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Re: [TANGO-L] Complex rythms?
Carlos Lima wrote:
What about the idea of exploring stepping "around the pulse" in first-year
classes? I would be impressed to find out that it produced superlative
dancers, but I would not even want to hear about this being done with dancers
who do not reliably step RIGHT ON THE PULSE. There is a disquieting
proportion of people out there who CANNOT, or will not.
...
I think that you are underestimating peoples skills, or how common changing
the way one relates to the 'beat' is. The large majority of first year
students have no problems in changing the mood of their dance by dansing
one phrase arriving early to the beat (agressive) and on other phrase
arriving late to the beat (laid back), as long as it fits to the music, and
it lasts a complete phrase. What is difficult is to CHANGE the 'arrival'.
Only advanced level students should be excpected to change their arrival on
single step basis. Thus a simple walk, can be turned to a emotional event.
That is a skill that can be used for great musical expression and dynamic
in the dance, and it should be cultivated from the very
begining. Otherwise we end up with loads of people who lack 'musicality'.
best,
eero
I'm not in agreement that we step before or after the beat...this
sounds like not stepping at the right time.
In swing music it is common to make movements "bluesy" by delaying
the arrival of the step, but in tango I find that stepping, i.e.
"finishing the weight change" RIGHT on the beat is the needle that
stitches our dance together. If the follower is on the beat like
that, her foot is pinned into the earth and her other foot can be
moved on to the next position.
Yes, it takes a "pre-lead" to get her moving, perhaps even a
half-beat ahead, but that pre-arrival is in the music, (e.g. the
wheeze of the bandoneon prior to sharply striking the strong note). I
wouldn't express that anticipation or tension by actually stepping on
it, rather it is the compression or enhancing of the connection in
tango.
For those of you who step "off the beat", you certainly wouldn't
teach that to a beginner, would you?
--
Tom Stermitz
http://www.tango.org/
stermitz @tango.org
303-388-2560