Its a complaint that probably every single one of my favourite leaders has heard. And some have heard it often -- or very often, depending on their local tango community, almost always from less experienced or less skilled followers. You dont have a strong enough lead. (This may take the form of a variant, such as, you need to hold me up there or you need to support me more). Those who hear this the most often tend to be the subtlest, most snuggliciously sensual and careful leaders I know -- so much so, that when I hear a man say that women locally complain that he doesnt have a strong enough lead, I get quite excited because Im certain that I am going to love his dancing. I think this complaint usually comes from a very common misconception on the part of followers, which arises from ideas of the follower waiting, not anticipating, surrendering, shutting her eyes and just letting go, along with other images of passivity which are so easily misinterpreted. When you follow, its important to be attentive to and aware of the leaders movements. You want to move in ways that respond to him (or her), adding your own musicality, personality, adornos, etc., sure. But, make no mistake, hes not there to help you move. Your embrace needs to be tender, to be committed, but dont use it to hold yourself up. It allows you to feel where the other person is and to enjoy the sensuality of their proximity (if you can), but its not a zimmerframe. His embrace might be dreamy, but dont lie back and think of England. His left hand isnt for pushing off against in pivots. You cant hold onto him like a ballet barre while you decorate furiously (just hold still while I do my thing is rarely a good strategy in tango or in other intimate situations). Its one thing to want to communicate your musicality to him through adornos -- I hearily endorse that -- but quite another to use him as a crutch. He might signal the directions you are going, but you are the one responsible for moving your own body (followers, move your mass! as my teacher Marcelo El Chino likes to say -- and I often say something similar, which, er, rhymes with that). You are responsible for your posture, your balance and every part of your movement through space. If you need to propel yourself, use your feet against the floor. If a space is opened up for you, actively fill it, dont wait to be dragged. If you end up in an awkward position, correct it if you can. Dont wait for a nudge, dont wait for a shove. If you feel his body preparing to step on those fast triplets, go with him! Hes relying on you to be hearing them too. The leader isnt your babysitter, hes not a motorcyclist whose bike youre climbing on the back of, hes not a taxi service to chauffeur you around the pista, hes not your gigolo, hes not a service top. Hes not there just to pleasure you (as a friend once said, tango is the ultimate 69). Above all, hes not there to give you a dance. The dance is something you create together. Hes not there for you. You are there for each other.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 15:09:55 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015