[Tango-L] Tips for Followers?

[Trini y Sean (PATangoS)]

--- "larrynla at juno.com" <larrynla at juno.com> wrote:

> Before I went I scanned the last couple of years of
> TANGO-L archives for pointers on following, since I went
> to learn how to follow.  I found enough on leading to
> fill a doctoral dissertation but almost nothing on
> following - unless you count followers complaining about
> bad leading!

Then there are those fellows who seem to think that
following really well doesn't require work or classes.  In
another post, you mentioned about not seeing classes for
women.  I disagree.  I see them fairly regularly.  Perhaps
the women who complain aren't actually practicing the
material that they should on their own.  A class can only
take you so far, and the woman must work on self-awareness
on her own.  Go to a practica and see how many women will
be sitting waiting for a partner instead of practicing
their walk or doing their molinetes.

> Different partners wanted my right hand oriented
> differently and I had to learn to match their desire. 
> Luckily none wanted it oriented in a painful or awkward
> arrangement and I didn't have to resist their preference.

I found this comment interesting because it's something
that I personally don't notice with my partners, despite
the wide range of styles I dance.  This made me think that
either the man usually adjusts toward an embrace I feel
comfortable, or I'm just used to adjusting.  I think it's
more of the former, though.  Your comment also indicates
that you might not have learned to rotate your upper arm in
the socket before raising your right arm.  This keeps your
shoulders down, frees the arm from the shoulder, and allows
you to adjust your arm from the elbow or wrist.  

> My left arm rested along the top of her shoulders in
> close embrace.  I had to fine-tune how heavy or light I
> rested it.  Too little and our connection was poorer; too
> much and the weight would become painful...> A couple of
leaders positioned me further away and had me place my left
hand just above her biceps.  With this I had to learn not
only to keep my arm from drooping but also to grasp firmly
but not painfully.

I agree with Astrid's comments on this.  Also, one of the
things I learned to do early on was to keep my left arm
alive and to reposition it every so often.  This allows the
man's upper shoulders to breathe so that it doesn't feel
icky from constant pressure.  It also allows me to check
that I'm not letting my arm get heavy.  And, again, rotate
the arm in the socket before lifting it.  

> I had some trouble leaning into my partners the way they
> wanted and still need to work on this.  

The issue here might be more of your hurrying to get to the
next step than it is the lean.  This sensation can be
confused with needing a lean.  Another way of thinking
about it is separating the lead for a leg extension with
the lead to change weight.  It's like the follower says,
I'll extend my leg but I'll go in my own time.  I find that
as long as my follower doesn't rush away from me, then a
light lean isn't a problem.  If the problem really is the
lean then you might want to try using enough of a lean so
that your weight feels as if it's in the middle of your
foot (over the arch), but if your partner stepped away from
you, you'd be on your metatarsal and not falling forward or
grabbing with your toes.

In close-embrace turns, however, you might want to think of
exaggerating the forward lean to get the right feel.  Many
beginning followers send their energy into the space when
turning instead of sending their energy into their partner.
 The latter makes a more powerful turn.

> When moving a couple of my partners urged me to step back
> straighter and stretch my toes a bit to reach the floor. 
> This helped keep our knees from bumping together.  

The "step back straighter" sounds right if they are talking
about straightening out the knee, but I wonder if you've
been given poor advice (followers are always getting poor
advice from leaders who really can't interpret women's
technique well).  If you stretch back and reach with the
tips of the toes, you're liable to take too big a step.  It
sounds to me as if you need to think of your leg as
starting from the chest and stretch your leg from there
through it's natural line with your metatarsal.  Also, some
people need to think of reaching with their heel to get the
same effect.

> Any experienced followers out there who can give us
> newbies pointers on how to follow?  AND how better to
> learn to follow?

Same as the guys.  Practice, pay attention to details
intead of going through the motions, work on
self-awareness.  The best partners to work on basic
technique are quite often beginnning men who aren't trying
to do all these steps.  Those guys who simply walk and do
ochos are great for followers who simply want to practice
walking during an actual dance.  Make those guys feel like
they can do anything and you're on your way to being a good
follower.

Good luck on your following.

Trini de Pittsburgh

PATangoS - Pittsburgh Argentine Tango Society
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