Straight legs + large steps doesn't work biomechanically, but straight(ish) legs + small steps and bent legs + large steps do. I don't really see a reason to have bent knees + small steps.
Contradictions in teaching “caminar”
- Thread starter latinjazz
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Straight legs + large steps doesn't work biomechanically, but straight(ish) legs + small steps and bent legs + large steps do. I don't really see a reason to have bent knees + small steps.
ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
Yes, I know looks can be deceiving, but this is closer to a social dance style than a performance style. I've seen Tati dance with her men (I should compare them with this) but I've always liked this for its casualness. He looks like he simply got up and danced with her. He's casually dressed and looks like he's wearing laced moccasins rather than dance shoes. Seems impromptu, but you never know.
True, I do not know what it feels like for either of them. Is it possible that her embrace is simply the one she's most comfortable with rather than over and around his shoulder (my actual preference). In other videos, dancing with older men, she places her arm over the man's shoulder.
I don't find his left arm to be that high, by the way. It's a bit too far in toward his body though for my taste. If it were higher that would be OK, but at this height, I would keep it extended outward a bit more.
Yeah, true about Vidort, these were made toward the end of his life. I do realize that and am amazed how well he dances given the circumstances. I have always found him to be an inspiring character, someone with a real love of life.
ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
Tati Caviglia. I don't know the man's last name.
And she was brutally murdered? That's terrible!
That's really a crazy aspect of Argentina these days, the criminality and the non-answer nor concept of the government...
Feeling safe kept me away from a couple concerts when I was in BA...
I wish so much this would change...
That's really a crazy aspect of Argentina these days, the criminality and the non-answer nor concept of the government...
Feeling safe kept me away from a couple concerts when I was in BA...
I wish so much this would change...
LadyLeader
Forum Master
How come you got this idea?
I know Los Totis from youtube and I have seen their live performances. I recognize them.
opendoor
Forum Master
The embrace is the first variable (I´ve got open, salón, and apilado). It depends on the music which embrace I would choose: Troilo with Fiorentino often requires apilado, Troilo with Marino usually salón. The footwork is my second variable: with tango de salón I employ wide steps and smooth movements. With dos-por-quatro, club-style tango or d'Arienzo of course I put emphasis on the cadencia. The third variable is the vocabulary. When dancing salón, I fulfill myself with rulos, enrosques and lapices, when dancing apilado there is the opportunity for volcadized figures. Salón hold faciliates dancing in crossed system, apilado rather is for parallel system.
This sounds really like high level, I hope to get there one day.
opendoor
Forum Master
Sorry latinjazz, I know this is your thread but my answer was directed to LadyLeader. Don´t be frustrated, it takes at least 3 years to get to a more lofty viewpoint to look down onto the tango landscape. And the real problems will begin as soon as you have reached this level we are talking about. Now at the present stage you can reach everything we talk of. But once you´ve been there you will realize what you sadly cannot reach in the future run. The ability of self awareness (and of limitation) is increasing together with the gain of vocabulary and experience.
In a way you´ve already been there. You cannot action it, yet. It's a tempory mismatch of cortex and cerebellum. If you cannot see and feel the differences in the first few month, you will never reach a certain level of musicality. And the implementation of moves is lagging 2-3 month behind the cortical representation. Sorry to those who read the following lines for the 5th time: Before my first knee surgery I was so angry that I could not really do a certain figure I had learned. After surgery and rehab I could perform it well without training.
I spent my first private lessons on the stool. My first teacher (a male Uruguayo) developed some ambition for me and for several weeks we went to every local milonga simply to sit, watch, and classify dancers and how they would relate to the music. With my second private teacher (a female porteña) I had to walk felt thousands of miles side by side up and down the floor. But these chapters did not build sequentially on each other, only different parts of the brain were addressed respectively.
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I don't feel it as "my" thread, and I enjoy any type of interaction among people here, many of the post are very interesting. I know your message was directed to somebody else, but I had to get rid of my envy.
I do get the musical differences, that is not my problem. My envy is to have a range of dance options to choose and abrazos to choose... I will get there, and I'm all but frustrated! But as I already said - patience is not my strong side...
LadyLeader
Forum Master
Thanks, opendoor! Great you took the time
I will listen to the songs to feel the reaction in my body.
I think for me the abrazo choice is nearly totally on the follower. The main reason is historic because of the different acceptance of female leaders in abrazo. At the beginning it was mostly open or if a V shape it could be 90degrees, which was difficult to manage with my light leader skill back then. Today the abrazo is mostly tightly V-shape. In a deep abrazo when her ear is near mine there are hardly any figures. WIth her forehead on my template there are more possibilities.
This may be an active issue still. I am not sure if it was about the female leader issue or if it was about the leader skill but last week a skilled visiting follower verbally asked for an open hold. Between songs she again verbally said that she accepted a close embrace and we continued in that way the rest of the tanda. (I did pass the exam.
)In the past, I had an idea to learn different corresponding vocabulary for different music periods but it has not developed in that way.
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LadyLeader
Forum Master
By the way, I have ONE abrazo option which goes together with the music only and it is a homemade canyengue. Only step on my figures/music connection path, I think.
As I see it's not about the way how you choose among your alternatives.
opendoor
Forum Master
Yet it is: I categorize the music first and then choose the realization. Tango de salón is a musical style for me first, that requires an appropriate realization. Also the dos-por-quatro stuff. Tango del club (for me anyway) is the style of the rhythmical revival, because it saw its climax in the gyms of the sporting clubs.
Got to ask whether those are "authentic", as in the same dancers would choose different abrazos, say, for different orchestras, or whether that's a personal, 21st century selection of preferences from observing possibilities - which probably wouldn't have been available to dancers from an earlier age.
I can understand the footwork and vocabulary as inspired by the music, resulting from composer and orchestra, but abrazos today seem partially a follower's choice (being polite and respectful to follower), although other factors obviously play a role.
I certainly don't factor these in from some checklist when starting a dance, but obviously assess where the music leads. We all dance the music differently; there's no wrong steps (assuming it does at least fit the music), although some might appear better to the watchers.
opendoor
Forum Master
Good point, I don´t know. But anyway it is the result of dancing tango for 19 years, hearing music, djaying, studying the history of the musicians and orchestras, playing an tango instrument, watching interviews, interviewing those who are a bit older than I am.. Of course I´m a constructivist.
!!! And a compartmentalist! Too much thinking going on . .