Why Women Should Learn To Lead In Tango

Note: Coming from a great conversations with fellow dancers, I think it's more accurate to retitle the article: "How dancers who want to become excellent at following in Tango can benefit from learning to lead." 7/23/13

Here in Mar Vista, it is wonderous exciting to be surrounded by a lot of nice dancers who dance both roles fluently. It makes practicas super productive and fun and raises the level of Tango dialogue exponentially.

Yet, since I teach beginners quite a lot, I often hear newer students wondering, "Why, oh why, shall I learn the goshdarned other role? That seems so hard and unnecessary !"

There is plenty of info and lore out there about why leaders can benefit from learning to follow. There is perhaps more mythology and cogitation about why followers should NOT learn to lead. All this sparked me to really articulate the reasons why I encourage beginner women to learn the basics of leading.

There are basically two big reasons as I see it. One has to do with the value it brings to your following (and your learning how to follow well), and the other has to do with the value it brings to your experience of Tango community and culture as a whole.

Value to your Dancing and Learning Process As A Follower

• Through leading a little bit you will understand how it feels to lead someone who doesn’t follow well -- who guesses, who moves without power, who doesn’t really dance, who is distracted or busy, who doesn’t keep her balance and alignment, whose embrace is heavy or uncomfortable as a result. Being more aware and sensitive to these things will make you less likely to do them when you follow. And when you get feedback from leaders or teachers, you will understand it better and know why it matters.

• When things don’t work, in classes or practicing, you will know how to focus the couple’s attention on techniques like “Leader’s Invitation” and “Follow The Follower” which make the whole dance and learning process more comfortable for you.

• You can learn details about how to refine your following, through simply leading advanced followers and teachers in the most basic of material (walking, ochos) and noticing what they feel like and do when they follow. It is very often more efficient and direct for you to actually feel what they do and have a kinaesthetic experience, than for them to try to explain it to you in words. Often intermediate followers experience a learning plateau and this can help you move past it more quickly.

• Dancers tend to become more actively engaged with the music and sensitive to it when they lead, since they are making active choices to fit the couple’s movements to the music. Becoming more sensitive to the music will make you a better follower.

• A great deal of leading involves following -- paying attention to what the follower has done, and “Following the Follower.” So these skills are directly transferable.

Value To You As A Community Member

• You will have more in common with your leaders -- common vocabulary, common experiences, common challenges -- and find a social connection with them more easily. When men are the only ones who have skill/information in leading, I have seen this can lead to an uneven dynamic that can become distorted and hierarchical, and culturally this undermines the connection between dancers. I have seen how, when both men and women learn the whole system of the dance, the culture stays healthy, communicative and collaborative.

• When women get to know each other through the natural bonds that are created through dancing together, this makes the possibility of negativity and competitiveness between women -- which undermines community and learning -- less likely. It can foster invaluable friendships between women who support each other through the journey of being a Tango follower.

• If you lead even a little bit, you will have a way to learn, participate, dance and create fun in situations (intermediate and advanced classes, practicas, milongas and festivals) when there are more followers than leaders, which happens very often in Tango.

That’s my take on it. I would love to hear your comments and responses to all this !

Oh, and did I mention that you will have way more cred with great dancers if you lead as well as follow ? I think I did not mention that ! Hm. You. Will. Have. WAY. More. Cred. And more to talk about. Including, the Tango Fairytale Game. Good luck and love, Mitra

Photo by Andrei Andreev

Update on 2013-07-19 18:43 by Oxygen Tango

Mitra Martin is Co-Founder of Oxygen Tango School with Stefan Fabry. She dances with vavoom, leads a mean ocho cortado, and almost considers herself "INT-ADV."

What is an intermediate Tango dancer ?

In-ter-med-i-ate. Such an interminable word. So medium. So approximate. Who wants to be an intermediate Tango dancer ? The answer is, nobody ! I mean, honestly, who even knows what an intermediate dancer really is ? And yet, intermediate is, verily, a necessary step toward the sexier and more coveted "INT-ADV."

Leveling is notoriously difficult in Tango, BUT it is actually a crucial thing for exactly one reason: without clear levels or standards of achievement, students don’t improve. Or, they improve verrry slowly and erratically, by random luck or the grace of fickle Tango gods.

We want everyone to improve smoothly and steadily, and so, at Oxygen we are working, nay, fighting for precise articulation of levels. (We have actually developed, with our teachers’ input, an explicit framework of techniques and movement contexts that defines what we believe dancers in our 100-level should have under their belt. A hot topic at Oxygen Labs !)
At Oxygen, we are putting a stake in the ground, that "all intermediate dancers know both roles." Exciting !!
As part of this, we put the exciting stake in the ground that “all intermediate dancers know both roles.” This has indeed been intensely kerfuffling for our community, I donʼt think Iʼm exaggerating when I say it put quite a few of our dancers directly into a tizzy.

