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Argentine tango blog
/ with Interaction Design interludes / by Oleh Kovalchuke |
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Tango dance styles
September 7, 2006 - The way I have danced yesterday
"I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself."
Mikhail BaryshnikovI have reached another steady level in my tango dancing and have realized that I significantly change my dance style about every one or two years. So, yesterday Jani, Betsy and I took video camera and went to Soda Springs park to record the way we dance at the moment for future reference.
I have uploaded video clips from the shoot to YouTube (too bad the site wasn’t around couple years ago, for comparison). The site does have some interesting clips though, which are not available at your local TV station. For example, in addition to the footage of ‘El Beso’ milonga, I have found some video of ‘Porteño y Bailarin’ milonga – the two are one block apart in Buenos Aires. ‘Porteño’ has more tourists. Well, both are rather touristy.
Tango medley from the shoot (September 2006):
More recent (October 2007) video with Cristina in Cleveland:
September 9, 2006 - Tango on YouTube
YouTube is addictive (in spite of it's far from perfect admin interface). There is a lot of shlock, of course, but there are also some diamonds. I have picked the later in one playlists.
If you do not smile, while watching this milonga performance, then either there is something terribly wrong with your sense of humor, or worse yet, you cannot appreciate the enormous effort, which went into making the performance. I am still wiping the tears of joy and humility, which welled into my eyes as I watched the dance. There are only three words to describe it: "Boom! Boom! Carnavalito...
Dec. 1, 2003 - Two styles of tango. Open vs. close embrace.
When I introduce tango to beginners I talk about two basic styles: open vs. close embrace. I think this is natural classification, because it comes from fundamental difference in lead-follow interaction and it influences the way the beginner will be taught (patterns, 8CB being one of them vs. strides). The other distinctions (specific steps, footwork) are more superficial, do not matter as much to me and would be confusing to beginners. Music (alternative vs. classic tango) does not and should not matter either.
Here is small re-post from TangoSprings list which elaborates a bit more.
On two styles of tango dance
I have read an article the other day, which argues that open, not close embrace is authentic way to dance Argentine tango. I started to think about it and the following is summary based on my personal experience.
One can dance tango either in open or in close embrace. Both styles share music and there is significant overlap in footwork, therefore to uninitiated spectators they look very much similar. However these are two entirely different dances from dancer perspective, the fundamental difference being the lead-follower interaction.
Where in open embrace follower has to rely significantly on eyes, intuition and significant pool of memorized steps (sequences), in close embrace all she need to learn is to listen with her torso, recognize slight shifts in balance and to step with confidence where her torso is led. Hence the importance of eyes for open embrace to see where his or her foot is as opposed to posture for close embrace dance. To illustrate this importance observe how people dance in open and in close embrace at next milonga. Open embrace eyes down, close torso forward (better posture, by the way).
Since there are many sequenced steps in open embrace, it is less musical not all sequences fit perfectly within huge variety music phrases of tango songs.
Since close embrace dance is built on individual strides (not sequences), leader can compose any sequences to fit any melody. Moreover leader has wider variety of rhythmic steps in close embrace (side shuffle is one of them with too subtle torso lead for open embrace style).
There is nothing wrong with open embrace dance per se, it is truly beautiful in hands of masters. Because partners are further from each other they can do flamboyant steps impossible in close embrace (the reason why performance tango is usually done in open embrace). However in my opinion, the style is less comfortable and more difficult to learn and to dance to a melody. Also there is usually no room on dance floor for wide steps typical to open embrace style. That's why I tend to classify open embrace style more as performance dance and milonguero style as social dance. As any generalizations this one is flawed: one can dance socially in open embrace in spacious ballroom, and I have performed on stage in close embrace style.
Which style is authentic Argentine tango? Even though I suspect both were danced in the beginning based on floor limitations and partners comfort, I truly don't care. I like close embrace more because it more rhythmic (melodic), intimate and I enjoy tango more in close embrace.
Jun. 14, 2005 - Conflict of styles? What conflict of styles?
