zuzan_805
New Member
I was thinking maybe finding shorter partners since I don’t want to inconvenience the leader with my height but thank you!
Height difference; avoid, open embrace, or some other strategy?
- Thread starter NZ_Guy
- Start date
zuzan_805
New Member
Thank you! I’ll definitely take note !
I wouldn't consider 5'0 'short'. As others have commented, taller leaders can bend forwards [too much!]. They shouldn't be looking at their feet, or elsewhere
, anyway. I'd say it's a less distracting height for partner dancing than being the tall Amazon with cleavage at head level. They just need to adapt their stance and leg/foot for those paradas, sacadas, ganchos, etc - which is all part of social AT. Just get on with it and enjoy yourself.
opendoor
Forum Master
Another thing: in the beginning you are taught to dance in practice hold. But I think you know, that we dance in close embrace most of the time. So the issues with you height (better the issues of the leaders) will arise later. There are two sorts of close embrace and it depends on your current teacher which one you will be taught first. In milonguero hold (aka apilado) both dance partners stand parallel in front of each other, closed at the chest height. So with a tall leader your face will be at chest height and your chest at his belly. Again, tell him not to bend over! The other CE is called salón hold (or V-hold). You only have body contact at your right side (leader's left) and there is a little gap at your left side where the light comes in (con luce). The issues with this hold got to do with the arms. Your's will be at waist height, and his round your shoulder.
zuzan_805
New Member
I haven’t had a teacher yet but I can’t express how much I appreciate the new tips and knowledge, as it seems that I have much to learn! Thank you very much !
opendoor
Forum Master
You are welcome and keep us current!
I’m short too! Don’t listen to your partner. Dancing in the highest heels won’t fix his posture problems and might compromise your balance. Instead ask your teachers for tips on how to adapt your embrace to each other.
Lol I just realised I replied to an old post! Ah well the points are still valid. @zuzan_805 i am also short. My height has never been an issue. Tango allows for a lot of individualisation so you will find ways to adapt the embrace and how you dance to different partners. I definitely recommend going to classes, in person, if possible. You will learn much more and faster than trying to figure it out for yourself.
zuzan_805
New Member
Thank you for the encouragement! I will definitely try and look for classes since they might be more helpful for me to figure things out ! Once again thank you!
TangoYfutbol
Member
I actually enjoy dancing with taller and shorter followers. The dance is quite different.
Miradamiranda
Well-Known Member
I know this is an old thread, but i thought I’d share my experience with respect to height differences:
In my small home town small tango community, if I didn’t constantly dance with leaders much shorter than me. I wouldn’t be dancing at all. My main maestro is considerably shorter than me and he constantly helped me with this issue during private lessons. When I started to spread my wings and dance elsewhere, like in NYC and at marathons/festivals, I was surprised that there were so many tall partners and how different it felt. Nice comfortable change. A luxurious treat. But then I started dancing internationally, mostly Northern Europe and Germany and my experience changed yet again. In Germany, where I now dance a lot, I at first encountered what seemed like segregation between short people and tall people! I was so used to try and get dances with anybody, any height, as long as I liked their dancing, that I couldn’t understand why the short guys often were so difficult to cabeceo. But I didn’t yet have the technique to dance with the really tall guys. Tall, as in, at my 178cm/ roughly 5’11”, plus moderate heels, I’m looking up to the top of their shoulder. I’ve learned to adapt and enjoy, but I have to say, there’s something so cool and gratifying about giving and getting a really good dance with a leader who is a head shorter than myself. I’ve noticed that when I am dancing with a very short guy, that a lot of people are watching us. At first I though they were thinking ‘oh that looks silly’, (and maybe they are, but I don’t care, and nobody thinks it looks strange when I’m dancing with a female leader who’s much shorter), but I actually think (or prefer to think) they are thinking ‘wow, they must both have some really good technique to be able to dance so well with each other’. Actually, it’s the musicality and style and connection that draws me to my favorite really short partners. My observation is that the short guys often have a more compact and fun style with great floor craft with lots of turns so they can see behind the follower.
