Converted my 2 workshop sessions into a private with Catarina and Gustavo. Also destroyed more of the Central Market Annexe flooring in the process. Oops.
Privates are amazing-total focus on you, spotlight on you, also spotlight on just about every flaw you have much like pimples on bad skin. eeps.
The first thing that I had to adjust was the embrace. Now, thinking back to the various ways that I've been taught about embraces, I will recall two people instrumental to the beginnings of 'what to do with your left hand'-Jacob and Dennis. MTango open embrace taught us to place the hand on the person's bicep. When faced with Jacob-I remember him telling me to put it in a position that was most comfortable for me, Dennis said that my open embrace as it was, was good too.
Being a beginner then, the challenging thing was and still is to some degree, to figure out how to adapt an embrace to the person depending on height and stature.
Then came the Polish guy whom I had my first encounter of practicing close embrace with. Something I rather not revisit, awkwardness to the maximum. Then of course there was Guillermo who showed me what a comfortable (still one of the best) embrace feels like.
Then there was Marguerite and Runa telling me that a good embrace had connection all the way from elbow to hand-in which Paul told me I was weighing it down which has now translated into a half-arsed attempt at SOME sort of embrace with my left hand.
Anyway, C and G's recommendation was to hold, to really hold the other person in your embrace, not pulling or pressing, but to hold. To be fair, a far more salon standard than nuevo. Ah eff it, I'll figure it out.
Then there was the walking and weight transfer, I still hover a bit too much and never really center my weight to the heel which might account for my bunions that I have now formed. From Alyza's recommendation to keep the weight on the inside rather than the outsides of the foot more than a year ago, I apparently have gotten step 1 (toe) and step 2 (mid foot) as it should be, but I get wonky when I land which means that I'm ending up on the outside of my heel. Then I also have to skim the floor with my free foot rather than having the tendency to lift. Also ochos are being ruined and I know it's because I'm not truly using my body to turn which results in me emphasizes the swing around the outside of my feet.
What else what else...pushing off the free foot, really arriving. Like a cat. Also turning my feet out because when I stand straight my knee caps are actually inward turning which makes it look...awkward.
Inhaling and keeping the elevation of the upper body at a plateau without raising heels off the floor. Something Ogie was teaching too about thinking of it as a hot air balloon. Right hand holding, rather than placing. Matching energies.
My to do list for Tango from top to toe:
-Head straight, get rid of glasses
-Hold without sticking the elbow up and use your left hand, don't just place
-Breathe in and hold energy level at an elevated plateau
-Upper body raised
-Right hand grasp
-Feet knees out at all times even at rest
-Start with heel solidly on the ground and find your center-be a cat
-Weight distributed from 2nd toe to middle of sole to heel which should be centered above the physical shoe heel
-Push off standing foot and keep free foot gliding across boards-don't lift
-Don't collect free trailing leg so fast
-Don't angle toes upward
-Assert when moving forward
Yeah...short list that! But was good, miss lessons! Best compliment I got was that I'm easy to dance with, but if I don't correct my fundamentals I'll stay in the plateau that I'm in. Fair nuff.
Then getting a surprise asking at the final milonga :). Perfect, I really do like Gustavo's embrace, reminds me of all the good ones I've had in AA that I've now left behind. <3
Privates are amazing-total focus on you, spotlight on you, also spotlight on just about every flaw you have much like pimples on bad skin. eeps.
The first thing that I had to adjust was the embrace. Now, thinking back to the various ways that I've been taught about embraces, I will recall two people instrumental to the beginnings of 'what to do with your left hand'-Jacob and Dennis. MTango open embrace taught us to place the hand on the person's bicep. When faced with Jacob-I remember him telling me to put it in a position that was most comfortable for me, Dennis said that my open embrace as it was, was good too.
Being a beginner then, the challenging thing was and still is to some degree, to figure out how to adapt an embrace to the person depending on height and stature.
Then came the Polish guy whom I had my first encounter of practicing close embrace with. Something I rather not revisit, awkwardness to the maximum. Then of course there was Guillermo who showed me what a comfortable (still one of the best) embrace feels like.
Then there was Marguerite and Runa telling me that a good embrace had connection all the way from elbow to hand-in which Paul told me I was weighing it down which has now translated into a half-arsed attempt at SOME sort of embrace with my left hand.
Anyway, C and G's recommendation was to hold, to really hold the other person in your embrace, not pulling or pressing, but to hold. To be fair, a far more salon standard than nuevo. Ah eff it, I'll figure it out.
Then there was the walking and weight transfer, I still hover a bit too much and never really center my weight to the heel which might account for my bunions that I have now formed. From Alyza's recommendation to keep the weight on the inside rather than the outsides of the foot more than a year ago, I apparently have gotten step 1 (toe) and step 2 (mid foot) as it should be, but I get wonky when I land which means that I'm ending up on the outside of my heel. Then I also have to skim the floor with my free foot rather than having the tendency to lift. Also ochos are being ruined and I know it's because I'm not truly using my body to turn which results in me emphasizes the swing around the outside of my feet.
What else what else...pushing off the free foot, really arriving. Like a cat. Also turning my feet out because when I stand straight my knee caps are actually inward turning which makes it look...awkward.
Inhaling and keeping the elevation of the upper body at a plateau without raising heels off the floor. Something Ogie was teaching too about thinking of it as a hot air balloon. Right hand holding, rather than placing. Matching energies.
My to do list for Tango from top to toe:
-Head straight, get rid of glasses
-Hold without sticking the elbow up and use your left hand, don't just place
-Breathe in and hold energy level at an elevated plateau
-Upper body raised
-Right hand grasp
-Feet knees out at all times even at rest
-Start with heel solidly on the ground and find your center-be a cat
-Weight distributed from 2nd toe to middle of sole to heel which should be centered above the physical shoe heel
-Push off standing foot and keep free foot gliding across boards-don't lift
-Don't collect free trailing leg so fast
-Don't angle toes upward
-Assert when moving forward
Yeah...short list that! But was good, miss lessons! Best compliment I got was that I'm easy to dance with, but if I don't correct my fundamentals I'll stay in the plateau that I'm in. Fair nuff.
Then getting a surprise asking at the final milonga :). Perfect, I really do like Gustavo's embrace, reminds me of all the good ones I've had in AA that I've now left behind. <3
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