Should Beginners Dance Tango in Close Embrace?
22
01
2013
The discussion in this post is used with permission of ‘Terpsichoral Tangoaddict’ who initiated the topic on facebook. Terpsichoral also maintains a blog with stimulating posts about relevant subjects related to tango social dancing. That blog can be found at: http://tangoaddiction.wordpress.com)
The topic “Should Beginner’s Dancing in Close Embrace” is close to my heart as I believe close embrace encompasses so much of the essence of tango, it is part and parcel of the tango dance that I love, recognizing that opinions vary widely on the subject. Some tango teachers may choose to wait weeks, months or even years to teach close embrace, if they teach it at all. I ask my beginning students to dance in close embrace beginning with the first class, although it requires more technical precision than alternatives. As a result students learn how important technique is from day one — not just steps — and I argue, are less likely to plateau after a few years and wonder why they can’t progress any further in dance — when part of the problem is that they have not been required to learn the precise technique required for that embrace.
Take a look at the discussion below and click-through to facebook or Terpsichoral’s blog to join in on the discussions. If you like what you read, give Terpsi the kudos she deserves for her engaging discussions of tango. Enjoy!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Terpsichoral Tangoaddict
It’s time for a grumpy status update. On more than one occasion, on my US trip, I saw a class full of beginners gripping each other’s arms awkwardly and holding each other at a distance, not able to walk in close, or even close-ish embrace and being taught ganchos, funky boleos, complicated sequences, etc. So yesterday I called one of the teachers on it (they haven’t responded yet). “Why were you teaching them those complicated boleo variations when they aren’t able to embrace each other yet?” I asked (me and my big mouth). Being able to walk in close embrace — not perfectly, of course, since mastering it takes a long time, but being actually able to do it more or less — seems to me to be absolutely fundamental. If you *cannot* move in close embrace, you instantly mark yourself out as a beginner, no matter how many fancy moves you attempt. And, while it might be OK in the context of a specific lesson or práctica, to dance in open embraces, if you ever go to a real milonga or want to dance with any more advanced dancers, you’ll find in 99.99% of cases that the first thing they will do is take you in their arms into a close embrace and if you push them away they are likely to feel disappointed and awkward. I really feel that if you want your students to ever graduate from only being able to dance with each other in the lesson or in their own beginners’ práctica; if, as their teacher, you want them to grow up into the kind of people *you yourself* would enjoy dancing with; you’ve got to teach them how to embrace each other and dance in close embrace. Yes, they might find it very awkward at first. But it will be much easier than trying to change their entire dance later, after years of walking holding each other at arms’ length.
Unlike · · Share · 3 hours ago near Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal ·
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
(The discussion thread above is used with permission of ‘Terpsichoral Tangoaddict’ who initiated this discussion on facebook. Terpsichoral also maintains a blog with stimulating posts about relevant subjects related to tango social dancing. That blog can be found at:
http://tangoaddiction.wordpress.com)
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
I’ve been taking tango classes irregularly for 2.5 years, more regularly in the last year. We haven’t been introduced to the close embrace since the start, we’ve started learning it only in the last couple of months.
I enjoyed reading every message here, so many things are starting making sense to me about tango and I think I’ve got an epiphany. Now I know why just the some people invite me to dance (although I don’t mind them at all), while the advance learners haven’t. I may sound naive, but why nobody has ever told me the reason why the other dancers never invite me to dance? Despite I often asked that…. Nobody has ever told me that it could be for the close embrace! Is it supposed to be a secret that we must find by ourselves? 🙂 I must admit that I don’t feel comfortable yet although I absolutely love it if I do it with someone I feel confident with.
From tomorrow I’ll definitely start practising it all the time!