--- Joe Grohens <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Re: Trini on the "close embrace" movement. > > - Is the technique used by these couples really what > promoters mean > when they say "close embrace"? What is meant then by > "open embrace"?
In my mind, close-embrace means no separation between the bodies, and if separations occur they are unnoticeable by anyone watching. Open-embrace means complete separation between the bodies for most of the dance. But there is also a distinct vocabulary. Because the festivals often have the same teachers, there's a particular feel that a participant can expect. Tomas & Brigitta opened in their demo but they only did so for certain figures. That is your normal tango de salon, where one stays close except for when the figures need an open frame. I suppose one should say that close-embrace is also tango de salon but simply danced without the open figures. That's my take on it today, anyway. Although I found Keith's post unnecessarily harsh, he does bring up an issue that I've found myself facing. I think part of what Keith is referring to isn't just vocabulary but the beauty of movement, which the Argentines understand. How does one encourage that beauty? Through drills and exercises. So how hard does one drill one's students? I started tango with Argentine teachers who often did drills at the beginning of workshops - and I mean drills, not exercises. I think that's why they have such good technique. American teachers tend to take a softer approach (myself included), which works for building community and helping students understand movement. Sometimes when I lead exercises then stop and turn around to watch (while still giving verbal cues), the students just stop and I have to tell them to continue. Sigh. Right now, I only know of one American teacher who leaves his students in a sweat. There's a difference in precision when people are trained like that. But as far as I know, there's not much training like that going on in the States. That's one reason, I'm actually looking forward to the Forever Tango tour. I'm hoping to get back into that type of workout. Trini de Pittsburgh PATangoS - Pittsburgh Argentine Tango Society Our Mission: To make Argentine Tango Pittsburghs most popular social dance! http://patangos.home.comcast.net/ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Tango-L mailing list Tango-L@mit.edu http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l