I find it interesting that only few leaders here on the forum lead by projection. So the following vid can be a good introduction to this technique.
To walk elegantly, effortlessly, feel comfortable and aesthetically look good, while dancing in an embrace, I think is the holy grail that all the tango dancers aspire to.
TL;DR - Use of the term ‘projection’ by the instructors is unfortunate. I think most good dancers do use what is implied by ‘projection’. They may not choose to call it as that. The terminology and its semantics don’t do justice to the elements that need to come together biomechanically. Neither the dancers nor instructors are bio-mechanical experts. It is very difficult to both describe and agree on the combination of all the bio-mechanical aspects that results in the end-effect the so called ‘projection’ is meant to achieve. Neither are most people capable of accurately describing or identifying their own motion or how they are able to produce it.
I haven’t followed the thread yet to know others’ opinion. Using the quoted as a launching pad to explain my opinion based on my personal experience. You can skip the essay below
I have taken the walking technique classes from more than half a dozen instructors in the past 10 years. A few from very experienced old dancers, a couple from very well known acclaimed instructors and a couple of them with the younger mundial championship winners. One example of a tanguero whose social dancing style of walking I like is Ricardo Vidort. There are others.
Slightly off tangent, on the other hot topic. I have followed drills and exercises from both types of instructors. The ones who insist on the toe first landing and the ones who insist on the heel first landing. I can happily do either as a drill. I have no religion on it. I can dance exclusively using either landing only all night. I choose to use both. For certain type of music passages or in a crowded ronda which requires me to take shorter steps, I go toe first. For longer steps and slower music I use heel first. My split is probably 70:30 in favour of heel landing. I do what works and feels comfortable for both me and the follower.
As I mentioned, I’ve taken workshops and classes on the walking technique from more than a few instructors. Things that work in the class settings sometimes didn’t work when dancing in the milonga. Some of it due to my wrong application, some of it simply not socially transferable in dancing with a wide variety of partners. When trying to dance the same way as the stepping during the drills, things can get slightly disconnected when dancing in the milonga. Regarding their explanation of ‘projection’ part in the walking technique I split it 70:30. All of them in my interpretation, meant to convey the same for the 70% of the part. Though they may say it in different ways, making it appear they were saying different things. The remaining 30% was indeed emphasis on something different (bio-mechanically). Some aspects worked for me. Some didn’t. Both in the class settings and in dancing at the milongas.
I think I finally got to a happy place. Is there a room for improvement. Always. For now I am able to make the technique my own. It is what works for me, it is what I feel comfortable with, it doesn’t tire me or feels like as slog or causes strain in the back. When a follower compliments or asks if I am an instructor, I know I danced that tanda well enough for her. I spent hours watching dancers who look good and their steps have a quality of unrushed elegance. None of them give any illusion of falling in to the step. I have also watched for hours those whose walking I felt lacked something. Needless to say they are all displaying some degree of musicality in their dancing. That is an exercise to tease out what is working for them through observation.
Fatigue and lack of dance time certainly degrades the ability and skill. I remember a few months back, I was dancing after a gap of two or three months. The follower had pretty decent skills and after the tanda was over asked if she could make a suggestion. I said sure. She meant to say that my rise and fall was too pronounced though she didn’t word it that way. She was right. Part of it was because I felt she required more ‘projection’ and part of it was that I was not engaging properly. Being grounded and pushing off the ground is important. Equally important is how you do it. How much weight you put on the standing leg and how do you time the weight transfer to the free leg. This is the part that most instructors are not able to articulate. I had to figure it out by trying it out various ways. No one way works in all the situations, At the end it is a fine judgement. Similar to turning when riding a bike, how much you turn the handle vs how much you lean, in the direction of the turn. how much the road banks, how it is paved, etc. Depends on how fast or slow your speed is, how narrow or wide the turning radius required.
All of the instructors are right to an extent. You do need to be self aware of how your body is moving and how your partner reacts to it. Then you calibrate to smoothen it out. Whether you are chest forward lean-in type lead-with-chest dancer or maintain-your-axis dance with the core type salon dancer, your mechanics are similar, If you are a good And competent. You may think you are leading/following with the ‘chest’, but you are not. You may think you are not using/responding to the ‘projection’, but you are. You still have to have a good frame. You still need to engage your ’core’ in a relaxed fashion. Nice to have a pleasing posture. The style you dance doesn’t change the common elements required to be a good competent partner dancer.
