[Tango-L] Not dancing with the music

[Felicity Graham]

I really don't care about the figures or sequences a guy leads.  I care
first of all that the guy stays in the line of dance and is safe, second,
that he dances the music, isn't forceful and has a nice embrace. Those
things alone knock the potential partners down to probably under 10%
depending on the milonga. Some figures where the woman is given no choice I
dislike so much I don't do them.  When I see women who I think dance well &
who I like to dance with I find they care most about music and embrace and
fun.  I know, because some of them accept my invitations by look and I
don't have any figures that I know of because I didn't learn the other role
in class.  I don't think figures and technique are the same thing. I've
never actually had a persuasive explanation about what people think
technique is as something you really have to learn in class.

- Felicity, Perth, Scotland.


On 24 May 2015 at 19:58, Michael <tangomaniac at optimum.net> wrote:

> Based on private messages, I can see that I've confused some list members.
> I'm going to try again.
>
>
>
> Technique and musicality are required to dance well. I learned them
> separately. Daniel Trenner said at Tango Locura in 1999 that you have to
> learn how to dance before you can dance tango. BUT some people skip
> learning
> how to dance and go directly to tango with horrible results.
>
>
>
> My private teacher (for eight years) concentrated on the fundamentals:
> axis,
> frame, posture, balance. (I know there won't ever be universal agreement on
> the definition of fundamentals.) I was jealous of men who were able to lead
> figures that were beyond my grasp. My friend Anna, said; "But Michael, the
> men you look at don't have Joe as their teacher so they don't have the
> fundamentals. Even though it looks like they dance well, they really are
> dancing very poorly, very well." There's an Argentine expression: When the
> man walks nicely, the woman wants to die in his arms. When the man walks
> poorly, the woman wants to die.
>
>
>
> Before you can learn to dance, you first have to learn how to walk. I had
> to
> fix my walk before I could even consider walking well. One of the few times
> my teacher allowed me to look down was changing to cross feet for ochos.
> After a (long) while it clicked.
>
>
>
> I couldn't do figures to the music because I didn't have enough skill and
> confidence. Once I developed them, musicality was added. I wasn't good
> enough to learn technique and musicality simultaneously. BUT I was on the
> right path and I knew I would reach the destination but didn't know when I
> would arrive.
>
>
>
> I hope this is a better explanation of my learning curve.
>
>
>
> Michael
>
> Came home to New York where the Argentine Tango is better
>
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