Tango is all about the embrace. Following a series of posts on the embrace, right and left arms, and a question brought up because of the difference in how Tina and I hold our heads, here's some more food for thought: where is your head?
I like all of these. The posture is straight and elegant, and the couples appear very connected. Small adjustments have been made to accommodate the different heights of the dancers without distorting their alignment.
I like how this lady (right) is straight and elegant--but, as lovely as she is, she's forgetting that the face dances too.
The couple below look more like they are going to kiss than to dance on a crowded floor. It's true they do appear very connected with this nose-to-nose lead, but how can he see where they are going?
Here we have some Down-Lookers:
And these last two photos show what it looks like NOT to be in a tango-trance:
What is she thinking about?
5 comments:
Here is a prime example of how careful we have to be: I know three of the people in the pictures, and have seen some of the others. I feel that anything I say will come back to haunt me!
One person in particular...I still have a bruise from her stilleto!
But yes, that "distracted" face, it is so not tango.
I have started pointing my face toward my partner a bit more, it feels more connected. It seems to depend on the partner, where my face feels best..but I do like face contact, and have trouble with the distant tango embrace (the last photo).
Hi Elizabeth,
Do you hesitate equally to say good and bad things about pictures of people you know?
I posted these photos (which were already on the web, BTW) to make us think about the embrace and of course, where our "heads" are in more ways than one.
It's personal anyway: if I like it or don't, who cares?
Like I always say, there as many ways to dance as people.
Over time I think we change in how we embrace as our dance evolves. When I started tango in '97, almost all of the women danced looking to the right.
Well, yeah, I hestitate a bit more before saying a negative...I think is it worth it? Self censoring a bit. I hesitate a bit more to comment about people I know, and make it a rule on my blog, just because the politics are a sticky wicket, and I know, remembering other peoples's now defunct blogs, that it can affect a person's dance life to say things about people one has danced with. Just saying.
Actually though, you are right, who cares? About such a small thing? (I just don't want that woman to step on me again!)
You are so right! We don't want "that woman to step on us again." I totally don't blame you.
I self-censor all the time. I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings. I also don't live in a small tango community, where personal comments would be worse--taken more seriously.
When I said, Who cares? I meant to imply that I'm not some poobah sitting on high, that it's just a personal opinion.
If we don't want people looking at us and making comments, then we need to stay home and dance in our living rooms.
Oh, I know what you mean.
Although Cherie, you are a bit of a poobah, like a really well known and cool dancer person. So what you say, and what comes out of your blog is influential, maybe more than you know.
Besitos
E
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