I have a question for leads - The 'rubber band' technique

  • Thread starter Thread starter Me
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Me

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Okay guys, I asked my coach how to do this and he laughed and went to help other people, so now it's personal! (Well actually I want to see if I can learn this on my own and surprise him.)

When you lead a lady into molinete by stepping side L, front R, and then rock back L step side R front L (rotating into molinete) what is the voodoo that you do to create that almost rubber band effect that seems to begin at the front R step before going into molinete?

It's... very cool!
 
I've got no idea what you mean. :-(

Are you talking about what feels like the drastic increase in speed between those two steps? That back step is always the one which feels the fastest.

Do you notice it happening in a counter-clockwise molinete, or only the clockwise one?

Do you find the same feeling regardless if you're doing a "swinging" vs. a "pivoting" molinete?
 
We use a very little delay between the hands and the weight. Somewhere between the front R and the backward (rock) L there is a tiny moment where the weight already moves backwards but the hands still move forward.

Hey, we leaders are smart.
 
Peaches said:
I've got no idea what you mean. :-(
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Me confused too - but that's nothing new :)

Peaches said:
Are you talking about what feels like the drastic increase in speed between those two steps? That back step is always the one which feels the fastest.
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Just to clarify - the steps are supposed to be the same size and speed aren't they? I've spent a lot of time trying to lead them all at the same speed...
 
I wouldn't say that some steps are faster so much as I would say you are moving in either 1s or 3s. So, the salida would count as 1, the next step a 1, and the rest a triplet. (You know - when those annoying ballroom types say 'quick quick slow' for everything?)

As far as I know, the steps would remain the same size?
 
Dave Bailey said:
Me confused too - but that's nothing new :)
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You and me both. ;-)

Just to clarify - the steps are supposed to be the same size and speed aren't they? I've spent a lot of time trying to lead them all at the same speed..
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Dunno. Seems like they should, ideally, by the same size. But the same speed...it seems like the speed has been varied on them...
 
Me said:
When you lead a lady into molinete by stepping side L, front R, and then rock back L step side R front L (rotating into molinete) what is the voodoo that you do to create that almost rubber band effect that seems to begin at the front R step before going into molinete?
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If I understood what you mean, it might be the result of the change of direction on a controtempo (double tempo). I get the same rubber band effect while executing a medio giro milonguero (half milonguero turn).
 
In combination with Newbie's post...

Do you mean that odd sling-shot kind of feeling you sometimes get? I haven't decided if I like that or not...fine if I'm going to swing my free leg around (like a ronde) and the music is slow enough. But with fast music I find it harder to get a clean pivot if there's that going on.
 
Shouldn't the speed and therefore size of each step be dictated by the music at that point? I have found that the rhythm of my steps as I execute a giro changes depending on the phrase, so a giro in a Vals has a different feel to that in a Tango (depending on where it is in the music). It's still the same pattern- a circular grape vine- but the music dictates the speed of individual steps. I don't know how comprehensible this is :???: but the overall speed of the turn is dictated by the lead, just the subsections by the music although hopefully the lead would be following the music anyway!
 
spectator said:
Shouldn't the speed and therefore size of each step be dictated by the music at that point? I have found that the rhythm of my steps as I execute a giro changes depending on the phrase, so a giro in a Vals has a different feel to that in a Tango (depending on where it is in the music). It's still the same pattern- a circular grape vine- but the music dictates the speed of individual steps. I don't know how comprehensible this is :???: but the overall speed of the turn is dictated by the lead, just the subsections by the music although hopefully the lead would be following the music anyway!
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I'd agree with you completely.

When I was thinking of steps being the same size, or the same speed, I wasn't thinking of all molinetes. I was thinking that the steps within one molinete should be the same size. But, yeah, obviously ones to a milonga will be a different speed (and size) than ones to a moderate tango.
 
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