[Tango-L] Milonga 101 -- conversation between dances

[Tango For Her]

--- Carol Shepherd <arborlaw at comcast.net> wrote:

> I am happy with any lesson, even a lesson teaching
> choreography, if I 
> take away just one important insight or mechanical
> improvement or style 
> point about my dance, posture, balance, form, from
> the instructors.
> 
> I don't expect to ever repeat the lesson
> choreography because that's a 
> lead's issue.  If they don't lead it, I can't follow
> it.  If I even try 
> to think about some choreography I learned somewhere
> sometime I lose my 
> ability to listen and respond to what the leader is
> actually leading.
> 

Spoken as a true follower.  :o)  I think that classes
get leader's heads so wrapped up in remembering "which
foot did the teacher use?" that they aren't aware that
thinking about technique, like a follower, is the best
way to advance.

An example:

Suppose a step in the choreography requires the leader
to be standing right in front of his follower on his
right foot and step outside to her left with his left
foot.

Suppose most of the leaders are wrapped up in
remembering the pattern and showing off.  (Like that's
any news!)  

Suppose one leader notices that the teacher, a woman,
(I love learning from world-class woman teachers
because I like to watch their form.) kept her knees
and feet together, pivots, then straightens her knee
as she goes into the front-step.  

Which leader is learning something that they can use
throughout their dance?  

You see, the teacher didn't stop and say, "keep your
feet and knees together, pivot, ....".  She just
talked about the pattern.  

Now, the guy who is picking up on technique
(followers' technique) is going to create a more
beautifully balanced dance for his follower ... in my
honest opinion.  So, with allllll those teachers out
there teaching step, step, step, step, why not throw
in more comments about leaders using followers'
technique?  

I'm lucky.  I picked it up simply because, again, in
my own opinion, my teacher was a woman who moved like
an angel.  She didn't tell me to do those things all
the time.  But, I couldn't stop noticing!  It seemed
pretty different to want to move like a woman.  But,
MAN, am I glad she was my teacher!  

Leaders, in general, are not being taught followers'
technique.  When teachers give classes on follower's
technique, how many men come?  Point.  Set.  Match!







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