Tag Archives: movement chains

Advanced dancer, Argentine tango, Argentine tango technique, body awareness, body mechanics, Dance, Emboying the rules, mindfulness, online tango practice, Posture, tango movement lab, Tango practice, Tango walks, Tips on tango technique for leaders and followers

Buoyancy in Movement

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Describing buoyancy is not a straightforward task. It’s something that can be felt or observed in the quality of movement, but putting it into words is challenging. However, if I were to attempt it, I would say it involves a sense of support, fullness, smoothness and confidence.

Last week we were talking about alignment and balance. This week I wanted to share some drills that will allow you to explore buoyancy and observe how it manifests in the person’s body on screen.

Observing Buoyancy

I first wanted to share with two videos that will not only give you some good exercises to work on but also the professionals performing them are inspiring movers that make buoyancy evident, even through video.

  1. Basic Spinal Wave
    Presenting a fantastic video featuring Ido Portal, where he explores movements on the sagittal plane. In this short yet impactful video, you’ll find a step-by-step guide to the spinal wave, followed by a demonstration by Ido himself. This drill can be immensely helpful in rebuilding your posture. Consider also, watching the end first to witness the magical smoothness of his spinal wave, and then follow it up with the step-by-step section. Enjoy the journey!
  2. Building Vitality, Strength, Flexibility, Flow, and Ease through Embodying Our Muscles
    This is a full online class from one of the most charismatic and influential movement professionals, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. In this class she explores muscles with us. There is so much more to muscles than resistive exercises and stretching! Muscles have their own inner world and interrelationships that, when explored, open up another way of knowing and experiencing movement. Embodied movement at this level gives us a path to directly connect with the ‘mind’ of our muscles and provides a dynamic foundation for brain-oriented, consciously-directed movement.

Tango focused exercises for you to practice

  1. Back Ochos–ONE powerful drill
    In this video, we’ll be honing in on one essential aspect in our ochos—the spine.
    Sure, movement can be complicated and intricate, but it’s precisely this intricacy that gives it that deceptively simple appearance. By taking it one step at a time, we’ll begin to unravel the complexities, gradually making sense of how all the pieces come together harmoniously. So, let’s focus on the spine and unlock its potential!
  2. Musicality, Breathing and Posture
    This is live online workshop from August of 2022 where we focused on musicality, breathing, and posture. Our mission here is twofold: first, we aim to explore and establish the fundamental relationship between these three themes, and secondly, we want to equip you with the tools to create practice routines that seamlessly combine these different elements.
    When we’re just starting out, it can be challenging to craft a practice session that incorporates multiple themes and also fits into our busy schedules. That’s where this video comes in handy, as it’ll provide you with some valuable insights on how to achieve that balance.

As a side note, all the exercises we used in the last video above were borrowed from the book: “It Takes You to Tango – The Ultimate Guide to Tango Training for Leaders and Followers.” In this book, you’ll discover a wide array of videos supporting two chapters of Tango drills. But that’s not all! You’ll also find helpful tips on defining your level and goals, setting up a schedule, overcoming any barriers that might be hindering your progress, and even learning social skills and milonga etiquette.

Enjoy,

Chrisa

Advanced dancer, Argentine tango, Argentine tango technique, Posture, Tips on tango technique for leaders and followers

Posture Correction – Upper and Lower Body Coordination

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Thank you to everyone who joined us last Sunday for yet another Tango Movement Lab, focusing on posture. I personally had a blast and I hope you did too.

I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to those who generously support Bautanz. Every donation means a great deal to us and we are truly appreciative. Thank you for making monetary contributions through our PayPal account.

Today, I have prepared a breakdown of last Sunday’s practice. This way you can focus on the specific sections that you feel you need the most assistance with. Remember, every minute counts! If you don’t have a full hour, take it one section at a time. Without further ado, let’s dive right into it.

Posture Correction – Upper and Lower Body Coordination (Full video)

To effectively correct our posture, it is essential to dedicate time to recognizing our current state, understanding our default posture, and determining our goals. Furthermore, we must perceive posture as a dynamic entity that constantly evolves, breathes, and adapts alongside our movements. An integral aspect of this understanding lies in recognizing the harmonious alignment among the primary volumes of our body—the head, thorax, and pelvis.

