[TANGO-L] Close embrace and long steps

[LGMoseley@AOL.COM]

This is my solution to Derik's problem with strong
leads and short  stepping followers. I'm sending it to
the list because I think many of you  will find some
value here. Free bonus at  end.
*****************************************

Hola  Derik,

Those of us who dance tango in a close embrace know
that most  women will match any size step the man
indicates. Some of us have been  speculating about why
you cant lead close embrace followers to take  long
steps. I think it is directly related to your comment
about being a  strong leader.

Even a strong man doesnt have enough leverage to
shove  a woman around when she is very close to his
center of gravity and connected  to the floor. A strong
lead is unpleasant in an open embrace, but it can  be
made to work. (Its like pounding a screw in with a
hammer.) On the  other hand, a strong lead is useless
in close embrace.

I have my own  way of putting in screws that only
rarely requires a hammer. And my own way  of leading
large steps in close embrace that never requires a
strong lead.  I bend my knee. Im not saying its the
only way to do it, but it works well  for me with most
followers.

Here is a little exercise that you can try  by
yourself. Walk across the room twice. Once taking
short steps, and once  taking very long steps. Pay
attention to what happens in your body to make  the
long steps. You must bend your knees more deeply to
take longer steps.  This in turn lowers your center.
Next, try extending your free leg like a  follower, as
far as you can  as if you are being lead to a giant
step.  The more you bend the knee of the weight bearing
leg, the farther you can  extend your free leg. So my
pre-lead for a long step is a deep bend in the  knee of
the weight bearing leg. Then we move together. I
learned this  technique from Susana Miller, the Queen
of long steps in close  embrace.

To lead the follower to take a long step in her
molinete, I  do the same thing with my center as I do
to lead a long step walking in line.  I drop it by
bending my knee. Then I twist my body to send her to a
long  step around me.

If the man keeps his center up, he indicates a  short
step. If he twists a lot, he indicates a large step.
If he stays up  and twists a lot, he leads two
different things at the same time. When  dancing open,
a strong lead can force the woman to compensate:
ignore his  center, and follow his facing. Even so, to
take that long step, the woman  must drop her center,
which creates a disconnection between them. The  turn
will not feel smooth to her. When dancing in close
embrace, the  womans center is stuck to the mans
center. Regardless of how much he  twists, or how hard
he shoves her, she must take short steps if he  doesnt
drop his center.

In the US at least, close embrace dancers  are
generally taught to maintain their own axis and
balance. They may look  like they are leaning on each
other to an untrained eye, but it is an  illusion. If
women lean on you when in a close embrace, it might  be
because they are following your center, not your
strong lead. In that  case, your strong lead is shoving
them off balance, and they are just holding  on for
dear life.
I don't understand this worry about long steps. Don't  think about them. I
love long steps; to my mind they contain some of the magic  of the Tango. If you
lead with your chest, the lady will move back, there will  be space for as
long a step as you want, even in close embrace. Most of the  Argentinian
teachers that I have had have said "Don't worry about the steps. Get  your stance,
embrace, and walking right, and the steps will come on their own".  In my
experience, there has been a lot of truth in that.

Of course, if the lady has not got her balance, walking, etc, right, that
may inhibit you. That, though, is another matter. Tango is for two, after  all.

Abrazos

Laurie (Laurence)

__________________________________________________________________
These are just some of my ideas you might try out, and
maybe add a new  tool to your collection. It takes more
than a hammer to dance  tango.

Sean

P.S. The free bonus: How do I lead large steps in  open
embrace? Answer: I bend my knee.


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