Rise and fall when walking?

jantango said:
The question of rise and fall could be answered by attending a milonga in Lo de Celia or Centro Region Leonesa and observing the milongueros. If you can't make the trip in person, watch a video on YouTube.
Click to expand...

With respect, no, the question of rise and fall - or any other question for that matter - cannot be answered by watching youtube records of people dancing in BsAs. I am sorry but it's a myth that ALL Argentinians are perfect dancers. It was the shock of my life when on my first visit to BA I had a dance with an elderly porteno, who was not musical at all, whose lead was rough, who held me so tight I could not breathe, who knocked me off balance all the time. This happened at the Lo de Celia, with no obvious tourist in the crowd apart from me. There were other similar incidents, especially at non-touristy milongas. In fact, at a milonga in the Grisel I had such a bad run of dances with 'milongueros' - they all look the part, mind you, - that I left early, very despirited. Travelling thousands of miles for that?!! Sure, a majority of dances i had in BA with milongueros were divine. But about 20 per cent were crap.
To put things in context: I've been to BsAs five times, I went to milongas every day, both touristy and non-touristy.
Back to Jan's advice above: if we just watch uncritically people dancing in BA milongas, how do we know who to take as an example? Some of them seem to change height, some don't.
As for me, I'm with Peaches: don't bounce. Beyond that, do whatever works and looks elegant.
 
bordertangoman said:
My take on rise and fall was that i was taught to be as level as possible at the outset by keeping a flexed knee joint in normal standing position but after a three or four years and watching a lot of the better dancers I could see a rise in the collect position and thought that felt better; so that's how I dance now; with a modest amount of rise and fall.
Click to expand...
That's it, make it complicated again why don't you....

bordertangoman said:
DB you could go and watch CARLITOS & ROSA PEREZ at NEGRACHA, lucky sod.
Click to expand...
What, and miss Strictly? With Jo "Comedy Gold" Wood? Are you mad?
 
When walking I dip a tiny bit, and when i try to stop i rise that bit to normal level. So partner can feel that i go slower, when i want counter movement, i use it without rising i.e. slowing. I always try not to go up beyond my normal level (go on the ball of the foot). Always landing on extended leg using heel first. I was taught that tango is walking .
 
Temza said:
With respect, no, the question of rise and fall - or any other question for that matter - cannot be answered by watching youtube records of people dancing in BsAs. I am sorry but it's a myth that ALL Argentinians are perfect dancers. It was the shock of my life when on my first visit to BA I had a dance with an elderly porteno, who was not musical at all, whose lead was rough, who held me so tight I could not breathe, who knocked me off balance all the time. This happened at the Lo de Celia, with no obvious tourist in the crowd apart from me. There were other similar incidents, especially at non-touristy milongas. In fact, at a milonga in the Grisel I had such a bad run of dances with 'milongueros' - they all look the part, mind you, - that I left early, very despirited. Travelling thousands of miles for that?!! Sure, a majority of dances i had in BA with milongueros were divine. But about 20 per cent were crap.
To put things in context: I've been to BsAs five times, I went to milongas every day, both touristy and non-touristy.
Back to Jan's advice above: if we just watch uncritically people dancing in BA milongas, how do we know who to take as an example? Some of them seem to change height, some don't.
As for me, I'm with Peaches: don't bounce. Beyond that, do whatever works and looks elegant.
Click to expand...

I'm with y'all too. Don't bounce...after that...all I can say is that the people whose walk I most enjoy always have a positive energy directed in the direction they are asking me to step, and feel very smooth and grounded. And by smooth, I don't neccessarily mean they are strictly level in their walk, but the way they land thrugh their steps is very smooth and influences also hwo I land my steps.

And I also agree you can't always tell what is "correct" by watching a video. Don't we keep telling people you can't strictly learn AT watching videos? Why should Youtube be any different. It's a great source of info, but take it with a grain of salt, like anything else.

There's plenty of things in dancing AT that you can only feel in an embrace, and how someone is using their body or muscles is not always visible from the outside.

Some things you think you may understand just by watching someone do it, you end up finding out wasn't really how they were doing it at all. Example- sacadas may look like someone physically moving someone's leg out of the way, or barridas may look like someone is physically shifting someones foot, but it's mostly illusion, and you probably won't "get it by watching a video.
 
Lilly_of_the_valley said:
I am saying that by getting mad at jantango, and calling her posts "spam" IMHO you are overreacting a little bit.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that spam is the correct word...but it does seem a bit like with a couple of posters, who if you read regularly you will know whom, you can pretty much predict what they are going to say without reading the post...broken record effect.

Much the case here....and in another thread.

It does begin to get tiresome.
 
I still stand by my point of "As smooth and as level as possible." Granted an occasional bounce, or rise, or fall will happen. It's just bound to.

IMHE, the key to being level is dis-association between your upper and lower body. Where your upper body is isolated and can do one thing and your lower body doing another thing (Think drummer, belly dancer). The exercise is you try to keep the your upper body/core as level and as smooth as possible, REGARDLESS of what your legs do. You can be walking heel lead, toe lead, shuffling... whatever, but keep your upper body smooth and level.

Hard to do? Sure. It takes practice. Try keeping a book balanced on top of your head. Now walk to tango, vals, milonga music using different rhythms, traspies, etc. If you rise and fall, or bounce, the book will fall.
 
Dave Bailey said:
I believe you.

Unfortunately, some of us have commitments and lives which make such journeys practically impossible.
Click to expand...

I’ve seen movies of London, pictures, plays you name it but none of it mattered until I set foot on your soil. The chance of being killed while crossing a street because I can’t comprehend cars driving on the “wrong’ side, to take a walk and peruse the quaint shops and not hear a single person speaking the Queens English. And let’s not forget the four-hour bicycle tour in the pouring rain. The highlight of our vacation was“Negracha” and seeing first hand how tango is danced in London.
My point is after 2 short weeks I have a different view of London and my opinion has changed.
Book’s movie’s lectures and forums will not prepare you for the BsAs milongas. It takes being there and dancing there to make you understand what it’s really like. Some day try to go and experience Argentina and all it has to offer including the Tango and you might have a better understanding as to where Jan is coming from.
 
Very true. There is no substitute for actually going and feeling what it's like firsthand.

However, it's not possible for everyone. And the answer to any and every technical question being "go see how it's done in BsAs" is not a useful answer to the question anyhow. Nor, as I said, is it always possible. Also, seeing it done in BsAs won't answer a technical question any more than seeing it done anywhere else where AT is danced well.

So, when a technical question has been asked, a response other than "go see it done where it originated" is appreciated and would actually be useful.
 
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