  1. Posture Correction Step 1 – Identifying where you are: Minute 7:47 to 10:43
    Before making any adjustments, it is crucial to identify our default posture to establish a starting point. Take your time in this section to enhance your awareness and deepen your understanding of the interplay between the head, shoulders, and hips. Let this exploration help you understand your body’s alignment and relationship within these key areas.
  2. Posture Correction Step 2 – Aligning the 3 volumes of the body: Minute 10:43 to 25:33
    Here we will be working with the horizontal axis to find what we call the “0.0 posture.” This involves exploring the limits of spine flexion and extension and finding the neutral zone. Through this process, we’ll develop a connection between the head, torso, and pelvis that has three important qualities: we feel relaxed, but also ready to move, and we are able to breathe comfortably without any restrictions.
  3. Buoyancy in movement – the Back Fascial line: Minute 25:33 to 47:53 
    In our previous workshop, we went through this exploration, and now we need to revisit it in this context. It’s important because it helps us further explore how the three body volumes coordinate and because it adds a sense of buoyancy to our movement. Plus, it’s where we start to grasp how rotation works in the body.
  4. Tango Drills: Minute 51:00 to 1:04:33
    And, of course, we conclude our practice with Tango-specific drills that give you the opportunity to practice these concepts both with and without a partner.

Please share your thoughts, comments, tango – troubles or light-bulb moments, I would love to read them. Also share all this with friends, dancers or not, if you think they will enjoy it.

Chrisa,

P.S: More on Posture, check out this article.

Argentine tango, Dance, Emboying the rules, mindfulness, motivation, online tango practice, progress in dance, tango movement lab, Tango practice, Tips on tango technique for leaders and followers

3 Tips that Have Reshaped my Practice

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When it comes to setting up a practice routine for dance or any movement regimen, let’s face it: it’s easier said than done. We all start off bursting with enthusiasm, but somehow that fire fizzles out along the way. We find ourselves struggling to stay motivated, unsure of where to direct our efforts, and feeling like we’re stuck in a never-ending loop. And, of course, life loves to throw curveballs, getting in the way of our progress.

But fear not, my Tango friends! Today, I’ve got three fantastic tips that have completely reshaped my own practice. These little nuggets of wisdom have helped me define my goals, stay on track, and most importantly, turned my practice into a delightful and enjoyable experience. So, get ready to infuse your dance or movement routine with renewed purpose and a whole lot of fun. Let’s dive in and level up your practice game!

3 Enjoyable Tips for You to Explore

1: Dance Like a Child

One practice-altering revelation for me has been incorporating a dance right at the start of my practice session. But here’s the kicker—it’s not your typical “let’s fix everything” or “let’s incorporate new moves” kind of dance. No, no. It’s a dance solely dedicated to pure enjoyment. Picture this: I pick a favorite song, turn up the volume, and let loose, simply because it’s a song that makes me want to move. Trust me, this simple act enhances the overall enjoyment of your practice, sets the perfect tone for the session, minimizes mental struggles, and serves as a gentle reminder of why you embarked on this journey—to revel in the sheer joy of dancing!

2: Finding the Embrace

The second secret weapon up my sleeve, is mixing and matching and the best examples of that are my video practices on the embrace, like the one linked above. I love to mix and match. In each video, you’ll notice I incorporate various props and movement practices, creating a rich tapestry of exploration. Here’s the scoop: I draw inspiration from different disciplines like yoga, Axis Syllabus, and Body Mind Centering, and apply their insights to Tango. It’s all about connecting the dots, you know? By doing so, my progress skyrockets, and the whole journey becomes immensely enjoyable.

Oh, and let me tell you about the magical world of props! They can be game-changers. For example, elastic bands can be used to map out movements or gain a deeper understanding of how your body functions. They can also provide invaluable insights into specific muscle groups and enhance your overall body awareness. So, get ready to open up new avenues of exploration and elevate your dance experience to the next level with these ingenious ideas from other practices. It’s time to connect the dots and expand your awareness like never before!

3: Noticing

Now, let me share with you one last tip that I absolutely adore: the power of observation! I’ve discovered that paying close attention to how others dance and move is a priceless tool for understanding my own body and its capabilities. This practice starts right in your dance classes. Instead of merely watching your teacher demonstrate a movement, strive to see beyond the surface. Look for the hidden secrets within—the underlying conditions that allow them to execute the movement effortlessly. Observe how their intentions are conveyed through their body and motion.