Sometimes the local DJs announce the next tanda is ladies choice, and I often then go out of my way to find new-to-me short guys who might be intimidated. Some of them became regulars this way, often dancing 2+ tandas per milonga. Later I’ve noticed some of them being brave to dance with the ladies even taller than me. At my favorite weekly milonga there, I often count how many girls are taller than me, and I’m frequently the 5th tallest. One of the really tall guys who frequently drives from a city 2 hours away outright says he comes specifically to dance with all the friendly tall girls and that we gave a reputation.
Oh, also, my first experience dancing in Berlin was interesting with respect to height. I had for a very long time wanted to make my pilgrimage to the tango scene there like others go to BsAs, because I heard so many positive things about the scene and the very high level of the dancers. Not knowing a single person, I walk into a big crowded event, thinking I’ll just be ‘ironing the chairs’ most of the evening and just observe the scene. I get invited within seconds by a very good tall dancer who picked me out for my height, not having a clue whether I could dance or not. And again and again and again for what seemed like every single tanda all evening and the next couple of days, all tall guys. Often they had not seen me dance before they invited me. I hardly had to do anything myself to get a cabeceo. Wow. Not complaining one bit, but what a relief when I finally got to dance with someone slightly shorter than myself.
In my small home town small tango community, if I didn’t constantly dance with leaders much shorter than me. I wouldn’t be dancing at all. My main maestro is considerably shorter than me and he constantly helped me with this issue during private lessons. When I started to spread my wings and dance elsewhere, like in NYC and at marathons/festivals, I was surprised that there were so many tall partners and how different it felt. Nice comfortable change. A luxurious treat. But then I started dancing internationally, mostly Northern Europe and Germany and my experience changed yet again. In Germany, where I now dance a lot, I at first encountered what seemed like segregation between short people and tall people! I was so used to try and get dances with anybody, any height, as long as I liked their dancing, that I couldn’t understand why the short guys often were so difficult to cabeceo. But I didn’t yet have the technique to dance with the really tall guys. Tall, as in, at my 178cm/ roughly 5’11”, plus moderate heels, I’m looking up to the top of their shoulder. I’ve learned to adapt and enjoy, but I have to say, there’s something so cool and gratifying about giving and getting a really good dance with a leader who is a head shorter than myself. I’ve noticed that when I am dancing with a very short guy, that a lot of people are watching us. At first I though they were thinking ‘oh that looks silly’, (and maybe they are, but I don’t care, and nobody thinks it looks strange when I’m dancing with a female leader who’s much shorter), but I actually think (or prefer to think) they are thinking ‘wow, they must both have some really good technique to be able to dance so well with each other’. Actually, it’s the musicality and style and connection that draws me to my favorite really short partners. My observation is that the short guys often have a more compact and fun style with great floor craft with lots of turns so they can see behind the follower.
Sometimes the local DJs announce the next tanda is ladies choice, and I often then go out of my way to find new-to-me short guys who might be intimidated. Some of them became regulars this way, often dancing 2+ tandas per milonga. Later I’ve noticed some of them being brave to dance with the ladies even taller than me. At my favorite weekly milonga there, I often count how many girls are taller than me, and I’m frequently the 5th tallest. One of the really tall guys who frequently drives from a city 2 hours away outright says he comes specifically to dance with all the friendly tall girls and that we gave a reputation.
Oh, also, my first experience dancing in Berlin was interesting with respect to height. I had for a very long time wanted to make my pilgrimage to the tango scene there like others go to BsAs, because I heard so many positive things about the scene and the very high level of the dancers. Not knowing a single person, I walk into a big crowded event, thinking I’ll just be ‘ironing the chairs’ most of the evening and just observe the scene. I get invited within seconds by a very good tall dancer who picked me out for my height, not having a clue whether I could dance or not. And again and again and again for what seemed like every single tanda all evening and the next couple of days, all tall guys. Often they had not seen me dance before they invited me. I hardly had to do anything myself to get a cabeceo. Wow. Not complaining one bit, but what a relief when I finally got to dance with someone slightly shorter than myself.
Did you get used to dance with taller leaders?
What height do you consider tall for leaders since you are 178 cm tall?
itwillhappen
Forum Master
A few years have passed in this thread and I still have the simple notion that I can dance more comfortably with followers of similar height, here in Germany and elsewhere.
Miradamiranda
Well-Known Member
Yes, I learned to adapt. Tall is all relative, but for me REALLY tall is half a head taller than me when I’m wearing 5cm heels. Or when I can’t see over his shoulder.