Recent content by Madahlia

As described in paragraph 1 of my post. Glad it always works out for you, though. Sometimes there is an problem of actual lack of unoccupied chairs. If you're relaxed enough to enter an unfamiliar milonga and plonk yourself down on a chair with someone else's coat marking it out as their...

Reserved seats I would not wish for the formality of having to book a table as my hope for the evening is to arrive, throw down my bag, change my shoes and spend the rest of the evening either dancing or chatting with friends, making a table place somewhat unnecessary. I also like to feel...

I don't think my leaders would appreciate it if I moved wherever my feelings took me! I wouldn't appreciate it if they tried to move me by physical force. But if I move in response to clear physical signals either consciously or unconsciously, then we're at least 50% of the way to good...

Yes, I agree completely! I'm sure she would somehow transmit them by means of the dance. At the very least, she would make errors, maybe small ones, but he would wonder why he had got that response. And tension would affect posture and balance. Even if it was just a slight effect it would...

Probably. I did mention that being immersed in the connection was also a very good thing, which to me means the same as "the lead". I do not mean autopilot in the sense of doing unled moves or failing to respond to a given lead. I meant allowing the body to respond naturally to a given lead...

With plenty of red cards to hold up! This is what I always hope the leader will do for me.:)

I absolutely sympathise with what you have said. Nervousness at dancing with unfamiliar partners can destroy most of the pleasure I might otherwise have had in the dance. The perceived prestige/status of the partner ups the stakes considerably, but even in ordinary milongas performance anxiety...

I was too rivetted by the delicate tracery she makes with her feet on the floor that i didn't notice.

Sometimes it's easy to get your heels down on each step - a slow walk backwards, for example. Othertimes, there's no time to get your heels down if you want to be responsive to quick steps or pivots, for example. (OTOH, wait for me to get my heels down, goddammit, we've got all day, haven't we?)...

Is that true for women the same height as you or for women who are significantly shorter than you? I've had the feeling of having to be upon my toes in order to maintain the connection. It feels stressful and destabilizing! I've been told about this, not sure if I do it.

Yeah, and the guys in your class were good at doing it seamlessly and musically, even the raw novices. You do it best when you do nothing at all, and all that. Why is that so rarely mentioned in classes?

Temptation's strong, sometimes. Oh purlease! What is this dumbing-down nonsense? Insist they do an hour's technique class before they even put one foot in front of the other. Stride round the room with a disdainful sneer, making them do endless repetitions and poke them in the side with a cane...

I was just wondering what you meant by these "tricks"? I often find that leaders won't engage in "close embrace", not that I'm great at it either. It's like everybody's scared of it. I'd like to work on it, but most leaders are busy trying to do ganchos. Back on the subject of knowing where...

I have trouble with this as well. It forces my pelvis to tilt awkwardly and causes pain after a while. Some people find it a bit creepy as well. I only know one man who does this. Eventually I plucked up courage to request a modification but was told that his (BsAs) teacher had told him he must...

Thinking about it I think I find a limp, nerveless, tentative embrace far more difficult as a follower than an over-firm one. Probably because there's no sensation of a lead coming from the right arm so I have to do a lot more guessing and there will be a lot more unclear moments. I also feel...