[Tango-L] Heel vs Toe

[Nussbaum, Martin]

Hard to believe there are still people propogating this old canard
again. The best dancers in the world, many of whom   I've taken classes
with and spoken to, use both, depending on the size and speed of the
step, the direction, the dynamic effect sought, and they will tell you
it's a matter of personal choice, not tango dogma.  Even the alleged
"toe" leaders, in a forward step actually just project the toe but then
the weight is usually compressed mainly from the heel to the toe, not
from the toe to the heel, especailly in longer steps  the latter would
make for very jerky walking. For example, if you started out
dramatically with a toe lead in a  side step and then started walking
straight ahead in front of her in close embrace, you would send the heel
first. That doesn't mean the toe is lifted very high, obviously, you
want to minimize hwo much of your sole is visible. Its more like a soft
drop of the foot, the ankle is articulated, not held rigid.