By embracing this approach, you take your learning to a whole new level. Sure, you might not be able to replicate the movement exactly as they demonstrate it, right then and there. But you gain a profound understanding of the intention behind the movement and the necessary conditions required for its execution. It may take a little time and patience, but trust me, the journey is both fascinating and incredibly beneficial.

So, get ready to sharpen your observation skills and unlock a world of insight. You’ll be amazed at how this simple practice enhances your dance journey and propels you toward new levels of mastery.

These were just three key tips, I have way more to share so stay tuned by subscribing to our Bautanz community and if you want tips and drills from social skills to actual practice videos, then check out our guide “It Takes You to Tango”, you won’t be disappointed.

Chrisa

Advanced dancer, Argentine tango, body awareness, body mechanics, Dance, Emboying the rules, mindfulness, ochos, online tango practice, Posture, tango movement lab, Tango practice, Tango walks

What do we call balance?

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We often say, I need to work on “balance” or “I can’t keep my balance”. And when we actually go ahead to practice we start with standing on 1 foot, maybe doing embellishments with the free leg or coming up on our toes and holding.

Therefore when we say balance, we mean being able to hold ourselves still in a specific position for a long period of time.

Balance Vs Stillness

Creating a hold or simply being still, is that the same as being balanced?
Well… not necessarily! Because we might able to be still but the main volumes of our body may still not be balanced. For example, we might be hunched over, with our hips tilted back and our chin protruding forward. Try it… it is a very common pose! haha

This comes to show that still does not necessarily mean balanced.
So what is balance? Or better yet what are trying to balance?

We are trying to balance the forces running through our body, so that our movement can be efficient and safe. In this context if we actually would like to hold, balancing the 3 main volumes of our body, head, torso and hips, can lead to a comfortable efficient hold instead of a trembling/ troubling structure.

What are the cues that we are in balance, aside from we don’t feel in any key joint such as the hip joint?

  • We feel relaxed but at the same time
  • Ready to move and we also
  • Notice that our breathing is not inhibited and therefore has a comfortable flow.

And what would be the benefit of such an approach?
Aside from creating safer and more efficient movement, it will allow us to be more aware and also it will allow us to focus on balance while moving and not while holding. Holding can helpful and such an approach can help you in creating efficient holding too; however if you are practicing dance it is necessary to practice balance while moving.

This is exactly what we are working on in our latest workshop. Try the recording, and let us know how it went!

Enjoy,

Chrisa

P.S: For more on tips and drills visit our Technique Page

Advanced dancer, Argentine tango, body mechanics, Dance, Emboying the rules, mindfulness, ochos, online tango practice, Posture, Tango practice, Tips on tango technique for leaders and followers

Ochos should we cross the legs?

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Last week we were taking about posture and whether one can/ should maintain a specific body position throughout the dance. Inevitably therefore the conversation turned to ochos and whether we should cross the legs.

Crossing the legs in Tango

Let’s first take a look at what that means exactly in the Tango world. You might already be familiar with the specific movement option, but in case you are not, we are talking about bringing one leg right in line with the other while stepping forward or backwards. We are usually cued to do that to isolate the movement of the torso from that of the hips.

Why do choose to cross the legs?

When we cross the legs we lock the hips and lower spine in position. That creates the impression of the hips being square and parallel to the floor. Also, the upper body appears to have a clean rotation over the lower body with a more sharp disassociation.

What limitations does that movement option have?

This option however has some limitations. First, it limits the side tilt range of the spine. Side tilt, as we will see in the video below is coupled with torsion due to the anatomy of the spine, meaning the two movements always happen together.

Second, due to the side tilt limitation, the angle of the pivot is also limited. You see the bigger the pivot the more necessary the side tilt is. With the hips in a lock the side tilt may happen further up in the spine where it may affect the embrace, create tension in our neck, arms and between the shoulder blades and throw us off balance.

What does that mean physically for us?

From an anatomy perspective there are two important issues with this option. One is the side tilt limitation we talked about above. The second is that we will have sheer of forces running outward to the right and left of each hip joint.

