[TANGO-L] Tango , Milonga, Acting

[Mel Roddie <melroyr @SLINGSHOT.CO.NZ>]

      Astrid wrote:
      > In my experience, the embrace for milonga is usually closer than the one
      > required for tango, and the two dancers dance as "one body". That is, IMO,
      > one reason why it exposes who really knows how to dance tango, and is not
      > just "acting" on the floor. I wonder how you came to the conclusion that
      > milongas requires " a little less following"? Maybe the steps are a little
      > less complicated than in tango, but the connection in the upper body is a
      > total one, which, if the woman does "a little less following" becomes
      > impossible, and the ensuing dance would be quite out of character.

      > my two cents
      > Astrid

      I agree, I tend to lead milonga much more positively (dare I say with a stronger embrace!) than I do Tango. No, I don't mean a weak / negative embrace for Tango !!. 
      For me the Tango lead is a much finer thing whether close, open, or shifting between the two. 
      I actually find it more challenging, to try to lead with more subtlety, less physically (unless I'm going for more dynamic). I don't want to be pushing her around and I don't want her using me for balance either !    (but of course we are all human).
      Milonga is fun, for me anyway (as you mentioned earlier it has some steps all of it's own, and (IMO)it can also get a little tricky. Tango can be fun too, but it's usually a different thing (IMO).

      But I was interested in your comment about "acting on the dance floor", and have noticed how it seems to take longer for (a lot of) people to warm to Milonga (and also Tango Vals !).
      These two dances require that you really do respect the rhythm (so does Tango of course). 
      It's weird to see people dance some figure that just does not fit the rhythm of the music at all.
      This is glaringly obvious in Milonga and Vals, maybe you can bluff easier in Tango if you don't walk too much and use enough dramatic pauses ???

      Which brings me to my Can of Worms.......
      Maybe Tango is a wonderfull dance if your sense of rhythm isn't so hot !.
      It has beautifull music that you can kind of move around to, with some pretty sexy moves at that ! 
      Maybe in time you will start to feel the rhythms better, start to move to them more naturally. 
      Start to dance.
      Or maybe acting is more your thing.

      Hope I don't sound too nasty here. 
      Tango is a wonderfull form of expression.
      I guess acting is too, I just don't care for it on the dance floor.
      However I often see dancers who may have had only a few lessons do beautifull things.
      It' not what you do, it's the way that you do it. 
      (and if someone just don't like Milonga that's fine too).
       
      My two cents.
      Mel.