What? I don't find it impossible. Would you explain what you mean?
Close Embrace clinic-the leads responsibility on the women's left.
- Thread starter Mario7
- Start date
What? I don't find it impossible. Would you explain what you mean?
Uh... what? :kitty:
I'm not sure I agree with this... I think it depends on the style of the embrace. In a flat on milonguero embrace, there's no reason that I can see that you can't mirror the technique used for walking on the follower's right. The view of the LOD is somewhat obstructed, but since so few people bother to look where they are going anyway, this shouldn't present any more problems than occurs all over the place. I'm pretty sure my partner has led me straight by walking outside on my left; I just don't know exactly how he does it as a leader.
Easy? No.
Impossible? I'm not so sure....
I'm not sure that is exactly what John Em was saying.. I think he was saying you shouldn't let your head rotate MORE than your shoulders. I'm not convinced you have to let it rotate AS MUCH as your shoulders.... (haven't had a chance to practice this with my partner yet) although certainly, you have to let it rotate SOME
I don't agree it's impossible, since I do it from time to time. I do think the CCW curve looks better (for a performance), but at a milonga, it needs to be done while walking straight, (unless you are turning, in a corner).
Yes, that is what I seem to do. The influence of the head is significant
in any dance so try and keep it stable, neutral and in a comfortable position.
If you try to turn your head to the right - to face down the
line of dance - you are likely to clash heads, so best not!
I don't envy you always having to practise on your own. No doubt many
of us do from time to time, just don't want anyone else to see!
Clearly Mario, you're braver than me.
Briefly, your partner's head is even more in the way of you being able
to see down the line of dance because your head is tilted forward.
And then:
The head is heavy and it makes the body act a bit like an upside down
pendulum pivoting at the floor. Our core and feet, leg, thigh and core
muscles have to compensate. I know it's a very rough analogy.
I have a little exercise that can demonstrate the effect of your head,
PM me if you'd like a description. Rick McGarrey on Tango and Chaos
writes about it too suggesting that you should look straight ahead
and then tilt the head down slightly, without moving the elevation
of the eyes in relation to the head, until your eyesight aims at a point
20 or so feet away. This position really encourages a maintenance
of the lean but unfortunately it also seems to encourage me to poke
my head forward.
And it's also best not to do it with a taller partner. This all part of what
people have called tuning in. So now I'm concentrating on the lean by
starting from the floor up. It's a totally different way of thinking
from Rick McGarrey and I can't tell you which is best for you.
However physically it has to be better for your body as you are keeping
your head centered on the top of your spine as much as possible.
But I'm open to other people's observations.
I made my opinion known on another thread where I 'bashed" a performer in a video for tipping the head and looking down.
I'm also going to weigh in here in disagreement.
Be careful, this seems to possibly be a solution to a lack of sufficient
disassociation. In any event should it be taught? Possibly not. All sorts
of things appear to happen sub-consciously to compensate for physical
restrictions and it doesn't really matter if it still works effectively.
It certainly is possible to walk in a straight line on the left/closed side.
But first can you change the three track cross system walk to a two
track one? That entails you being able to walk, one foot in front of the
other down a single line while your partner to the right of you walks
down a line also to the right of your line. It requires more than the
45 degree disassociation of the three track walk, perhaps 60 degrees
to maintain the chest to chest connection.
Start on the normal open side then try the other side, two tracks/lines
with hers to the left of yours. It will feel awkward but is doable
if you can disassociate.
I just am not going here!
As an aside:
I was taught initially that to walk outside you move across your partner's
body easing away slightly so as not to drag her clothes around her chest.
Oops! The motion, the feel and the look are not good.
And you'll like this. Not! To walk on the other/closed side you move across
her, dragging her clothes all the way back and beyond (only joking) to the
other side. Needless to say you have to do a head avoidance move as
fleetingly nose passes nose until heads are safely on the "wrong" side!
Are you all still with me? There was no disassociation involved at all.
So as far as I'm concerned, don't believe everything you see
and everything you're taught. Use it as a starting point, verify,
practise and decide. And that includes whatever I may write here.
Mario7
Member
This thread is getting complicated but more good. I think you were clairvoyant to comment on this as I was wanting all day to ask how the heck this leader got to look this way...ramrod straight, sure some don't like the look, including a past-me, but I'm now wanting it for myself.
[YT]<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y2ns19zyaog&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y2ns19zyaog&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>[/YT]
Mario7
Member
This all sounds tres Hot! to me...but then, I've never grown up.:eyebrow:
You're taking us back to tone and posture again but I'm glad you are
changing your view. All your efforts deserve some reward and sorting out
the physical and silent communication channels between you and your partner
will have the most unbelievably beneficial effect.
Ramrod straight yes but not apilado. And she's wound up like corkscrew!
Oh it's just so horrid! Sorry.
You have Homer and Christina when in the embrace as a better example
and look for recent video (2008 onwards) Detlef and Melina from Europe.
Angel HI
Well-Known Member
All of this talk of head is complicated. Keep the body forward over the arches/insteps, and the head over center.... period. It is not BR where one must concern one's self with floating centers, sways, etc.
Mario7
Member
Two more BIG questions on the outside CE dance...when outside woman's right or left in either parallel or crossed footed; First question: ..is it true that the man's inside shoulder will lag behind his outside shoulder instead of being straight on squared with the body and line of dance.
Second question; ..in any case (above) would the womans steps to the rear be the same with each leg or in some combination does she shorten one of the leg's steps??
Second question; ..in any case (above) would the womans steps to the rear be the same with each leg or in some combination does she shorten one of the leg's steps??