Melina Sedo of D&M interview

along with Strictly Come Dancing and media presentation of tango, and shows...

but a very good article thank you for that.
 
Teaching people who have never danced is the most difficult and requires the best to do it. Unfortunately, many only want to teach experienced dancers so they don't have to work as hard. That's why there are so many with years of experience who have bad habits and lack a good foundation for the dance. They wanted to move up to the next level where they could learn the good stuff before a good foundation was established. Beginners don't know that their teachers aren't far ahead of them.

If Melina and Detlaf teach beginners, their recent video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_3g8MKS4Ws demonstrates that they don't know how salon tango is danced in Buenos Aires. For example, the embrace begins with the man offering his left hand to the woman. Their exhibition begins with Melina raising her arm vertically before placing it on Detlaf's back. This is usually seen only on stage. It is rarely seen in a milonga in Buenos Aires, and used only by foreigners. Since she is looking over his shoulder, she has to wait for him to take her right hand in his. It's all backwards. The exhibition is giving dancers the wrong idea from the beginning of how tango is danced in the milongas of BsAs.

Her hand position on his back is what I've named "The Crow's Foot" with the fingers splayed for no reason other than this is one of the latest fashion trends. www.jantango.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/how-do-you-hug-your-dance-partner Melina is following the trend.
 
jantango said:
If Melina and Detlaf teach beginners, their recent video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_3g8MKS4Ws demonstrates that they don't know how salon tango is danced in Buenos Aires. .... The exhibition is giving dancers the wrong idea from the beginning of how tango is danced in the milongas of BsAs..
Click to expand...


Hi Jan thanks for that.

I wonder if you have any views on the contra body style of walking they use. You can see this more clearly on the other video they posted re Eton if you look at his left arm/her right arm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DEjMTMyORc (Tango D'Arienzo en RU)
 
jantango said:
If Melina and Detlaf teach beginners, their recent video demonstrates that they don't know how salon tango is danced in Buenos Aires. For example, the embrace begins with the man offering his left hand to the woman. Their exhibition begins with Melina raising her arm vertically before placing it on Detlaf's back. This is usually seen only on stage. It is rarely seen in a milonga in Buenos Aires, and used only by foreigners. Since she is looking over his shoulder, she has to wait for him to take her right hand in his. It's all backwards. The exhibition is giving dancers the wrong idea from the beginning of how tango is danced in the milongas of BsAs.
Click to expand...

I know for a fact they have danced in BA milongas several times and know how dancing is in Buenos Aires. All that was danced in that video was acceptable in such milongas. It was all close embrace, small and not choreographed.

As for the arms they were connected at the chest first. Both were adjusting to an embrace for comfort before any movement. That is all that is needed, no rush to move before connection.

Dancing with both you and Melino I know you both dance well in small spaces.
 
tanjive said:
I know for a fact they have danced in BA milongas several times and know how dancing is in Buenos Aires. All that was danced in that video was acceptable in such milongas. It was all close embrace, small and not choreographed.

As for the arms they were connected at the chest first. Both were adjusting to an embrace for comfort before any movement. That is all that is needed, no rush to move before connection.

Dancing with both you and Melino I know you both dance well in small spaces.
Click to expand...


Please look again at the video. They hardly move, and when they do Detlaf walks straight forward. That can't be done in most milongas because there are other dancers on the floor. What they dance isn't what is done in BA. My video at Salon Leonesa shows that traffic moves much slower.

The connection begins with the hands first, then the arms resulting in chest contact. They have it backwards. They didn't have anything to adjust because they are dance partners who teach together all the time. They were taking time at the beginning of the music for some unknown reason. If they did this on the floor at Lo de Celia, they would stop all the dancing.

I have never danced with you. I would remember even though I am more forgetful these days.

Melina and Detlaf lined up exhibitions at the milongas so they could upload videos of themselves. It proves they were in BsAs.
 
Jan we danced in Lo De Celia in March/April this year. You move forward in the line of dance in the space available. They had more space so slightly bigger steps than normal. What other direction would you normally take? If you are side on facing the tables you go sideways up the LOD. If you cannot move you go round each other.
 
Their videos show tango as an exhibition dance where they can stand still as long as they want or move straight down the floor. That's a ideal situation that doesn't occur at a normal milonga, especially in Buenos Aires.

They are giving the impression to their students that you can do anything you want in salon tango. Even the way they embraced is the way that it has been done on stage.

Most people want to dance a social style of tango to enjoy with a variety of partners. They are being taught elements for stage that are out of place in a milonga.

Tango performance has its place on stage for those who want entertainment. Tango exhibitions are for selling private classes. Tango for the milonga is about improvising in the moment.
 
A prescript for the Tango embrace? How absurd.

There are as many differences in the Tango embrace as there are dancers. That is one of the defining elements of the essence of Tango.
 
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