Seeing through my partners head

[Zoopsia59]

I've had mixed luck with this, honestly. In a super-crowded milonga it can lead to signaling all the time, which is as useless as not signaling at all. I've had some guys (not many, but some) say they find it annoying, that they are aware of things, and to please stop. Most guys though just don't seem to register it at all and things go south..

Never had either of those problems. If things are so bad that I'd be signalling all the time, then my leader is probably being extra careful about what he does. It's the "out of pattern" random thing that is most likely to need signalling to an more experienced leader.

I do dance with many beginners though, and they need more help.

 

[Mr 4 styles]

I'

ve seen some pretty poor navigation in Ballroom, but I've never seen a ballroom dance anywhere near as crowded as many tango events can get (certainly not as crowded as they were in BA). You wouldn't be able to dance Quickstep with that many people on the floor at once.

agree bu t my point was in regard to the processing speed the leaders brain requires. it is much more taxed in QS than AT. multiple slow targets are easier to deal with than a few fast irregular ones

 

[AndaBien]

... I do it to avoid almost certain imminent danger...

I thought you said that you do it in almost every tanda. Do you dance in a mosh pit?

 

[tangobro]

Your partners are supposed to help you out by keeping their eyes open and being aware of who is to your right at all times. They should give a signal with the left hand as a warning when needed.

Dancing in the outer lane on a crowded milonga floor in BsAs often requires progressing to the left while facing the tables, not facing down the line of dance.

The way to check is doing a quarter turn regularly to see the space on the right.

Ask a salon champion this question, and he will be stuck for an answer. They are too busy working on choreography for exhibition at the next milonga where they will not dance socially.

My bold italics in the quote above.

My experience with the salon champs that have traveled in my area to do workshops is different from jantango's. They taught (as jan says) that the men should keep the ladies backs toward the tables while progressing to the left & incorporate small moves to the right to check the space. At the milongas here they also danced socially.

 

[Zoopsia59]

I thought you said that you do it in almost every tanda. Do you dance in a mosh pit?

Pretty much.

Keep in mind that "every tanda" may still mean just once per leader. And it's not like I'm squealing "YIKES!" and freezing up in a panic. I just give a little extra pressure with my left arm/hand along his back. Occasionally, I am led to go somewhere that someone else steps into at the same moment, and I simply wait before I go.

But yes, at our most recent practica, there were close calls in every tanda. It gets crowded and we have a wide mix of skill levels, especially when it comes to floorcraft. It's worse at the practica because people are practicing stuff they might have just learned at the class a few days prior as well as other stuff that they aren't good at yet. Often they are concentrating on remembering what to do rather than paying close attention to the dancers around them, AND it's a small space.

Don't get me started on why they are learning so many things that are difficult to adapt to a small space and not learning what they need for a crowded floor.

The milongas are better, but they are usually in a larger space, so it may just be that the bad habits are less of a problem.