A discussion on conflict of different tango styles on Tango-L. I do not see any conflict of styles at all since they are quite well separated by function and in space. Fantasy style belongs to shows and I do not think there will be any competition in this medium from milongueros any time soon (unless general public will suddenly get enlightened about intricacies of social tango).
Milonguero style belongs to social dancing and I do not think there will be any competition from fantasy style at milongas any time soon.
Nuevo style is relatively new dialect in tango language and as such it remains on fringes of social dance in Buenos Aires. In fact if you are nuevo dancer and wish to dance in Buenos Aires your choice of milongas will be rather limited, I can think of only four out of hundred or so. Of these four one is practica.
Would I go to dance at these milongas? No (beyond curiosity visit to see what if any I am missing).
Have I seen milongueros at these milongas? No.
Would I impose my style on a follower who dances in different style? No.
Have I seen nuevo dancers at other, not nuevo milongas in Buenos Aires? Yes.
Have they been dancing nuevo style at those milongas? No, they have changed their style to milonguero*.
Therefore is there conflict with nuevo style in BsAs? No, they are physically separated just like milonguero and fantasy styles.Once more the conflict of styles is entirely artificial notion composed of electrons in the net.
________________________
* I do not know if nuevo dancers have experienced any inner conflict of interests when they switched from nuevo to milonguero style at traditional milongas in Buenos Aires. Hence there is still a possibility for inner conflict of interests among nuevo dancers. However I personally have not experienced it.
Aug. 11, 2005 - Stage tango and tango milonguero
An article by Susana Miller translated by Sergio Vandekier. I have corrected couple mistranslations:
Tango dance has two styles: stage and milonguero. Their description ignites a controversy in the dance community. Some people establish a false dichotomy between both of them, false because in reality they complement each other. Tango milonguero and stage tango are in a way the two faces of the same coin.
Tango is known all over the world due to its stage form. The beauty and splendor of its figures are shown on TV and in theaters in far away places. Partners separate from each other in order to execute figures that are more or less complex, figures that are visually very attractive; otherwise the body presentation, specially the footwork would not be very interesting. The steps are based in those seen in the social dance halls but they are longer, they are embellished and become choreographies that cross the stage in diagonal lines, creating [elaborate] facades, utilizing entire vast available space.
It is due to those fine, skilled dancers, true artists and thanks to their inspiration and the many daily hours of hard work that they dedicate to their talent that tango is known worldwide However the origin of tango was the dance hall, a place where it still lives. This tango form has to do with the passion that awakens and grows in the couple, with a particular handling of the space and with a special combination of rhythms.
This is the reason why those who live abroad discover a different tango in Buenos Aires and finally understand that stage tango belongs to the stage. This is the reason that the best stage dancers never stop going to the dance halls because this is their source of inspiration, the place where their choreographies get fresh air. Choreographies that project in this fashion the spontaneity and heat of the dance hall.
In the dance hall the couple dance for their own enjoyment and not for the show. Steps are the means to circle in the space which is very limited; it is a closed tango with erratic drawings that vary according to the available space. A good milonguero can dance on four floor tiles, even on one and also right on the spot with great precision preserving the rhythm and the contact with the other body which combines relaxed ease with connection both emotional and physical. The man offers his musical sense to the woman and she follows him as if she was his shirt. Her creativity lays in her interpretation, in the way of returning and enjoying within her body the movements the man proposes.
None of this can be properly put into words the same way as the dance hall intensity and emotion cannot be transferred to other places; this things may only be verifiable with the wink that characterizes any community that share a passion, a little bit in secret. The style has great energy, couples frequently are in trance, in a kind of altered state consciousness. The body language is very rich, feelings guide steps and body movements.The vocabulary used by this dancing elite allows you to glean an insight of the meaning of this dance: " to walk the tango", "to pile up [a mutual lean in the couple posture essential for milonguero style, "A" - OK]", "to put woman to sleep", "to move her", "to dance her".
Show tango must be spectacular but it draws it's inspiration from tango of dance halls otherwise it would be showing something that show tango does not have.
On the other hand social tango needs stage tango to spread and to reach other areas of the planet as well as new generations of dancers.
