[Tango-L] Flat foot, heel first or toe first?

[Alexis Cousein]

On 05/05/2011 18:16, Tom Stermitz wrote:
> My opinion is different.
>
So is mine (and if you search the archive of the list, you'll
see it hasn't changed since 1998. Yes, that's how long that horse
has been dead).

"You will see the  smoother dancers all take the toe lead"
is perhaps that's what HBBOOGIE1 at aol.com sees (or wants to see),
but I (the "you" in the sentence above) don't see it.

And just like Tom, I've seen teachers repeat the same mantra but
dance differently from it. It's true on the stage and it's even
more true on the milonga floor (where there's a lot less emphasis
on ballet-style elegance and people have a gait that is much closer
to their natural gait).

If you're a stage tango dancer and you are searching for a particular
style, then heel first may be for you, but you're going to have to
exercise (and develop your calf muscles) and develop a suitable
gait different from your normal life one that you're comfortable
with. I can be done, but if you don't have time to perfect it,
then chances are focusing on it is going to be irrelevant and
do more harm than good.

There's a way to cheat, of course, to have a heel first walk without
most of the perceived ugliness: wear highish heels. It also helps you
develop precision in placing your feet.

FWIW, looking at videos of me, I seem to bee (barely) toe first on
side steps and forward steps that have no continuing forward
momentum after the step, flat footed for shortish steps with
forward momentum, and heel first with much longer forward
steps carrying continuing forward momentum. All the while,
my upper body seems to be totally unaffected (I have a
"smooth as if I were on wheels" motion there, even in close
embrace, and I do not think I need to be at a different
height on weak and strong beats, especially not since I
often play with the phrases creatively).

I've looked at videos of others and I often see the same thing
(a foot placement technique that adapts to the necessary
movement), even though a teacher I know and with whom I
practice regularly does land on the ball of the foot
(certainly not the toe) 100% of the time. Looking at
the videos taken by others at these sessions for documentation,
I'm certainly more cat like than he is regardless of the foot
placement strategy; that's because his style is slightly
different.