[Tango-L] arm angle, keith, huck

[Huck Kennedy]

On Fri, Jun 19, 2009 at 3:24 AM, Gary Barnes<garybarn at ozemail.com.au> wrote:
> I think we might be having a frame of reference confusion.
>
> Keith said:
>> 3 inches lower and they would appear to me to have a little
>> humility/modesty.
>
>
> but Huck said:
>
>> I much prefer the more classic angle of about
>> 135 degrees as taught by most Argentines I've taken from.
>>
>> I try to avoid any angle less than 90 degrees since that turns
>> the leader's elbow into a weapon.
>
> and Martin is talking about:
>
>> Guys who stick
>> out their left arm  greater than 90 degrees, or 135 as huck suggests,
>> yikes! ,  or even wider
>
>
> I'm not at all sure what each of you means -- especially huck.
>
> Detlef has his _upper_ arm horizontal (at 90° from his body), and his
> forearm vertical (at 90° from his upper arm).
>
> If someone has their elbow down lower than that, and keep their
> forearm vertical, they take up less space.
> Their upper arm might be around 135° from vertical, or around 45°
> from their body.  Is that what you mean, Huck?  This seems to be
> equivalent to "3 inches lower".  But that pointy elbow is safely
> tucked away.

     I see now that what I said was rather confusing.  I didn't mean
for the upper arm to come straight out and then make a 135 degree
angle with the lower arm, that would be insane.  Your description
sounds better.  What I'm talking about is the classic position of
someone like Ezequiel Farfaro, for one example.  It combines elegance
with the modesty Keith was alluding to.  The upper arm angles down at
an angle, and then the forearm goes up at an angle.

     I find the 90/90 Statue of Liberty to be a bit too stilted, but
that's just personal taste.  Most of all I dislike the position with
the hand by the ear and the elbow sticking out--it's not only too
macho looking, it's also downright rude to other dancers.

Huck