People are community of lonely hearts who go searching for love, to love and to be loved in return. The tango embrace, "the franela" (touch and rubbing of the bodies), its controlled excitation, is an imitation of that searched love, a relief for the soul, an act where both, man and woman express their happiness in one embrace.
February 7, 2008 - Villa Urquiza style
I have heard about Villa Urquiza style for the first time about four years ago. Ever since I have puzzled what does it mean. I think I have better perception now that we have had a brief discussion at Tango-L.
C. has sent me an article by Victor Hernandez about Villa Urquiza style:
There was, however, one very particular “barrio” among so many, which concerns our story today for the “salon” style that it developed was something incredibly unique. This barrio is situated north of Buenos Aires (actually northwest), very far from El Puerto, San Telmo or La Boca. It extends on both sides of General Urquiza. During the last fifty years, the finest tango dancers and milongueros that Buenos Aires has ever produced were trained in this area.
Historic family clubs like “Sunderland” or “Sin Rumbo” had their addresses there and benefited from the genius of “Milonguita”, the legendary dancer who never went on a stage (“It is not worthy of a real milonguero.”) but left his legacy to names like Gerardo Portalea, El Turco Jose, “Finito” Ramon Rivera, “Lampazo” Jose Vasquez, Miguel Balmaceda and, of course, “Virulazo”, the one and only, who came to New York with Tango Argentino. Many of them are now gone, but the “Milonguita style”, today know as “Villa Urquiza”, remains with its firm, straight, elegant way of delivering the foot in long steps, caressing “el piso” simply and continuously but exploding suddenly, if need be, in a display of complex figures that the “open” space between dancers allows. Never losing embrace, never losing contact.
From now on when you hear the expression “los viejos milongueros”, you’ll know what they are talking about!
Not long ago, the very respectable Buenos Aires newspaper “El Clarin” published an interview with somebody named Ricardo Ponce. Not many “milongueros” know Mr. Ponce by his real name nor by his day job (as a bureaucrat at the Ministry of Finance). But just say his “night” nickname (“El Chino Perico”) and I can guarantee you that you will get some reaction, respect and admiration.
For El Chino Perico – a legend in his own right – is one of the last masters milongueros. This living bridge connects today through the Villa Urquiza style (“Milonguita” was his idol and teacher) a whole new generation of contemporary names perhaps more “familiar” nowadays. Names like Miguel Angel and Osvaldo Zotto, Roberto Herrera or Sebastian Misse.
For reference here is a clip of El Chino Perico mentioned in the article (the clip is from 1989) and from the same video Oscar "Pichi" Callegari.
These two couples do have distinct style, which includes open frame with resulting upright posture. Due to the open frame the style allows various saccadas in the turns. I think, it would be fair then to call the historic Villa Urquiza style a variation of open frame dancing. I have not seen this style in the social dancing at Sunderland, when I was there couple years ago (a few recent clips from milonga in Sunderland can be found in this list of Buenos Aires milongas). It is, of course, fairly common style in varios tango performances these days.
Villa Urquiza style is also mentioned in the recent Tango Noticias interview with Geraldine Rojas and Ezequiel Paludi. From private reply to my post:
In part II Geraldine is asked about the "villa Urquiza style" and gives a good answer. Her mother and step-father coined the term, just as Lapadula came up with "estilo del centro" and Naveira with "nuevo" and Salas with "cosmo" and Miller with "close embrace."
And from another private reply:
I first heard "villa urquiza" from Ney Melo, who posted two of your example videos, so you can get a good idea of what Ney thinks by looking at some of his videos also, most of them out there are probably with Jennifer Bratt.
If you ask me, he will characterize it as more upright on the posture, more "v" and a little looser on the embrace (can at times be a little open), and a lively style with lots of movement.
Finally, a clip from the movie 'Tango Bar' showing Villa Urquiza style.
