[Tango-L] floor craft -2

[Tom Stermitz]

There is the problem that so many leaders do not dance up near the  
edge of the dance floor. Not to mention the problem that so many  
milongas don't have a well-marked edge, or else have people walking on  
the dance floor next to the tables.

If there is room on between them and the edge of the dance floor, then  
it makes some sense to go past on the right. That may have the effect  
of pushing this, lesser-experienced guy into the second lane.

A more serious navigational hazard are the leaders zig-zagging between  
the first and second lane. Imagine if on a highway you have a semi- 
trailer truck straddling two lanes in the highway, or worse some drunk  
weaving back and forth.

Yes, my right is my blind side, but usually I'm rotating around enough  
to keep track of incoming missiles, like a sonar screen in an old war  
movie... piu-piu-piu.


On Oct 7, 2010, at 6:04 AM, Myk Dowling wrote:

> On 07/10/10 16:23, Jack Dylan wrote:
>> Interesting! I was told the opposite - that when overtaking is  
>> absolutely
>> necessary [for reasons already given], you should overtake on the  
>> inside
>> but never on the outside. The reason given was that, due to the  
>> embrace,
>> the man is blind on his right side and to overtake a man where he  
>> cannot
>> see you increases the risk of a collision. This makes sense to me.  
>> I was
>> also told that one reason why milongueros always dance in the outer  
>> ronda
>> is because of this 'blindness' on their right side, i.e. they know  
>> that there
>> are no dancers there to disturb him or his partner.
>>
> I would agree wholeheartedly with this. Someone sneaking past me on  
> the
> outside when I'm in the outer ring causes more collisions than any  
> other
> approach on the floor. I can see ahead and to my left. To my right, I
> keep track of how much space I have to the edge of the floor (or of my
> lane if I'm not on the outside ring). Nothing annoys me more than
> suddenly finding someone intruding into that (usually fairly small)  
> space.
>
> Myk,
> in Canberra
> _______________________________________________
> Tango-L mailing list
> Tango-L at mit.edu
> http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l

Tom Stermitz
c: 303-725-5963
http://www.tango.org
Denver, CO 80207