Re: Female Leaders

[Petra Starmans <petra.starmans @BEFREE.CH>]

Hi Manuel :-)
Hi list

I know you Manuel will forgive me for being very european in my reaction
from Zurich here... ;-). (Hope you and Ronda are fine, by the way!)

> Leading and following are very different skills. While some women are
> consumate leaders and can lead anybody to do anything, most women as leaders
> are much more light and tentative than the men (they will use less brute
> force and less body mass). Men, on the other hand, tend to be poor followers
> as they are heavier and do very little of the technique required for
> following (back ochos, pivoting, turns, etc.). This makes the whole thing
> considerably more challenging. Men are much harder to lead and women are
> generally smaller and lighter and have more of a challenge to lead.
The weight and size thing does play a role, the lead will even more have to
be a body motion lead, impulse clearly generated from inside. Not to
mention, that the woman should be advised to change shoes, it is quite a
different stand leading on heels.. making the weight problem more acute,
especially in those figures where the man offers a central axis to the
couple.
The challenges of both partenaires not knowing the roles is equal to the
standard beginner situation, seems like no argument to me.. Beginning
whatever role is challenging. Maybe there is an aspect that it is hard on
the ego to 'fall back' to a beginner level.

> Personally, I don't think there is much to be gained by women leading men
> around in tango. I think that while it is useful for men as leaders to feel
> what the follower feels, the reverse is not necesarily true. The skills of
> the follower are very difficult to master and are considerably different
> than those required to lead. I don't believe that a woman can become a
> better follower by learning to lead. I do believe that a leader can become a
> better leader by experiencing the leads himself.

I believe that in all senses practicing the lead does help me become a
better follower!

I perceive better, what the effect is when followers lose balance, are too
slow and heavy or too quick and advance before a lead.. all 'theoretical'
concepts offered to a follower in many classes, of course one tries not to
do it, but it does help proud women like me to personally sense how terrible
followers can behave ;-). and that is a great motivation to work on things
even more.

Knowing the challenge of the navigation on the floor, I have a great deal
more patience with my leaders than before!

If I lead a talented and skilled follower woman, I can also learn a lot of
things from her body language and position, from her special style. It can
really clarify to feel somebody moving like you would be supposed to move
and sense that within the music as well. What type of embellishment is
possible within the music, which not, things like that as well.

If I lead a beginning man (or woman) I maybe understand that there are quite
some things i learned to master as a follower already. Nice for the ego ;-),
so to say, especially when my leading means going back to the beginner
stage, like mentioned above. Nice also because I can help my following
partenaire with rather qualified tips, having been there myself.

All experience gathered when leading, also adds to the work one can do with
partners in workshops when returning to the traditional role.


>
> It seems that the tango started as a dance between men and women.
> Apparently, at the beginning, men learned with other men (and I presume
> women also leaned with other women as well as with men). Culturally, the
> tango is all about the relationship between a man and a woman on the dance
> floor (at least this would seem to be the prevalent dogma amongst the
> majority of tango aficionados). Even a cursory search will reveal many
> articles and posts about "the connection", "the passion", "the embrace",
> "the intimacy", etc. of the tango. All these things would lead one to think
> of tango as romantic, if you will, endeavor. From this perspective, same sex
> partners would not be the norm at a traditional milonga (e.g. in Buenos
> Aires)

You are surely right about Buenos Aires.

I just think that connection, intimacy, embrace, and even excitement, I can
find that dancing with a great woman lead. If my woman lead is of that
level, I of course cannot / dare not say..

And in the end: let me be honest, it is great to be on the steering wheel
sometimes, picking the rhythm and the steps, a more outward, more poignant
creativity, being one with the music in an other sense, which at some
evenings suits my mood much more. I know quite some male dancers who like to
relax and be 'carried' around once in a while.

Nice tangos to all..


--
Petra Starmans
Neptunstrasse 21
8032 Z+APw-rich

tel/fax: ++ 41 (0)1 262 06 55
e-mail: petra.starmans @befree.ch

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