Are you pushing the floor to dance?
“If you push you fall”, says my Maestra. This is not the quality we are necessarily looking for in our dancing.
Below is a short video where I give a snapshot about this concept of pushing or dancing.
Pushing is a very real feeling from either perspective of leading or following. But I think there is a somewhat easy fix to this issue which is being looked at here out of context. There could be more technical issues in your dancing that would need to be addressed. (I’m thinking connection through embrace, for one!)
However, as a lead if you are focused on the follower’s standing leg then you will have to think about pushing it. It’s a static entity. All her weight has been tasked to be on the standing leg and in theory a bit of a challenge to move if the follower is unprepared to move. But if you do push with your arms or with your feet in the floor, the follower, in turn, will fall to her available leg.
As the follower is waiting with enthusiasm for the lead and she is focused on her standing leg then the available leg is free to move, allow your feet to be “received by the floor”. More great advice from the GRAN MAESTRA!
I struggled with the ideas of “falling” and “pushing” when I first started tango as a follower. Teachers would tell me not to fall and I didn’t understand. Where and how was I falling?? And then of course in trying not to fall, my balance was always compromised. As a consequence I didn’t want to hang onto my leader, or embrace too forcefully, or be too heavy, or push him back, etc. I heard so many contradictory things, as I know you have too.
As the video suggests, dancing happens when you can focus on movement, and in this case a leg that is available to move. I imagine decorating the floor with the follower’s available leg when I am leading. And when I am following I imagine painting on the floor with my available leg.
I hope to continue to be able to unravel some of these tango myths for you over the year. Send me some of your concept struggles.
(Thanks Barbara for helping me out with this video.)