Starting from the latter, when we place one foot in front of the other, then our movement options are at the end of range, for example we are at the end of range for adduction. That creates a feeling of tension or pressure through key joint surfaces, such as the hips and knees.

That is though related to the upper body as well. It limits the options our spine has at diaphragm height in terms of torsion and side tilt. Why is that? Well the reasons are more than one, but it really boils down to the shape and orientation of the joints, the muscles and connective tissue of the human body. 

So would we say this is a movement option that we want to maintain in our vocabulary?

In terms of Tango it can be a stylistic option that creates a very powerful and dynamic impression. However if we are to use it we would need to be aware of the physical limitations and risks which we spoke about above.

From an anatomical point of view it certainly is not the most efficient and healthy option for us. It locks certain parts of the body and that requires a lot more muscle work to pull through an ocho. If we don’t care so much for the Tango style it is better to choose a movement option that allows the whole body to participate in a more efficient way.

Let me know what you think and send me your questions on this matter or any other to do with posture or ochos..!

Advanced dancer, Argentine tango, Argentine tango technique, body awareness, body mechanics, Emboying the rules, Posture, tango movement lab, Tango practice, Tango walks, Tips on tango technique for leaders and followers

Spinal Movement and walking.

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We have been looking on this theme alignment, posture and balance in the last few posts and today we will take all that work and put it into our walking exploration.

Our body is so cleverly structured! And through dance and other movement practices we get to explore it and create a more clear map of it. Going through my personal practice I started questioning some of the most common cues we hear about posture and walking not just in Tango but in every day life.

Building on posture and walking

One thing I have come to realize is that the model of “one size fits all” instruction, actually fits no one in the end.
We are all unique makes of the same “grand plan” so we are not the same.

We might all have a head, a torso, a pelvis and a spine but all of these are somehow slightly different in each of us. And so it takes some time and effort to understand how you are different from me while following a similar high-level design.

So, I invite you here, just for now, to leave all the things that all ready know to the side and try something different.
This doesn’t mean that all you know is wrong, only that we need the space and the liberty to try something new.

As you will see in our video we are starting by taking a look at Skelli. Yes, yes the skeleton has a name..! haha

So Skelli is a very good imitation of a human skeleton, of that “grand plan” so he will be our map for this video. Remember last week by the way that we were talking about comfort? Well today you have another map as a safety net, to explore in depth posture and walking, that will be the image of Skelli in our video.

A few things to notice

  • Nothing in the body is a straight line and also nothing is set on a 90 degree angle
  • We are made of curves and irregular shapes
  • Everything is somehow related and dissociation is voluntary
  • Especially side reach and rotation are coupled, meaning they always happen together
  • It is a good idea to allow rotation to show up in your side reaches and vice versa for a healthy spine and more efficient movement
  • We have more flection that extension in the spine. That is actually true for all joints.
  • Posture is not arbitrarily good or bad. So it is better to reframe that as helpful or unhelpful or healthy or unhealthy
  • Following the muscle fibres as we move, that are also curving, is less stressful and has more flow compared to following straight pathways of movement
  • Sitting to standing has a lot to teach us about walking
  • Walking is automatic, therefore trying to understand how it works is surely not an easy task.
  • At the end of the day, the more chaotic your walk the better. We have movement along all three axes when we walk so it is bound to be a complete chaos!

Questions to help you in your explorations

If you tried the exercises in the video, then maybe you are already asking some of the questions below. On the other hand if you are still unsure and haven’t gotten to it, maybe you should ask the questions below.. 😉

Do I need to use so much muscle to simply keep my body up? Why squeeze the shoulder blades together if it is opposing the curve of my thoracic spine? Or why pull my tummy in if it is opposing the lumbar curve of my spine? How come good posture seems to be working against the body structure? And what would it mean to follow the body structure? If my hips and shoulders are not square while walking then what are they doing? And how does that affect my connection with my partner when dancing?

Now I know that these might be putting a big question mark to many things that hold a certain importance for you. So to avoid any frustration, think of it as something you can try just for now. It doesn’t have to replace anything you do.

Personally, when I want to try something new, I say to myself “Give it go just for now, just once!”

So what do you say… are you gonna give it a go?

😉

Chrisa