Connection rediscovered. October 12, 2008.

I had a very important lesson with my teacher today. I think he found the solution to my posture problem as well as my missing the leads.
He had already started me awhile ago on being more centered. In dancing with him it would translate in my leaning more to the open side of the embrace, getting information from that side. In all movements, I have to counter balance by providing resistance to the direction opposite to the movement. Sometimes it is tricky, as the direction changes, and I have to switch quickly.
Today the teacher made me move to his lead, trying to match exactly the movement of my free leg with the power provided by his leg pushing off the floor. At the same time, I had to glide the moving foot on the surface of the floor as long as possible. I tend to cut my steps short, which made landings abrupt.
Already, as I tried in the lesson, the connection felt so much stronger. I was more balanced, and both my leader and I felt more in control. It felt like I had plenty of time, even though we were moving much faster. The pivots and changes of directions were just happening without me hesitating or thinking one bit.
In "carousseles" and such I still, for one, have to follow with both sides, and secondly, match my free foot with the pushing power of the leader's movement. I discovered, even when my free foot was embellishing, I was pretty capable of doing that.
So, in practice to come, I will be concentrating on those three concepts.
I am happy, and looking forward to further dancing and practicing. Just when I had thought for the last few weeks that I was plateauing !
I am very excited.

Update: Interestingly, I find these old notes from the lessons very useful for me, both as a student, and as someone helping others to improve their dancing.

Tango, por favor. October 7, 2008.

I have not danced much for the last two weeks, due to the first seasonal cold I caught. A couple of week prior to that, on the contrary, I had more dancing than usual, sometimes six nights a week. All these time I was getting a lot of the floor time with my teacher. He said it would be in preparation for a performance we ultimately gave. For that very reason he was not correcting me much during our lessons. We just danced a lot.
The result of it was the growing connection, and feeling very comfortable with his lead. Unfortunately, I never had a chance to see any video, so I am not sure how it translated into the way my dancing looked. Did it change a lot, somewhat or not at all? The teacher says when it feels good it is supposed to look so, too. But while I agree that a couple obviously into each other and enjoying the dance is certainly a nice sight to see, it is not necessarily elegant or professionally looking. And of course, I would like to look the part at least somewhat, when I am dancing not just for my partner, but performing for other people.
At least good thing the virus does not hit me before le jour J.
I took it easy while the teacher was traveling. Now he is back, and talking about another performance. For me right now it means more practice. It is always welcome.
I feel like I really have to clean up my basics, walk, weight shifts, and especially, pivots. Lately I noticed I tend to have troubles with following front ochos when I am in a cross forward position to my partner-- timing them, maintaining my balance and connection to the partner. Especially I have had awkward moments when I got to step forward after a milonguero dip. It often feels like I am not stepping at the right time, either too soon or too late, and I am not sure how to address the matter.
Last Sunday I got to dance with some new people. I am not sure how well it went. I screwed up a few times. The whole experience was rather pleasant for me, and everybody was exquisitely nice, so I have no idea how much they minded.
I am going to a milonga tonight where those people might be present. That makes me think about whether or not they would ask me again, and if they don't that would be because they did not like my dancing the first time... These thoughts are really silly and unproductive. Been in the scene for two years, I should know better by now. People might not ask you to dances for many reason, most of which have nothing to do with the way you dance. Therefore, I better eat something, paint my toenails, and not worry about things that are not under my control whatsoever.

En Action. September 16, 2008.

I got a lot of dancing lately. There is more to come.
Because the lady instructor is out of town, I had a chance to spend more than usual time on the floor with my teacher. It was both pleasant and effective. I believe I finally resolved the "head battle" problem. If I do not arch my back and hold myself straight with a slight forward angle, my head does not tilt, and it is not in the way of his. The posture is the most important thing for me right now.

Last night we had a great group class. The teacher used me to demonstrate. It was wonderful to listen to his instruction and go through the movement at the same time. I wish I could have that more often.

Next challenge for me would be to free my movement, to let the hips go. I control them too much, constricting the movement, cutting the steps short.

Todavia. August 12, 2008.

My second tango anniversary is approaching. Still learning, working on improving the dance. Still going to milongas, dancing with old partners, and new ones. Still having the usual ups and downs.

Working with my primary teacher has become a routine, and been quite productive. He is also my only regular practice partner nowadays. I appreciate having him in that capacity.

One point of concentration for me right now is my posture and axis.
With the teacher, due to our height difference (or lack thereof), I am still struggling with finding the right head position, comfortable for him and myself, allowing me to follow effectively, to have a nice straight posture, and to keep my balance. With others, who are most of the time taller than I am, the struggle becomes more about how I hold my torso.

In general, slowing down, delaying the response, moving my feet smoothly, shifting my weight more slowly do wonders for my follow. I will keep concentrating on that.
In the last lesson, the teacher mentioned that when he releases me a little in the embrace, I have to take longer step. I also have to remember the inner edge rule, and turning the foot more out for better balance.

Last week I took a group lesson with G. His instructions have proved to be extremely useful for me in the past. And this time, again. I like the way he presents and explains things. For example, while talking about the walk, he suggested thinking of the standing leg as the force pushing the whole body up, like a spring. I have to keep pushing up, supporting the body all the way through the movement. So, when the other foot lands, I don't fall on it. Keeping the springiness in the standing leg provides the soft, smooth and silent landing.

Also, upon leading me, he noticed that I was collapsing my core while going backward. That gives a feeling of my going away from my partner, not being present enough, the embrace emptying. I have to hold the torso up with my core muscles, as if filling the partner's right arm, to provide a nice feedback.

Will that imagery help me to finally get rid of my bad habit of arching my back? I really hope so.

So far, the first tip about the standing leg has worked very well. I am not so sure about the second one, is what I am trying to do is working and feeling the way it is supposed to. But I certainly became more aware of my collapsing and losing the connection on some turns, and I will try to eliminate that.

I have to add mandatory abs and lats exersises into my fitness routine.

Unfortunately, I tend to collapse the body when I am in the zone, but I guess taking care of that will just be a matter of time and training.

Right now I feel my dancing is changing, and the positive changes manifest themselves here and there, inconsistently. Moreover, good moments made me more aware of the not-so-good ones that now feel even worse by comparison. It is like I already had a glimpse of what I can do, but so far I am not given the full grip on it. That said, I just have to be patient, focus on the positive, on things that go well, and not get frustrated over my inabilities.

On a social front, I decided to give myself a break. Figuratively, not literally. I think I have to become a little more selfish. It is time to remember that I did not sign up to be a super hero in this life. I am a mere human, with many human weaknesses. I have to remind myself that if something does not feel right, it is not necessarily always my fault. And that it is OK to avoid certain people if they make me feel bad. I do not have to face the challenges all the time, and deal with them whenever. Sometimes it is OK to flash the water down. To let go.