Heel or toe?

D

Dave Bailey

Active Member
I'm sure this has been asked before, but what do people prefer, heel or toe leads?

I did an interesting class on Saturday, and the teacher was very insistent that Heel Leads Were Evil.

I can kind of see his point, they can look ugly. On the other hand, they're a more natural motion I guess. What are people's preferences?
 
A mix of both.

As far as I understand it, toe leads are taught by more traditional tango de salon teachers and heel leads more by nuevo teachers. I think most people use both when they actually dance, except some who have very strong views on this.
 
Personally, I much prefer heel leads. Not only is it more natural, I think it looks better. Anything will look ugly if done poorly, but toe leads just look to me like a little kid skating around the kitchen floor in their socks. I've had a teacher say it doesn't matter between the two (so long as you learn to do it well, whatever you pick), and I've had other teachers be adamant about heel leads; I've never heard a teacher say that heel leads were bad.

Of course, I'm talking about using one or the other, predominantly. Most good leaders will switch between the two for various moves, to accent different things.

As a woman, I can't even begin to think of using toe leads on a regular basis.
 
I've never heard anyone say that heel leads were evil, only the other way around. Who was it, a salon teacher?? Sounds strange.

Why not have a look at some videos on youtube of different styles of tango and you can see how the pros dance, not just what they teach.
 
The part of the foot that first comes in contact with the floor , can depend greatly on the movement that follows .
 
In the (eventual) quest of finding one's own style in the dance a lot of what the student has been taught in the beginning has inevitably to be dropped - that is, to pick and choose what we like and drop that which we don't. Regardless of what Teach has said (and there are oh so many teachers with differing views of course). Toe or heel? It depends on how you feel. You stick with one. You drop the other. Or you keep 'em both. Dancing the fast milonga style it is, I feel, easier to dance with heel then toe. I met my match in the Uglies yesterday and danced with a fellow-ugly-dancer (albeit brilliant) milonguero. To one furiously fast beat at one point he led me into this almost low thigh-burning crouch (almost Cossack-stylie) in order to maintain the balance, the toes were employed as the heels came off the ground. Yep, walking like a pair of ducks. When I lead (and follow) in a fast milonga I at times tap my heel loudly (flamenco style) and so again, the heel. And so to reiterate, whilst journeyking towards that place where one is developing one's own style, much of what has been learned has to be experimented with and then dropped (or even kept but re-fashioned). So yep, no good or evil, its all about what feels good for you (and of course your partner).
 
the former i would suppose.

my dancing has developed a mixture of both. i find toe leads more stable, as i don't lift my feet off the floor. so if i'm taking long steps (even fast ones) i'll do a toe lead. but if i'm stepping normally, i'm doing heel leads.

i've heard various arguments in favor of heel leads (you can doubtlessly do a search and find some, i may have even recounted some at one time) but find none of them entirely convincing, except that they look more natural. *shrug* some people say the balance is easier on heel leads, that a snappy motion is easier because you're dissociated from the floor, etc.... not entirely convinced by any of it. in sum, i learned heel leads solely because of peer (well, not peer, but various instructors) pressure. .. oh well. it doesn't feel awkward like it used to.

ultimately, i think it's possible to do either one well, and then most of the arguments in favor of one or the other go out the window. probably best to learn to do both well and then you can employ one or the other as your mood or the music or whatever strikes you.

(though i always hate that kind of answer. i want to take shortcuts and not have to learn certain things. :) )
 
Some prefer one or the other while others vascillate between the 2 depending. The answer is depending upon what. Certainly, there are those who say, "Never do...(fill in the blank)", but we all know what "never" gets us.

The reason for a heel lead or toe lead is directly relative to the style of the tango and the desired movement. Some movements warrant heels; others merit toes. One can "never" dance an entire dance effectively and perfectly balanced over every step only doing one or the other. Re the folowing....

Twirly said:
As far as I understand it, toe leads are taught by more traditional tango de salon teachers and heel leads more by nuevo teachers.
Click to expand...

...this is actually exactly backwards (perhaps a mistyping). The more traditional tangueros, those who dance the more culturally social apilado, usually dance heel leads. The style of that tango is more relaxed; more of a walking style; thus a more casual heel lead. The larger step/movement of the open salon, and/or the fluid, that is to say, floating, mixed genre styling of nuevo lends itself to toe leads. The larger the step, the more difficult it is to take an effective or smooth heel lead.
 
Angel HI said:
...this is actually exactly backwards (perhaps a mistyping). The more traditional tangueros, those who dance the more culturally social apilado, usually dance heel leads. The style of that tango is more relaxed; more of a walking style; thus a more casual heel lead. The larger step/movement of the open salon, and/or the fluid, that is to say, floating, mixed genre styling of nuevo lends itself to toe leads. The larger the step, the more difficult it is to take an effective or smooth heel lead.
Click to expand...

No, note a mistyping. I was talking from my own experiences, and this is pretty much what I've been taught depending on the teacher's style. I wasn't talking about "social apilado" though, but the more elegant villa urquiza, tango de salon whatever style that professional stage dancers often do.

Comparing this style with Nuevo, I'd say Nuevo is the one that is based on natural movement and is more casual.

When it comes to big Nuevo style steps, I've always thought it would be easier to use heel leads just because the steps are so big. But then I'm a follower, so I have a high heel that kind of hits the floor before the toe if I want to keep a straight leg.
 
It depends on the music, movement, your partner, and how well the both of you interact in "The Tango moment." This would determine you extent of movement/lead type.

For me, its a personal choice. I would default to toe leads (its my style & preference), but, as situation calls, it will be interspersed with heel leads in order to make the dance work.
 
Interesting about the nuevo/toe lead connection (or lack thereof!). My teacher dances/teaches a lot of nuevo, and he's been one of the most insistent on heel leads. Go figure. :-) Ah, gotta love tango. ;-)
 
Twirly said:
I've never heard anyone say that heel leads were evil, only the other way around. Who was it, a salon teacher?? Sounds strange.
Click to expand...
Well, I was paraphrasing - but yes, he distinctly expressed a strong preference for toe leads, to say the least.

The teacher was, ummm, Steve? - from the Factory in North London:
http://www.tangolondon.com/tango.html

Twirly said:
Why not have a look at some videos on youtube of different styles of tango and you can see how the pros dance, not just what they teach.
Click to expand...
I'm not really asking for guidance - I figure I'll work out my own style eventually, and I'm aware that either is acceptable - I was just asking what other people preferred.

Thanks for the responses, everyone, very interesting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Dance Ads

Advertise on Dance Forums Reach dancers, teachers, studios, event organizers, and dance-friendly brands. View ad options
Back
Top