[Tango-L] ..where did the balance go? (Mario)

[Shelley Delayne]

This is my first post, but I had to offer a thought as
a follower who has been on the other side of this same
problem with a few leaders when I began to learn
tango. Milonga was easy, anything else was
impossible... but only with some leaders!

And for me, I decided the difficulty was when I was
dancing with a leader whose lead was not *with* the
music in a slow tango in a way I could easily
understand; his movements seemed to not relate to the
music and he had a very 'soft' or 'quiet' or 'subtle'
lead... so each movement was a surprise, and I was off
balance. Not fun for either of us!

Now, I have improved both my balance and listening
skills enough to not be quite so surprised even if he
is not with the music, and I am also more familiar
with the music, and can understand more variety in
interpretations thereof, and see how his lead relates
to the music in a way I might not have understood when
the music was less familiar.

For your situation, as an experiment, may I suggest
you try dancing a tango with her where your leading is
as clear and 'generous' as you can make it, and dance
with the most obvious rhythm of the song. Don't be too
creative or try to surprise her with anything. Make
your intentions very simple and very clear.

And if you do improve the slow tangos with her, I
would love to read about what worked for you! 

: )
shelley