Hello Subscribers,
I have found through instruction and experience that the leader must initiate the lead before he actually moves his feet. Unlike ballroom where competitive dancers would be marked down if their progressive steps weren't synchronized, A. tango is different. The reason for the difference is that in ballroom the leader often steps where the follower was (i.e. her footprint); in A. tango the leader may step where the follower wasn't but currently is (i.e behind her footprint). Here's an example. In doing what I call inside-out saccadas (right-to-right alternating with left-to-left saccadas while walking in line), the follower must move her left foot back before before I can pass through that space with my right foot. If I fail to lead her to move her left foot back before I actually start moving my right, the space won't be clear and I'll catch her left foot as it's moving back. If my partner has ballroom posture (i.e. leaning back instead of forward), it's impossible to do these saccadas since she won't get the lead in time. So the trick is to lean forward slightly leading with the chest before stepping forward. If I do that, all is well. Bob _______________________________________________ Tango-L mailing list Tango-L@mit.edu http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l