Close Embrace

Close embrace is central to a lot of our dancing at Tango Salón, but we also recognise the need for flexibility, especially for some figures. There's been quite a bit of debate about close v. open embrace lately on the tango discussion board, tango-l , and these three excerpts from 22nd July are worth reading in full:

• Ron has an interesting take on the intimacy of close embrace.
• Nina says that "if you know how to hold a woman in your arms, then you might be able to learn this dance"
• Polly says, "to please the woman, concentrate on the embrace, then the steps"

The close embrace is beautifully illustrated by Detlef & Melina in video clips recently recommended by:

• Sue Butler, who suggested a clip featuring the couple dancing to two different versions of Corazón and, of course, dancing it differently. She added, "both are beautiful, but I really enjoyed the second one; it's just so slow and danced with such feeling for the music"
• John Hayward's recommended clip is an illustration of "excellent walking techniques"

Bob

Secret Men's (Tango) Business

………… aka “The gaining of insight!”

The dozen men who took part came up with some pretty interesting observations and have promised to be ultra-sensitive guys with their tango partners from now on. Here’s a selection:

In trust exercises:

“I didn’t know where I was going to be taken next, so I simply had to wait”
“When I relaxed my arm, I could feel the lead better”
“I needed to communicate the transition from one direction to another gradually and in advance”

In advances:

"I could feel the energy in his body when he wanted me to take a second step"
"I had to plan the lead for the stop as early and as carefully as I planned the lead for the advance"
"Whenever the leader hesitated even slightly, I felt it immediately."

Generally:

"In leading the ochos, timing is critical"
“Anticipation is the killer of improvisation”
“The follower doesn’t need to know the figure, just how to follow”

Bob