Re: [TANGO-L] Tango Dialects

[Stephen Brown <Stephen.P.Brown @DAL.FRB.ORG>]

The cross is one of the most common elements of the tango vocabulary, but
all five descriptions that have been offered about how the cross is
created are really theories--including the explanation offered by the old
milongueros.  (I have listed all five theories below.)  Interestingly
enough only one of the five theories is completely inconsistent with the
others--the idea that the cross ought to be led with the man's right arm.
We probably ought to throw out that theory--even though some teachers use
it.

The theory that everything has a lead--and the cross is led by the chest
of the man--is not inconsistent with the other theories in that this
describes the twisted torsos that can result from the man walking outside
the woman, but let's be honest, most women will take the cross whether or
not the man is using the proper body motion.  For most men, the woman must
work with the codes of the dance's movements as well as the man's lead.

For teaching beginners probably the easiest to grasp theories (such as the
cross is is a learned step or the cross it brings the woman back in front
of the man) work the best.  Later we can apply the nuevo analysis to the
cross--not so much to help us understand the cross, which we ought to know
fairly well by the time we are ready for nuevo analysis, but to help us
understand nuevo theory.

With best regards,
Steve (de Tejas)


Theory 1(The cross is a learned step from the old milongueros via Daniel):
>The cross..(fift position or colecting in front )in
>the female role is a learned step.And , as learned
>,there is not lead for it.She will execute it
>following the normal way to do the 8 count basic.
>In tango,the man does not walk outside the female more
>than 1 step forward.The number 3,if you need to dance
>counting will be toward your partner and giving extra
>space from your chess to allow her to colect in cross.

Theory 2 (the cross brings the woman back in from the the man from the
pedagogic approach via Astrid):
>The man has started to walk outside
>the woman. While he is walking, their upper bodies stay connected, which
>means, that the whole time, their torsos are twisted, while they are
>embracing each other. How long can you go on walking like this? Sooner or
>later, not always after two steps, the man straightens out his body , and
>this brings the woman back in front of him. Resulting in her crossing her
>feet.

Theory 3 (The nuevo analysis via Manuel):
>The cross step of the woman is led and not led at the same time.
>It's led because the man begins to move and lead the woman to begin a
turn
>to his left, but does not allow her to go around him as he moves forward.
>The cross is nothing but the front cross that follows the open step to
her
>right..... It's not led per se but it's led because it's the code of the
>tango.

>Lets look at it this way. The thing could begin with a salida where thye
man
>leads the woman to take a side step (open) to here right, the next
logical
>step of the turn is a cross. In this case it's back cross that the man
leads
>by going forward (she steps back or crashes into him. The next step would
be
>a side step (open) again to her right, but since the pesky leader
continues
>to move forward, her open step is in a rearward bias. The next logical
step
>of the grapevine (molinete) is of course, a front cross which in this
case
>the woman does while still moving directly backwards, Eureka! there is
the
>famos "cross"..... The man must of course, stop and step in place or risk
>running over his partner.

>There we have it, the cross is led because it's the logical progression
of
>the woman's turn to her right, but is not a specific, discrete and
special
>lead that the man must do at the third step when he steps outside to her
>right.

Theory 4 (everything has a lead via Clint):
>There are very few rules in Tango... I would say that one of them is that
it
>is a 100% lead and follow dance. There are no set patterns. There are
>patterns but those patterns can be broken at any point; therefore, they
are
>not set in stone.

>The cross is lead in the chest of the leader. You can step outside
partner
>and continue outside partner for as many steps as you like and the follow
>should not cross until you bring her to the cross by bringing your back
>forward. The cross should never be assumed or expected unless you lead
it.

>This is fundamental.. anything else would remove the lead follow aspect
of
>the dance.

Theory 5 (everything has a lead):
>The cross is led by the man's right arm.