[Tango-L] Some thoughts on connection

[Cherie]

If there is only "inviting" and "responding" it's a whole different ballgame.
 With respect, this is all so "foreign tango!"
There is a leader who plays music with the body of the woman, during which the woman can express her feelings for the music and the connection. 
Yes, whatever he says does go--she is giving up control for the 3 minutes of the dance, probably her eyes are closed, she is trusting the man to take care of her and her body and to "dance her" well and with feeling.
If each person wants to do "their thing," then it's not a body with 4 legs but a struggle.
That's the tango danced in Argentina. And everyone is happy with that arrangement down here.
In other cultures it's a different dance.
And BTW, the responsibility of the woman (despite what Pat says below) is to have technique, to be responsive to the lead, to be elegant and musical. She follows, but she doesn't "just" follow. It's an art, that many people can't accomplish.

Cherie
http://tangocherie.blogspot.com

 

 




"Leading" & "following" can create a different mindset to "inviting" & 

"responding", when it comes the relationship that a man & woman develop in the 

embrace.   How these words are understood and interpreted can easily lead 

dancers down the path to the sometimes-heard phrase, "the woman just follows in 

tango". Unfortunately, this attitude removes responsibility for the dance from 

the woman, carrying implications such as: not having to develop good skills and 

not needing to listen to the music.