Aug. 12, 2005 - The all-embracing meaning of Salon
Sergio wrote several times at Tango-L that Salon is the source of all other styles of tango and can be danced in open, close or flexible embrace. I have understood that he refered to open frame style commonly known in the USA as Salon. It appears though he was refering to meaning of the salon tango as social variety of the dance as opposed to stage, the same meaning Susana uses in her article:
In Argentina people call " Tango de Salon" the one done socially. It can be done in a dancing hall, in a neighborhood club, in a private home, in a square, in a park and in many other places.
So " tango de salon" includes any style of tango done socially in any place, not only in Dancing Halls.
If we accept that meaning of the word as indeed we should than he is absolutely correct - social tango (= tango de salon) is the true source of any other possible styles of tango because tango has started as a social dance. Here is what I have written to Tango-L in response to his remarks:
Dance hall indeed could be limiting translation of the word salon. That's why in one case I have translated this word as social (here: El salón a su vez necesita al tango danza para difundirse... - On the other hand social tango needs stage tango to spread...).
Interestingly if we take social as more appropriate translation of the word salon as you seem to suggest, than the so called "salon style" becomes simply social dancing of tango as opposed to show and as such indeed can encompass virtually everything as long as you do it socially (open frame, milonguero, canjengue, nuevo or whatever other term and style one can come up with). Curiously it also follows then that there is no specific "salon" style. Paradox yet true. And when you say that people dance tango de salon at Buenos Aires milongas you are absolutely right, people indeed dance social tango when they dance social tango. See, mutually agreeable consensus is reached once more.
If we agree that people dance social tango when they dance social tango (tango de salon) one might begin to wonder if there are some more descriptive styles within this social tango. We seem to agree that milonguero style is tango de salon, one of social styles known, in fact predominant in Buenos Aires. Open frame style (clumsy name, I know, but there is no other to my knowledge) is another tango de salon style danced socially mostly outside of Buenos AIres. Nuevo style is also tango de salon, danced socially. I have seen a couple dancing Canyengue to milonga in Buenos Aires once, which makes it another tango de salon, social tango style. Any other currently in use?
Jun. 30, 2005 - If picture is worth a thousand of words...
...than a movie can make you a billionaire? Here is clip from milonga at Maipu 444, Buenos Aires.
This is how most people dance at most downtown milongas in Buenos Aires. I call this style milonguero. Someone might call it grilled cheese on a stick. It does not matter really. This is also prevalent style at major milongas in Villa Urquiza (Sin Rumbo, Sunderland (one of my favorite milongas in Buenos Aires) and Imagen).
Don't you wish someone would take similar movie of milonga in the fourties or in the beginning of twentieth century to take a glimpse at how people danced at the time (not staged movie but documentary)?
January 31, 2008 - On dancing to nontango music
Music inspires and defines the dance.
If DJ were to play a kizomba in a dance hall (at "milonga"???) I would be delighted to watch people dancing kizomba. As far as I can see it is a graceful dance, which fits that particular music well.
When polka is played in a dance hall, dance polka – if you were to try to dance tango to polka music, no one would stop you (I think), but, frankly, you would look silly.
And of course, if the DJ were to play AC/DC people could dance the ‘Rock’n roll is not pollution’ dance. Again I would watch, and if the fit is good, might even admire the style, but, personally, I would rather dance tango. Can you imagine dancing the 'Rock'n Roll is not Pollution' dance to 'Melodias Porteñas'?
Oct. 2, 2005 - Ignorance about religion
Skip the first three paragraphs if long sentences glaze your eyes.
My recent comment on dancing style of Nito and Elba has exposed my incurable ignorance about these two dancers. In valiant attempt to help several people have informed me that Nito grew up with some well known people, taught tango at some point to some other well known people, traveled around the world, dance for really, really long time and overall very, very nice person.
This effort to make a dent in my vast and offensive ignorance regarding Nito’s dancing style while well intentioned has ultimately failed because the information is clearly incomplete. For instance I remain flagrantly clueless as to what is Nito’s shoe size, who is his favorite tailor and how is it his hair is always in such an impeccable shape as well as answer to this perennial favorite in the highly irrelevant trivia “Boca or River?”.