There is definitely enough historical and anecdotal info about why it’s obviously hugely important and valuable for leaders to know following so they can lead well. What is less obvious, and maybe more controversial, is why/whether women should lead. Which I talk about here.

As we see it today, each dancer has their own choice about how to go from being a proud “Complete Beginner” to a humble, but true, “INT/ADV.”

We have actually witnessed several different possible productive paths for beginners in basic classes, and each dancer should choose what feels great for them. Here they are. Each phase could last a handful of months.

1) Follow for Fun, Then Lead for Fun: Follow in basic classes -> follow at practicas and more diverse settings -> Lead in basic classes -> Lead in practicas -> intermediate in either role

This is probably the most fun, relaxing and comfortable way for BOTH men and women. You become familiar with the structures, principles, music, geometries, and connection of the dance, and then you naturally end up creating more of the content of the dance yourself. The only danger is, you might get so addicted to the joy of following that you forget to go back to and learn to lead!

2) Follow To Lead: Follow in basic classes -> Switch between leading and following in basic classes -> Lead in basic classes -> Lead in practicas -> intermediate in either role

This also works, but can be less fun because the Tango newcomer (male or female) may not get the opportunity to follow experienced leaders, which usually helps them dance at an intermediate level in either role, and also be more motivated.

3) Follow/Lead Interweave: Switch between leading and following in basic classes -> Follow at practicas, lead at practicas -> intermediate in either role

There are lots of reasons why learning the basics of the other role is pretty great for your own role. Also, by the way, it can be extremely enjoyable ! We have witnessed that many learners who tackle Tango this way accelerate pretty darn quickly. There is definitely some “ramping up” time as your brain expands and rises to the unique challenge of switching between roles and brain hemispheres. Switching back and forth helps you understand some critical things about each role that can be hard to explain any other way.

For instance, many followers move timidly, worriedly, hurriedly, and/or passively for MONTHS. Once they do a little bit of leading, the understand clearly that this quality of movement makes life hard for the leader, and they start naturally moving with more vavoom.

Or, for instance, many leaders focus inexorably on their own movement, and move about without being aware of where the follower is, or which leg she is on. Once a leader has experienced following, he is far more likely pay attention to those kinds of details wherein the whole point of Argentine Tango resides.

Notice that there aren’t any paths that get you to intermediate that do not include following. The reason for this is that it is (deep breath) impossible (there, I said it) to comprehend Tango without having a kinaesthetic reference point for the experience of following. Sadly, today’s most popular progression in Tango for men (Leading -> more leading -> more leading -> mooooreee leading....) -- which is so apparently natural that most guys do not even really THINK to question it -- actually keeps them dancing at the beginner level forever.

Pretty much any of the others, #1-#3 will work beautifully, and you should choose the one that keeps you feeling excited and motivated about Tango. Have fun out there ! And by the way, I would love to hear your comments about your own learning process so far. Sincerely, Mitra

The photos in this piece were taken by Subbu KS at Oxygen Tango Slumber Party in March 2013 at Weller House Inn.

Update on 2013-07-19 18:42 by Oxygen Tango

Mitra Martin is Co-Founder of Oxygen Tango School with Stefan Fabry. She dances with vavoom, leads a mean ocho cortado, and almost considers herself "INT-ADV."

A Backstage Peek At the 10th Graduating Class of Tango Challengers

Accelerator...A good word to sum up how it feels around Oxygen Tango.

When I got to the 10th Oxygen Ball for the 10th Oxygen Tango Challenge class on Friday June 28th, the anticipation and excitement was as strong as the familiar heat of a milonga. There was a packed house full of familiar and new faces all listening as Mitra talked about the Tango Challenge journey.

Like most of the others I was waiting for the dancing to begin again, but for the 5 Tango Challengers there that night it was a different experience. To get an inside peek into their adventure, I cornered husband and wife tango challengers Gordon and Zana when they took a break to cool off by the fan and pumped them for info. (The fan that never seems to penetrate to the dance floor).

Listening to them was a reminder how overwhelming diving into a crash course in a new experience can be. I was surprised how much it seemed to change them, and how much meaning they both pulled out of it. While everyone was on the same journey together, the experience was very unique to each individual.

For example, Zana enjoyed the group experience and camaderie and experienced a relatively smooth path. That camaderie kept her motivated, and having tons of classes made it a great immersion experience.  I smiled hearing that she had no more life outside tango and that her friends don't know her anymore and that she now had new friends! (Ah, the Tango vampire transformation!)

Gordon called it a "revolutionary experience" and something that gave him meaning from the inside rather than just learning technique. His experience was "challenging, full of blood, sweat and tears." For him it was more of a solitary struggle, with the first month full of fustrating pieces-like a jigsaw puzzle without the final picture, but he found the joy in the dance by the end. For him it was a personal and meaningful experience.

They both summarized very nicely what took me years to realize in the leader and follower roles-that it's a challenge, and the payoff gets better and better as you go.

