Pivots

[pygmalion]

This is just an accident, but the pivot, I believe, is one of the most important things in Tango. We mostly pivot with the feet together, stepping with the outside foot, pivoting on the inside foot. Opposite from the Army way. This makes the partners seem to move away from each other, but the hips come closer. Very attractive way to dance. The knees are bent, or they break. The torso leads the way, and the feet just go along after with the force from the upper body twist. That way, when I turn my partner's upper body a certain way, she just goes like magic. No work. Of course, the weight is completely on the inside foot of the turn, and the feet are together.

Okay will35, now you have your very own thread. Pivots, especially promenade pivots, are the bane of my existence. Any ideas on how to make them better? Will or others?

[will35]

Well, I was talking about Argentine Tango and a part of it that makes it what it is. Of course, it is possible to dance Tango and not pivot or turn or whatever, but it is something we normally see in Tango the way we normally see sand and seashells on a beach, not on the Russian steppes. Tango has no rules or laws or right or wrong, just traditions. Traditions based upon reason and experience.
What you ask, though is a technical question. I am not a teacher, so I say the only way to pivot better is to practice.
But there are exercises. Remember that when you pivot, your shoulders and upper body do all the work. Isolate it. Put your arms akimbo or out in front of you or wherever. Turn your upper body about forty-five degrees with your weight completely on one foot or the other. Stop your upper body there at 45 degrees without moving your feet. Then, just let your feet follow, turning with all your weight on the ball of your weight-holding foot. You just let your body straighten itself out. Do this many times with weight completely on one foot and the other. Do inside and outside turns. Then do it while walking forward and backward. It is basically the same thing, because in Argentine Tango, you always collect the feet, so there is one split second in every pace when you are just standing with your weight on one foot or the other. Keep your knees bent, or it will be very painful. To make it easier, you might try to change the amount of bend in your knees throughout the pivot. This will sometimes put more force into your turn, but remember you can't really dance that way. You'll be bouncing, and we try not to do that in Tango. You should not need very much force anyway, if you have some good, fast leather soled shoes. What you are really looking for is smoothness and balance, not speed or strength. If I am leading you through a pivot, all I should have to do is turn my own upper body, and you will just naturally go with me wherever I take you. Always keep your feet together and even touching during this pivot exercise. A foot out to the left or right will only slow you down and throw off your balance.
Get a partner to help you. Have him stand in front of you in an embrace. When he turns his upper body 45 degrees left or right, your body just goes with his. Don't try to work, just let your body straighten itself out over the ball of your weight holding foot. There will be very little resistance to the turn in the friction of your sole and the floor. It is a small area for the friction to work, compared to the torsion supplied by the moving upper body. (Or something like that. I'm trying to put it in an engineer's perspective for you.)
It takes most people years and years to learn to pivot well in any dance.

[pygmalion]

Wow. You may not be a teacher, but you obviously have some pivoting experience. :D I'll try your exercise. It sounds logical especially based on what I already know about the upper body creating momentum and pulling the lower body through. I will try, and let you know.

Yes, I've heard about people working on their pivots throughout their dance careers, so I know this is going to be one of those techniques that's slow in coming. All the more reason to get started now! Thanks, will. :D

Does anybody else have input or questions on pivots?