. . . as well as with his own.
Many men start dancing a tango under a self-imposed pressure to keep moving, and
learn as many figures as possible, so as to keep the woman interested
in their improvisation. Do you ever feel "on the spot" like that?
These men don't even get to truly enjoy the music, because
they are behaving like slaves to the rhythm, or may not even take time
to feel the rhythm at all. The result of all that frenetic activity is
that the woman feels like a hamster in a spinning wheel; it's as if she
can't stop running to keep up with her partner. And the man ends up
also struggling to navigate in the often near-chaos on the dance floor
caused by all the guys who are anxiously dancing chains of figures.
Do you realize that you have not only your feet with which to "paint the floor" to the music, but
you have also the woman's feet as your paintbrushes? You can pause
when the music is not pausing, and keep your feet still, dancing only
with your upper torso (your embrace) guiding the woman's feet to "paint
the floor" rhythmically and lyrically.
Actually, you are painting with her supporting foot and leg, and she is painting with her free foot and leg! Those
are her "adornos", or embellishments, which she learns over time to do
artistically to the music. And YOU can be doing masculine "adornos",
while you have your partner walking the rhythm around you, or during the
pauses.
My description may sound abstract, so I'd like to give you an assignment, and I hope you'll find it a pleasant one. Click the link below and watch the video with Jorge and Marita Dispari, and keep an eye on their feet. Identify all the moments when Jorge's feet are still, as he simply stands on the floor, while guides Marita's feet to take the steps that mark the music.
I welcome your comments! I invite you to respond in the comments area below.
