Category Archives: hip axis

Argentine tango, Argentine tango technique, body awareness, body mechanics, hip axis, online tango practice, Tango practice, Tango walks, Tips on tango technique for leaders and followers

Partner or Individual practice

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Individual or partner practice has been a debate we have been into for a some time now… It usually goes like this; since Tango is a partner dance, you can’t really practice individually but only with a partner.

Why are we having this argument?

I am not really sure why this is a debate to be honest, to me it is obvious that you need both.
Of course you need to practice with a partner but that doesn’t mean that individual work is not equally important. It is almost like saying that a tennis professional never practices alone, or that soccer player doesn’t work out or do drills alone but only in a team setting…g

Instead though of using examples outside of Tango I will use today’s (Wednesday May 6/20) practice to elaborate on the matter

Relationship Vs Individual dancer

So here is a link to the live practice this week:

One of the questions that came up from the chat was whether or not we change weight in order to change from parallel to cross system. And this is the question that sparked this very post, so again many thanks to sender! 😉

Ok! So the easy answer is, that on the dance floor one of you, you or your partner, will have to shift the weight if you want to change system, either partner will do the trick.
So cross and parallel are systems that describe our relationship with the other, it is not something that characterizes your movement but that characterizes the relationship.
In an individual practice, such as this, you can’t practice the relationship, because you need a partner for that. But you CAN practice the movement of your body within that relationship and you CAN find ways to improve how you move while in that relationship; which is what we do in our classes and practices.

You taking action in understanding your movement, your role and stance in that relationship, further informs your understanding of it and changes the dynamics and the relationship itself.

Both practicing with and without a partner are therefore equally important and effect one another immensely

If you are looking for more in depth videos and practices join us by subscribing.

If you are looking for more individual practice videos click here: https://bautanz.com/argentine-tango-technique/tango-technique-workout/

😉

Chrisa

Advanced dancer, Argentine tango, Argentine tango technique, body awareness, body mechanics, Dance, Emboying the rules, hip axis, motivation, ochos, Posture, progress in dance, Tango practice, Tango walks, Tips on tango technique for leaders and followers, Uncategorized

Argentine Tango Practice

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It takes a few years for us to find a good structure for our Tango practice. In the beginning we just do what we did in a class or a workshop. Then we get together with friends and practice different figures probably attend guided practicas
Some of us will keep practicing in some way or form but most will most likely stop after a certain period time.
Interestingly enough in both cases we will reach the same sticky point which is the moment we realize what we have been or have not been doing, serves us no more and that we are officially stuck!

How a Tango practice works

I have found myself stuck a couple of times, feeling that I am making no progress whatsoever. And it is only recently that I realized that for a practice to work it can’t just be plain repetition of steps and rules.

Cognitively understanding and executing steps and being able to perform well in Tango are two very different things.

And so here in Bautanz we invite you to start looking for efficiency in your movement while practicing instead of reviewing rules

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouC0w31siig&t=6s

Why look for efficiency?

One obvious reason is saving ourselves from unnecessary hardship, injury and pain. The road to efficiency though goes through understanding the structure of our bodies and becoming aware of the way they are built to move. Our practice therefore doesn’t start from the end result but from the structure of the human body.

I know this probably sounds like a lot of work and as matter of fact, it is! However, if you feel that you haven’t found your personal style in Tango; that something just doesn’t fit; or that you are stuck or missing something…wouldn’t it make sense to assess your own body and build your practice on the finding of that assessment?

Every one of us has a slightly different body, so what makes more sense:
1. a one way fits all or
2. identify unique strengths and limitations and build on that

I believe it is the latter… and so the videos above and below are created as suggestions, as ideas. They are based on biomechanics. And they are here as starting points for you. Hopefully as you move more and learn more you will be able to put together practices that better serve your own expectations and needs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwFdwKl9-ws&t=294s

Soooo would you want to learn more?

Start here..!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8QFaJRssEs&t=5s

And then you can go here…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy6tJZOQ0Ws&t=665s

Look people up such as:

Frey Faust: https://www.freyfaust.org
Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen: https://www.bodymindcentering.com
Ido Portal: http://www.idoportal.com
Feldenkrais: https://feldenkrais.com

And surely there are so many more but you get the idea. Move! Don’t just practice Tango!

Chrisa

P.S.: if you are looking to get started with a practice visit: https://bautanz.com/intelligent-tango-programs-and-courses/

Argentine tango technique, body awareness, hip axis, ochos, Tango practice, Tango walks, Tips on tango technique for leaders and followers

Boleos- A practice NoT about kicks

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It is interesting to see people’s reactions to boleos.
I am actually sure quite a few people probably won’t read this article because it includes the word boleos in the title…but for those who are here now be prepared for a bit of a twist to your regular boleo experience…haha

Boleos are not high kicks..!

So what is a boleo?
A boleo is a change of direction on a turn, on a pivot
It doesn’t have to be powerful, it doesn’t have to be high or super low and of course it doesn’t have to be a kick

Certainly there potential for all the things mentioned above…all of them though refer to style and not to the essence of what a boleo is.

ALL we need for a good boleo

And unfortunately it is not love…haha

2 are the main ingredients for a great boleo:

  • Timing as with everything in life and
  • The balance between energy contained and shared

The following video looks into both of these main items and sets the base for fancier boleos and more in depth explorations

Look beyond the kick- Enhance your Tango technique

If we look at a boleo for what it is, a change of direction and make our focus to make as smooth as possible whether contain or share energy, we will soon discover that there certain elements such as the hip axis that if we focused on them we could have a completely different experience during our dances.

The next two videos go progressively deeper into exploring the hip axis and especially the last one creates the link to other Tango essentials such as our walks and ochos

I really hope you will enjoy the practices and if you want to see more videos and more in depth structured practices to do at the comfort of your own home, at your own time click here: https://bautanz.com/intelligent-tango-programs-and-courses/

😉

Chrisa

P.S: A big thank you for the teachings and the inspiration to my teacher Frey Faust, founder of Axis Syllabus (http://www.axissyllabus.org)