The Embrace as a motivating factor.

[Mario7]

OK..my take on this dance is that the guy is not abnormally talented but rather average..that many of us could dance this well on a good day..but THE motivating factor is what is hanging on his right shoulder and glued to his right ear...I'm saying that the woman is DRIVING the dance!:banana:
..post your own examples if you have any.

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[jantango]

I hope that the music is driving the dance for him. If he has no connection with it, the dance doesn't make any sense for either one of them.

I viewed this video twice--first focusing on her, later on him. Her affectations are so distracting -- the diagonal position of her left arm (probably influenced by Maria Plazaola's teaching in Italy), her heels off the floor, open foot position rather than straight feet, flexing the foot, lifting feet and knees -- all are the latest fashion among dancers in BsAs. She has copied what she has observed/learned and has no personal style.

He has developed a personal style, one which milongueros in BsAs would admire. His double-heel turn at 1:11 is unique and not the way milongueros would turn, but it got applause for being a new trick. It is rare to see an exhibition where the couple uses line of dance rather than disregarding it for performance purposes. This was improvised and with the music. The Italians are known to be the best tango dancers outside of Buenos Aires. This video proves it.

 

[Mario7]

Great post, Jan! Something that I can really learn from..mil gracias.:friend::cheers:
..Sometimes, I miss the trees for the forest.
..but hey, my four grandparents came from Italy! Anyway, I was reviewing that turn and wondering how it was done...the video doesn't capture the small details that well.. I am a fan of the single axis turn and pay attention to them..this one was different!
Also, I was thinking 'this guy's got Cadencia!' ...remember that word?

 

[Zoopsia59]

the diagonal position of her left arm

I find that position to be rather awkward to maintain except whent he leader is just the right height. However, I have had several leaders say they like the way it feels (much more than just having my arm around his shoulders.) So I try to use it with a few leaders that seem to enjoy the feeling of me embracing them that way, but generally, it makes for a strange twist in my shoulder.

 

[bordertangoman]

I find that position to be rather awkward to maintain except whent he leader is just the right height. However, I have had several leaders say they like the way it feels (much more than just having my arm around his shoulders.) So I try to use it with a few leaders that seem to enjoy the feeling of me embracing them that way, but generally, it makes for a strange twist in my shoulder.

I agree; there are only a couple of women who I would allow to leave their arm there and it looks well awful.IMO

 

[Peaches]

Eh. Sometimes I find the diagonal arm thing comfortable...sometimes not. I end up moving my arm a lot anyhow, even when I stay within close embrace. Around his left shoulder/around the neck, middle of the back on his spine, diagonal, along his right side. *shrug* Sometimes one thing just feels more comfortable at the moment than another. Usually I don't realize that I'm even switching it.

 

[Mladenac]

I don't like perfromance at all.

It seems like underlying music and elements are not is sync.
They are on rhythm, but not on music i.e. they don't use musical phrasing.

They don't have fluidity in their movements, they are more like wrestling than dancing.
They have to much on/off dance.

That diagonal embrace is common if lady is heigher than partner.
Here is clearly not, so her shoulder are uneven that gives poor composture.
I don't like that kind of embrace, cause partner is too stuck on me, so I can't do open/close transition.

There is no free leg (like in boleo at 0:27).
I know that she can "kick" at the end, but not controlling all the way.

I can't see why this is milonguero style, cause they have one side open.

I would give performance 3 of 5, and I would be generous.

 

[opendoor]

ups and downs

..Sometimes...sometimes not. I end up moving my arm a lot anyhow, even when I stay within close embrace. ... Usually I don't realize that I'm even switching it.

think it´s the same with Sara Torricelli: in the second half of that dance her arm mostly is in the upper position. Think she was more relaxed then. Some followers feel to have more control at the lower position. I found that women very often put their arm there, when they expect some vivacious movements.

 

[newbie]

I hate this embrace. From whichever point of view you consider it (comfort, lead-follow, esthetics) it's worse than the usual embrace. When is BsAs last year I tried to investigate to know who had created it but nobody was able to tell me. Whenever someone tries this with me I instantly switch to distant-open embrace.

 

[Mario7]

OK, you all flunk... I tried to introduce a concept that perhaps your generation has already relegated to political incorrectness...it's called SEx APPEAL ! If you don't 'get it' ..then, you don't get it... sorry, 'bout that. ... Crikey

 

[Zoopsia59]

a concept that perhaps your generation has already relegated to political incorrectness...

What generation would that be? Seems we have a mix here.

One of the things my generation (or maybe its just me) has relegated to the dustbin is clairvoyance.

You often post questions or comments about technique. When you say the woman is driving the dance, it wasn't really clear that you meant the guy is motivated to dance because the girl is pretty. It sounded like a comment on the style or technique of their dancing, especially since we recently had discussions about "shared leads"

 

[Madahlia]

When you say the woman is driving the dance, it wasn't really clear that you meant the guy is motivated to dance because the girl is pretty. It sounded like a comment on the style or technique of their dancing, especially since we recently had discussions about "shared leads"

I took the comments to refer to the embrace technique as well.

I would not be able to dance like that for more than a minute or two without getting discomfort in my shoulder. When I've seen people dancing like that the woman looks like she's putting her back under severe strain which I hate to see. I don't know how the man can tolerate her weight on his shoulder - and I wouldn't expect a guy to put up with me doing that to him.

If this thread really is about people putting up with dodgy technique from others because they find them attractive - sure, it happens, but I'm not sure why a forum known for a love of tango would find it a relevant topic to discuss. I certainly don't pick my dance partners on the basis of sexual attractiveness.

 

[Mario7]

I certainly don't pick my dance partners on the basis of sexual attractiveness.

Why the heck not? ...OK, I'm probably a throwback but I think that there's more to a dance than what one can be conscious of...more to life, too..a lot more.:cowboy:
I'll try to tame down my threads in the future..technique is my interest too.
I think that Jan was right in pointing out the various 'fads' that the woman was exhibiting but I hold that that is the way of the future in close embrace..for a while anyway.

 

[Madahlia]

Why the heck not? ....

Because I don't want to dance with someone who's beautiful but a rubbish dancer. Cute is OK for looking at but dancing requires someone who feels good and has the requisite skills. If they've got those they can be as ugly as sin but they'll be great to dance with and no amount of good looks can compensate for the lack of them.

Surely no-one could be shallow enough to think otherwise.........?

 

[Madahlia]

I'll try to tame down my threads in the future...

Please don't.........