I've been paying more attention to how "into the floor" is used in class. (My teacher had told me I was dancing "on top of the floor" when I was definitely not on the balls of my feet, and my knees were flexed. What was wrong?)
"On top of the floor" sounds like a dancer's description and not very helpful.
Like many tango descriptions, all of this "into the floor" is a description from observation,
not necessarily what is actually felt. Apilado suffers the same, resulting in the exaggerated
perception and image from show dancers.
Such descriptions come from choreographers, chattering teachers
(and presumably from some of us on this medium who only have words)
when the argentinians had no need for that sort of communication.
They felt it, they coached one another by doing not talking.
However so far I've neither found nor heard a better description of the walk
when in the embrace than on Tango and Chaos. I have to guess that Rick McGarrey
learned much of this walk from Ricardo Vidort and there were probably
few better sources at the time.
Even Ricardo Vidort could talk misleadingly, as he seemed to say
"always lead with the toe". In fact I think he was actually emphasising
not leading with the heel as watching video of him confirms usually
a whole footed floor landing on "compas".
Many teachers bring other dance influences to tango and think they are better.
Some definitely don't like the walking down into and solidly contacting the floor
but if you commit forward in the embrace, it undoubtedly is form following function.
I was no different when I first saw that sort of tango but changing that perception
was worthwhile. So it's a dance, but for men it's flat-footed.
It has since come to mind that I was keeping much of my weight on my supporting foot while bringing the other foot forward. Then as my body passed over that foot I'd transfer weight to it. In a way, I was falling smoothly forward instead of taking well defined separate steps with a collect between them. The whole foot came down flat but it was placed softly and the teacher said she could hardly feel the step.
This description is difficult to understand so hopefully you know what you mean!
The falling smoothly forward is ok so it seems that it's the following foot
(your own feet) causing the problem - maybe.
Later, when I remembered to put the heel down first, roll forward to the ball and push off to the next step, the feeling was very different, much more assertive and grounded. Both steps were "into the floor" but they felt different to me and to her as well.
Using the heel in a forward leaning forward walk results in double bump
and inevitably it's the heel strike that will be on the beat. If you are able
to roll onto the ball of the foot then probably you still are not committing
forward and into the floor.
I don't know if this has any bearing, but when I dance with a woman my height or taller I feel much more grounded than with a short woman. With a tall partner, I can easily step in a heel-roll-push fashion. With someone shorter I often feel barely connected (the contact point, my belly, is more round than my chest), and I feel a need to flex the knees and get down closer to the lady's level.
This becomes uncomfortable, so I tend to go back on the other kind of walk, letting momentum take me forward as if I were strolling down the sidewalk instead of making each step deliberate.
All of us in tango have an ideal height range of partner.
But even with a shorter partner you should never compromise
your posture.
On the question of whether a dancer in apilado would fall if the partner pulled away, I'll say yes, probably, if this happened unexpectedly while they were moving. The follower gives a little bit of resistance as they walk, so that if he stops she will maintain her connection and not let her momentum separate them.
As to whether this would happen if they were dancing in place, I don't know. I've been taught that each partner should be able to stand without the other, but this is tango and -- blessedly -- there are a lot of ways to do it.
Yes the extent of lean changes according to what is being danced.
There are many different ideas of the dynamics of the lean and the forces involved.
Not enough followers provide that resistance in the walk, but it is quite a skill.
Given that very few teachers concentrate on connection, it isn't surprising.