Moreover and most unfortunately deep mystique still surrounds exact locations of “Nito and Elba” temples. Obviously this last bit is available only on the need to know basis to stringently selected inner circle. Fortunately a hint has been generously suggested by important people “in the know” that I might be let into this highly privileged sanctum at some point in unspecified future since the following piece of info has been dispensed due to my annoying probing efforts – my comments are sacrilegious. I guess I need to strengthen my willpower and probe some more if I wish to eradicate my ignorance about this well established "Nito and Elba" religion.
Anyway it must be obvious by now that none wrote anything specific about Nito’s dance style except Sergio in passing that this is how they danced in the provinces in the forties. This is indeed relevant argument. Before I address it I would like to elaborate on what I mean by closet ballroom dancers. These are dancers who dance figures to single beat oblivious that there is also melody and more rhythms (that’s why they have drums in ballroom tangos). Gavito, who grew up in the same town as Nito (thanks Astrid for this bit of trivia – it was useful since I have used in this sentence) has said the following: “I step on the string bass, I lead the woman on the violin; if tango was supposed to be danced on the beat, then one drum would be enough, no need for a full orchestra.” Nito does not dance like that hence my comment. I bet though that more people were aware of this possibility of dancing in more complex way in the forties – after all many of the best danceable tangos where recorded in that period.
A bit more about how they danced tango sixty years ago. We have several ballroom couples who dance tango ballroom style at milongas in Denver. If they still dance in sixty years from now they will be able to say that this is salon tango how it have been danced sixty years ago. Who would be able to argue with that?
Should I admire Nito’s dance style because of that personal longevity? I might if I were ignorant enough to not have seen other, very different examples danced by milongueros. Gavito, Osvaldo, Ricardo, El Flaco, Tete, El Gallego just to name a few of them I have seen dancing. These are the dancers who indeed express music to the fullest Argentine tango has to offer.
Manuel wrote about Nito and Elba:
"They are very good dancers and teachers, and most of all they are extremely decent and dignified people, generous to a fault, loyal, etc."
Curiously "stately" and "dignified" are also the words I would use to describe Nito and Elba style (goes to illustrate that you dance who you are). However these are hardly flattering attributes as far as dancing is concerned.
Jan. 9, 2005 - The elusive Nuevo style
A summary of Nuevo style discussion.
There is no Nuevo Tango dance style because a) the Nuevo is teaching approach, not the dance style (Rai the Iron Logic, Tom Stermitz, Brian Dunn, Jay Rabe), b) the dance styles of Nuevo system instructors are too diverse to fall under one style (Tom Stermitz, Jay Rabe) and c) everyone is using crossfeet steps and ocho cortado anyway (Brian Dunn).
However if there were Nuevo Tango dance style it would be concerned more with placement of partner’s feet than with connection with a partner to the point where embrace would be flexible enough to open to execute especially exciting back sacada.
Tango de Salon/Tango Milonguero is about the embrace, "Estilo Nuevo" ist about possibilities of movements. In Tango de Salon the emphasis is on the embrace and the connection to your partner, that is why your possibilities are limited and maybe not even that important. "Estilo nuevo" focuses on the possibilities, that's why the embrace may be changed or opened.
... just watching the difference on the woman's faces. In milonguero style, their faces look much like a pleasurable trance...soft and very pretty. The minute they open up and start the "other tango" that same face becomes tight and straight, needing to concentrate on the steps. I have seen this over and over again.
It would also seem to be less concerned with subtle rhythm changes than traditional tango. The hypothetical Nuevo tango dancers would go to Fusion Tango milongas and share their joy on Tango-L (hey Joe, virtual you, I went to authentic milonga on the same day and was satisfied too; do dance with men if that’s your thing; in fact from the written above it follows that Nuevo tango is not very intimate dance really, so dance your heart away with men even if it is not your thing).
Another thing about Fusion Tango milongas (I wrote about it before I believe). Swing music is bouncy. That’s why Swing, Lindy Hop and Charleston are bouncy dances too. Why force smooth tango steps to swing music?
