TTanguero
Forum Master
For me, writing, driving and dancing are the three current examples that come to mind. Rock climbing and motorcycling too, back in the days when I did those.
How does a dynamic dancer dance?
- Thread starter opendoor
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I used to find some kind of 'flow' in programming systems, even hardware design for a purpose, or solving some computer system problem, even study for exams, but dance has always been subtly different; perhaps because it's recreation or leisure rather than work. More a sense of being aware of where I'm positioned, proximities, and in the music with my partner (shades of the attibution to Einstein of the 'pretty girl' relative to the 'hot stove'). But it's not 'free movement', 'dance as if no one's watching', but following the learned elements and techniques.
'Flow' state, or being immersed in some activity or topic: Does it matter? Is it significant? In the case of dance, does it make me, or my dance partnership, 'better' in some way? (How was it 'better'?)
I suspect not. It's just what happens. I might feel good about it, but is it so good? I'm inclined to dismiss it as that's just what happens. There's still been that 99% perspiration for that 1% inspiration. Procrastination doesn't achieve anything, but I don't need to seek that 'flow'.
I suspect not. It's just what happens. I might feel good about it, but is it so good? I'm inclined to dismiss it as that's just what happens. There's still been that 99% perspiration for that 1% inspiration. Procrastination doesn't achieve anything, but I don't need to seek that 'flow'.
JournalInTime
Forum Master
It is better for me, anyway. When I cannot dance in flow, I have to think about every little detail; dance feels like work, like a part-time job. When I can dance in flow, I can relax, I can meditate in motion; dance is highly therapeutic. I am happy to work on dance . . . in coaching, drills, and practices. Even discussing theory here is a sort of (mental) labor. But the end goal for me when I go out in the evening after working all day is not to work, which is possible only in a flow state.
I realize that some people are different from me and have different goals, but I got into tango in the first place to reduce blood pressure, center myself psychologically, and so on. Flow helps immensely with that.
I'm not dismissing the feelgood factor. Of course it's 'better' personally that things went well, that we relax, that we feel good about ourselves, and all the good physical and mental consequences. Alcohol and chocolate also promote some (not all) of the same effect! Dance, and in particular AT, is also associated with other good medical effects.
I suppose what I'm really saying is does it make me, and my dance partner, 'better' dancers? Or does it just 'feel' better? (And what's 'better' in dance, or any art form?) In comparison with other examples of 'flow', perhaps the answer is 'yes'. I solved that problem, I wrote that article, I achieved that hike... But that's perhaps personal satisfaction? Or maybe that's the objective?
opendoor
Forum Master
I envy you. Writing is always a life-or-death struggle for me. When I sit down at the page, I'm more likely to vomit than write a single verse. I always wanted to be a singer-songwriter, but in 20 years I've only written eight songs. Melodies come to me by accident, but rhymes always bar their teeth.
I envy you; hiking, dancing, and climbing have always been part of my flow experiences and also transcendent ones. For physical reasons, I'm now denied these things. All the more I question myself why this deprivation doesn't open the gates to my poetic nature. At least as compensation.
JournalInTime
Forum Master
I would say yes. Let's look at some things that make you a better dancer in AT:
Musicality. Flow here means feeling rather than counting or otherwise analyzing the music. Steps, pauses, and ornaments seem to appear on the music without planning, and almost always suit the music. You can thus express more of the music, more faithfully. Arguably, "My dance just appears thanks to the music!" is the most commonly accepted definition of flow in ALL dance, which is why I've put this at the top of my list.
Connection. Flow here means moving in harmony with another person instead of constantly, consciously thinking, "Where are they now? What are they doing? Where are they going?" It is the only way to achieve the famous "one body, four legs" state that improves simultaneous weight transfer and calibrated step length, which objectively facilitate the basic walk at the core of tango – or sacadas, if you're in the Salas camp and see the turn rather than the walk as the core.
Vocabulary. Flow here means not struggling to recall the details of movements. You just do them – and at higher levels, invent them on the spur of the moment – which means they appear faster, which in turn means they mark the music more precisely and interfere less with connection. New dancers struggle a lot because while being musical and empathetic with partners (the previous two things) can be natural gifts, vocabulary is an artificial construct that gets in the way of good dancing until it flows.
Technique. Flow here means no longer using conscious thoughts to collect, move through the center, roll through the foot, etc. The dance is quite literally and visibly more flowing because every movement has a higher quality that facilitates all of the other things on this list – particularly musicality, connection, and vocabulary. Until technique is internalized to the point of no longer thinking about it, micro- and often not-so-micro-corrections interrupt movement and lead to stop-and-reset moments to relocate music, partner, or body.
Floorcraft. Flow here enables you to control distance from other couples, avoid accidents, and find space to execute vocabulary and express music without taking mental "clock cycles" away from other elements on (and off) this list. You do everything else better because you're handling route-planning and hazard-avoidance – also relevant to other activities mentioned in this thread, like climbing, driving, or walking – innately rather than consciously. In fact, the single biggest issue new leaders seem to have is thinking so much about this that they dance in a choked, creatively limited fashion at the milonga even if they have all the other stuff in an empty room.
I could add other things, but it takes just one example to make the answer, "Yes, flow makes you a better dancer." That is, unless you disagree that dancing musically and in harmony with a partner, inventing clean steps that don't endanger yourself or others, is "better." But I pay a coach explicitly to get trained in not thinking about all this stuff so I can dance better. It feels good, sure, but that's the ultimate goal of any leisure activity that has no importance to basic survival.
And I envy you . . . You've been able to dance multiple styles, where I fight to master just one, and you are also a capable musician and DJ, while I lack the musical skills for those activities. I have lots of skills of no relevance to these forums, but as far as relevant skills go, I have "dances exclusively tango specifically to tango music." I'm not a generalist despite repeated attempts to branch out. This may be why tango flow is so important to me: Dance and music aren't innate to the way my brain works, and I want to enjoy them without having to hear all kinds of noise in my brain.
It is for most people. My professional life as an editor means that my relationship to would-be writers is a lot like that of an orthopedic surgeon to would-be skiers.
I don't disagree. Perhaps I'm questioning whether I'm the appropriate judge of that.