However, I prefer to teach with
heel-first.  The toe-sliding first but heel landing is also
nice, but I find that people put too much weight on the toe
as they slide forward, pushing their upper body back. 
Having people bend their knees (as if there's a string
attached from above pulls it like a marionette) as they
extend helps.  But I'd be interested in what the curriculum
would be for a typical 6-week class in Argentina and the
problems they tend to encounter there.

Another aspect of walking (for ease of argument I'll stick
to walking forward) is the use of the hips.  Dropping the
hip of the free leg allows you to reach the floor with your
heel.  If you keep the hips level, then you're stuck
landing with the toe.  I suspect that's one reason salon
dancers use more of a toe-first landing.

Another aspect is how the leg extends forward.  One can
extend simply using the upper thigh muscles (the ones used
in marching), but it's inelegant.  I prefer the contrabody
rotation of the spine that rotates the hip forward and
begins the leg extension.

Trini de Pittsburgh


PATangoS - Pittsburgh Argentine Tango Society
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