Jan. 3, 2005 - Close embrace styles, cultural and physical
According to Igor Polk (San Francisco):
Cultural division (includes open embrace styles):
- Candombe - a black dance
- Canyengue - a street dance
- Orillero - a gaucho dance
- Salon - an upper class dance
- Apilado - a heart dance [? - OK]
- Show - a flashy dance
- Nuevo - a rotation dance [? - OK]
- Jaimes Friedgen & Rachel Smith from Seattle - martial arts dance
Mechanical (based on physical structure of connection) division:
Pseudo Close Embrace style 0. "It is danced and lead similarly to open embrace via frame (arm connection). It is essentially open embrace style danced in touch with each other."
See also On dancing close and close embrace dancing.
Style #1. It seems that the defining feature of this style is resistance from the follower: "Level of contact varies, but in accordance with rules of lead, there is resistance, it is created by a force directed horizontally between chests."
Style #2. Apilado. Connection at chest level only. Bodies off dancers form /\ - inverted V shape. Maria Plazaola dances this way.
Style #3. Connection at chest and especially at stomach level (inverted Y and often X, especially with those followers who switch from open to close embrace without being aware that change in posture is required too).
I find inverted Y connection with both leader and follower still on their own balance quite comfortable.
Style #4. Canyengue and Candombe. Connection extends to hips with possible separation of embrace:
"Canyengue. Everything is in a very tight close contact: chests, stomach areas, arms, and one hip. Movements are very limited. Can not say anything else, since this is a style I never really danced in. I want to try ! It is similar to Candombe style, but woman chest is close to the center of man's chest. Canyengue is slower dance than Candombe. Marta and Manolo are good at it.
Candombe. It is very similar to Canyengue style but even more shocking. A woman is leaning very tight on a man's right site completely relying on him to maintain the balance. Man is leaning to her to keep that bridge-like position. He is leaning to the right, since she is on the right: the right side on the man's chest is located right between women's chests. Man's right arm is around her waist. She looks right to the same direction like he. The music is fast and energizing - african roots. A lot of hip movement. I have to tell you.. but I have no words to explain how great it is!"Style #5. V-Frame. Not a close embrace really.
So, in my opinion, Igor lists only three distinct close embrace styles of tango: #2 - Apilado, #3 - Connection extends to stomach and #4 - Canyengue/Candombe.
I fall under class #2.5 - inverted Y shape. Connection at chest and upper stomach level. Gravitating toward pure #3 when I dance milonga.
Note on style #3: I notice this kind of embrace in ballroom dancers who try to dance Argentine tango (definitely) and in many followers trained open embrace who try to dance in close embrace – they are not aware of correct posture, which makes communication in close embrace possible and enjoyable. The distance between connection point and the feet becomes much shorter, as a result dance becomes less flexible, more strenuous. The inverted V connection (style #2, see this picture) seems to be a bit physically strenuous too. Naturally in this posture there is no need to separate for any steps – there is so much room between dancers’ feet and bodies.
Dec. 2, 2003 - "Torso" lead in open embrace vs. torso lead in close embrace
What I am getting from your message is that I am missing arms, which in addition to hands and torso compose frame, preferably firm. Therefore listening with torso in open embrace involves arms, which are attached to torso thus torso becomes involved. I think it should be called frame lead though for open embrace, as opposed to torso lead in close embrace.
Here is simple illustration of fundamental difference between frame and torso lead from my own recent experience. Last Saturday I was able to dance entire tango without arms/hands contact, leading with direct torso contact doing all the steps I would normally lead in close embrace except volcada and single axis turns. Let me ask you this question: can you do the same - dance tango with no arms at a distance (no direct torso contact) doing all the usual steps? Now ask your follower to close her eyes and still follow.
May 27, 2004 - On dancing close and close embrace dancing
Basically the title says it all. Dancing close is not close embrace dancing.
I was reminded of this recently when I had danced with two "beginners" (6 and 9 months of dancing) with whom I had perfect connection and as a result I was able to lead virtually all steps I know without any problems. Those two dancers where highlights of two milongas to me. At the same milongas I have danced with much more experienced dancers (three and more years) who also followed all the steps but connection was rather poor.