It took me awhile to find that new "tango world" though I searched for it for years. It's amazing to see the immersion and how fast they improve and fell in love with it and even found connection and meaning during the journey.

During the ball, it was even fun dancing to the live music which can sometimes be a challenge depending on the band.  Even the DJ (Varo) was digging it. When I asked Mariana (a tango dancer of some experience) what she thought of the performance of the Tango Challengers, she lit up as she told me how she really loved seeing the beginners and all the hard work and effort they put in. And the intense concentration on their faces under pressure of performing.

It was so much a surprise when Varo finally called out "Last Tanda!" that 4 women fainted... or just cried out "NO!!!" in unison. Interesting how the DJ always has numerous women surrounding him...

And then the part very few others will see of Mitra's serenading during cleanup and the very end with the world famous cleanup song.  The whole thing was over so fast.

Seven more challengers will perform next time at the graduation ball on Friday July 26th... soon Oxygen is going to need a bigger space!

Requesting Focused Feedback on Your Dancing

When you want your partner to give you feedback, it's good to be very specific.Photo By Kenneth Wei

Contributed by Andrei Andreev, The Empathy School

Tango can a very rich and multifaceted experience which is delicious for aficionados, but may cause confusion during the learning process. This is why I’d like to discuss the importance of focus when requesting and delivering feedback.

Focused feedback allows the person providing the feedback to pay attention to what is important to the learner and deliver clear, useful information.

There are a few parts to this:

1. The learner requests observation of specific aspects of their dance. The more detailed, the better:

A focused request: “I am working on my embrace.”

An even more focused request: “I am working on my embrace. I would like feedback on its consistency and feel.”

A more focused request will initiate a more precise observation and feedback.

2. Useful feedback is based on observations and not evaluations.

When thinking of observations, imagine what a camera would record: “Around one minute into the dance, your hand moved about an inch lower and the embrace lost a little bit of its tension.”

Evaluations, communicate a personal evaluation or judgement of the situation: “Your embrace was limp.” The issue with this is twofold: One, “limp” means different things to different people which makes vague, and two, the language of evaluations can be triggering for many of us as its terms are sometimes used to induce shame.

Therefore, when providing feedback, stick to observations. Of course, the human organism with all its senses can record much more than a camera, and this is all useful information! Use your sensitivity and help your learning partners to advance by offering them precise observation on the topic they requested.

This will help you become a better observer, and also ask for more precise feedback yourself. Happy dancing!

Update

on 2013-06-21 00:19 by Oxygen Tango

Andrei Andreev of The Empathy School works with Tango dancers on advanced communication skills between partners and community members using principles of Non-Violent Communication, at Oxygen Tango during practicas on Thursday nights.

How To Take Notes on Tango Turns

Lots of students find it hard to remember movements from one week to the next. Or, perhaps even from one day to the next.

You are not abnormal if you find it a little hard to remember Tango movements. Until the human brain has been fully rewired for Tango, we will all probably need various helping devices.  

Capturing movements from class in your little videographic device can be somehow soul-satisfying, and yet, our suspicion is that lots of that video goes a bit underutilized.

Instead, the very act of writing down the structure of something forces us to fully, deeply, and truly engage with the matter and make a more forceful effort to understand it better.

Which means, you'll be more likely to retain it later. Also, you'll be more likely to be able to resuscitate it next week, or at the practica, or in class by following your written-down recipe! 

It may even reveal to you what parts are still fuzzy to you, even though the move seemed to be working okay. So you know more specifically what to ask your teacher or partner to help illuminate.

Fabienne Bongard has this nifty little system for writing down Tango turning steps. Basically, it is a structured way for describing what is happening in a turn! You can even use this method to decode Tango instructional videos, or YouTube videos or whatnot!

Fabienne's Way Of Taking Notes on Tango Turns

1. Give it a title! E.g., "The Milonguero Turn" 

2. Describe the most salient characteristics. E.g., "Starts in cross system, ends in parallel, goes to handward side."

3. Capture the skeleton of the figure by writing down the shifts of weight in four columns!

Follower's Move	Follower's Foot Used	Leader's Foot Used	Leader's Move
Back cross (Quick)	Left foot	Left foot (Slow)	Forward and around
Side (Quick)	Right foot	-	Pivot
Forward cross tight (Slow)	Left foot	Right foot (Slow)	Side or together

What is nice about this is, as Fabienne says, "I put the feet columns right next to one another so as to see immediately and double check the system." Personally, I also like the fact that the follower comes first. Because, as we all know, in everything, the follower goes first. :)

Update on 2013-06-11 17:15 by Oxygen Tango

Fabienne Bongard has been teaching at Oxygen Tango School of LA since it was established in 2009. She teaches a popular 200-level class on Monday nights. Fabienne will be teaching the next Tango Fundamentals Bootcamp in Los Angeles on the topic of basic turns in Tango on Sunday, June  23rd, 2013.