[TANGO-L] Neverending Ochos

[H Dickinson <hyladlmp @YAHOO.COM>]

I've been thinking a bit about the tendency of follows
to keep on and on with ochos without waiting for the
lead.  I do agree that a strong lead ("death grip")
can be very helpful, and the whisper in the ear, as
well.

But also I am remembering back to my days first
learning, and I remember there having been two major
reasons why I would keep going on and on.

The first major reason was very vague but very real
and, as I think back on it, seemed to be combined of
all sorts of hopes and fears and misconceptions all
mixed up.  The hopes had mostly to do with wanting to
"get it", to be "nice" to the lead and spare him or
her all that bother of having to push me around; and
hoping that I looked nice doing it, hoping that I was
doing it right, and a sort of "look at me, Mom, I'm
doing OCHOS!".  The fears seemed to be along the lines
of "what if I stop in the wrong place?  HOW do I stop?
 What if I stop and he didn't want me to stop and gets
angry?".  I certainly remember a sense of panic.  The
misconceptions seemed to have to do with a feeling
that this was the "real" thing that set tango apart,
and so it was very important and was probably
something a really good dancer would be able to do a
lot of.  There was also a misconception that you don't
do just one ocho, you do lots (maybe because that was
how we would practice them?) and also that since it is
harder to keep your balance as you do more and more of
them, then to  prove you are a better dancer, you do
more.  And with all of these hopes and fears and
misconceptions floating around, I for one had a
tendency to zone out and go on automatic pilot once I
started.

The second (and probably more universally true) major
set of reasons for me had to do with momentum.  When I
started, I had no sense of my own axis, my balance was
not great, I really did not have much experience in
social dance at all.  Lots of folks starting tango are
in the same boat.  We think we are doing great on all
of these, but we really haven't a clue....Despite
whatever good teaching I might have had (and I have
found this to be true with all beginning follows I
have tried to lead) certain things never registered at
first, such as, "collect your feet, wait on your axis,
stay on balance".  So, what I used to do was to be
continually off-balance, and tipping a bit, and always
trying to catch up.  The easiest way for me to do this
was to keep going on with ochos, because if I stopped,
then I would fall over.

Also, bad leads make bad follows (and vice versa);
beginning leads tend to pull and push and jerk and
lead the ochos too fast for the follow to get her
balance, which increases the whole momentum/balance
problem, and since she can never catch up, she can't
tell when the lead wants her to stop.  After awhile,
she stops trying to follow.  And once again, dealing
with all of these balance issues means that she is so
wrapped up worrying, that she is not paying attention
to the lead.

One thing that has seemed to help a little bit is to
say to a follow who is suffering the endless ocho
syndrome,  "I'm noticing that I'm having a hard time
comunicating when I want to end the ochos.  I'd like
to take a little time out to practice being really
clear in my lead there.  I'm going to do just one ocho
at a time for a bit, and I'd like you to let me know
if it feels like I'm pulling you off center or
anything."  And then do that, one ocho, stop.  If she
doesn't stop, mention collecting the feet as a good
way to keep balance and control--because now she knows
for sure that you only want one ocho, if she is not
doing it, is is because she is having a hard time with
momentum or balance etc., not because she is on
automatic pilot.  Just a few of these and then go on
with the class whether she gets it or not, otherwise
it is a little rude!  Several good leads and good
teachers helped me in this way when I was learning.
(Only during a class or practica, never at a milonga,
during a milonga it needs to be the death grip and/or
the private whisper).

I don't know if this is familiar to any other follows
reading this?

Hyla

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing.
http://photos.yahoo.com/