The key difference was embrace. Caveat: many experienced followers dance in close embrace, it just happened so that at those two particular milongas prevalent style of my partners was dancing close. The perfect close embrace to me is this: man's right is opposite to his solar plex, hand reaches almost in the follower's armpit, woman's left hand is on man's left shoulder. Here are two illustrations of what I am talking about: http://www.close-embrace.com/southstreetseaport2052304/index.htm. Middle column first row "close embrace" tango, underneath in the second row "dancing close" tango.
Why is embrace important? In perfect embrace I never have to wrestle, try to lead with my arms or shoulders. Our body axes are necessarily perfectly aligned. All I have to worry about is shift in the common axis.
I assume the "dancing close" followers are students of open embrace instructors they could be exceptional dancers, they simply have never being taught the fundamentals of close embrace tango.
Extensive discussion on of V-frame (shoulders of dancers form letter V with chest connected hinge at leader's right shoulder) on Tango-L. My original post:
I was considering traveling to Montreal for tango, however N who visited the city recently told me that people dance there in V frame. He also has mentioned that in his opinion over the years attendees to Portland festival tend to dance more and more in V frame as opposed to milonguero chest to chest style. I wonder if this is common perception of the trend and if so why is it happening. I have not observed the trend at Denver festival.
I personally have danced with a follower in V frame once only and found experience dissatisfying: even though there were no major problems with lead-follow communication some of the smaller check steps where virtually impossible to lead. The girl was visiting Boulder from London. Is V frame common in London?
There is nothing like finer points of dance style to get the tango list going. Indeed people dance in V-frame both in Montreal and in London, but not in Washington DC or in Denver. Some people like me find the experience of dancing in V-frame very unsatisfactory (with important emphasis on lost connection). Some think that dancing in parallel close embrace is impossible [apparently they have never taken lessons on torso lead/follow in close embrace], others approach this miraculous ability rather casually.
As far as percieved growing popularity of V-frame, N wrote me privately that in his opinion it is all those open embrace dancers started to migrate toward more closed, V-frame. Tom from Denver posted good historical overview of embrace/style evolution in the US. Michael from Houston thinks that eventually (10 years or so) V-frame will be replaced with close embrace as people discover milonguero style. Discover perhaps by travelling to Buenos Aires where dancers dance chest to chest in close embrace at milongas and V-frame can be observed only at tango shows (Carlos from Buenos Aires in Spanish and translation of another post by Carlos). The style at milongas corresponds to what I personnally observed and experienced while visiting BsAs. Some performance dancers who come to milongas in BsAs do maintain V-frame as they dance socially. They were exception from the rule as far as I could see.
By the way what is this thing called V-frame? Here is visual aid: V-frame (video on top of the page and pictures). Some illustrations from Portland festival. V-frame: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Close embrace: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Open frame: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Janni: 1. On this picture in close embrace the follower faces to the right, not my favorite head orientation - prevents me from moving my head if needed, makes me selfconcious of my possibly bad breath, she cannot watch my back.
Tango is the dance of shifting axis and dynamic balance. Connection between the two dancers is needed to communicate the shifts in the body axis and the mastery of dynamic balance by each of the dancers in required to maintain steady connection. The subtlety of the shifts in the axis of the couple is what gives tango its smoothness, unpredictability and grace.
Those dancers, who are not aware of these fundamental principles of lead and follow communication resort to all kinds of replacement techniques. One is to hop up and down to indicate that the step is about to be executed – this technique is often employed by complete beginners.
Another replacement technique is what I call “polka style” tango. Here the leader shakes up and down his left arm to beat the lead. You can find "polka tango" dancers everywhere including Buenos Aires. The result can be comic as in this clip (at 2 min 50 sec) or more subtle as, when Ricardo Viqueira does it. Ricardo is a good dancer, his steps are fun to watch, yet when Ricardo dances, his tango is not nearly as smooth as it can be. For examples of smooth, balance-and-axis based lead see this playlist of milongueros (a great example of smooth milonga dancing from the list - compare to Ricardo’s milonga).
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