[Tango-L] Following

[Huck Kennedy]

On Tue, Jul 13, 2010 at 11:58 AM, Trini y Sean (PATangoS)
<patangos at yahoo.com> wrote:
> --- On Mon, 7/12/10, WILL MORROW <willm_7 at msn.com> wrote:
> >
> > I begin by stating that I am new to Argentine Tango(3+ yrs). My first instructor
> > made the statement that a follower must bring something to the dance an
> > not expect to be pushed and pulled around the floor like a puppet.
>
> I believe that your instructor was trying to convey that women must be active in the dance, not passive.  She must not be a piece of furniture on wheels that the men push around.

      Yes.  In fact, many Argentine instructors insist that the
primary responsibility for keeping the beat, in the mind at least
(even though each beat probably won't be explicitly stepped on, of
course), belongs to the follower.

      The responsibility of the leader is to lead in a fashion clearly
inviting her to step on a particular beat when that's what he wants
her to do.  He doesn't concentrate on landing his own foot on the beat
in question--that will take care of itself if he is musically
inclined--but rather on inducing *her* foot to do it.

       If she is not musically inclined enough (or experienced with
the tango repertoire enough) to feel the music in her blood as any
good tanguero or tanguera must, and to seize upon the leader's
invitation to step on a particular beat with her own aggressive gusto,
then she will feel heavy to the leader and he will feel as though he
has to drag her around the floor.

      This is particularly true when the leader may not be stepping at
all, such as standing on one foot while leading a molinete.

Huck