Exercise for Good Tango Posture

This is a great exercise for posture improvement, concentrating on the shoulders (95% of non professional dancers need improvement in this area).




Give it a shot, it's really almost painless. (One of the things Tango dancers notice most about people is their posture, this holds true when deciding who to dance with...just saying).

The goal is too eliminate hyperkyphosis (excessive outward curvature of the spine in the thorax region) this is why I encourage people to open their rib cage upward.

It is also important to keep your head centered "on top of" your axis rather than "in front of",or "behind" your axis.

I do not agree with her idea that the hips should be tucked in! ( for examples of proper posture please search Youtube for videos of the most accomplished tango followers or leaders...i.e. Marina Montes, Geraldine Rojas,...etc...     I believe that the hips should be held back slightly to create a space between partners hips and feet and allow for a bent standing leg rather than locked knees and no room at the hips and below (please notice that the hips should be held back slightly, this does not imply any bending at the waist, rather it allows for and accentuates the natural curve of the spine.




For more on posture see
Tango Posture Imagery

and Movement Invites Movement (blog)

If You Really Want to Know Tango...

If you want to know Tango...you must go to the Tango.

Give your partner everything (Don't hold back or dance half heartedly...Emotions are a good thing in Tango.)

Listen to Tango Music.  (The better you know it, the better your dancing will become.)

Learn about the Lyrics.  (This will change the way you dance.)

Understand the Culture.  (It is different from yours...more often than not.)

Follow the Codicos.  (They were developed over a long period of time and are there for good reason.)

Dance to Tango Music.  (Something is lost when Tango is danced to non-tango music.  It is fun from time to time to dance to alternative music but not if it is done too often.)

Step Outside of your Comfort Zone.

'Respect the roots... so they don't die'

Not for Unsteady Souls

“You have to love dancing to stick to it. It gives you nothing back, no manuscripts to store away, no paintings to show on walls and maybe hang in museums, no poems to be printed and sold, nothing but that fleeting moment when you feel alive. It is not for unsteady souls.” -Merce Cunningham

Chamuyo?

What is Chamuyo? (pronounced; Shamooshow)

Roughly translated it is...well... Bullshit.

It is a bit of tradition in Tango that during cortinas (interludes between the songs of a tanda) or after every tanda, that you say something to you partner that enhances their experience. For example a compliment on their dancing or the way they look. I really like the idea that it is expected of everyone to make sure that you say something positive to the person that you are sharing this sensual experience with.

I really noticed this during my trip to BA...The women there went out of their way to try and compliment me...even though more often than not we did not speak the same language...Kind of cool!

Is this lying...or a bad thing, No... you can always find something nice to say to anyone if you look for the positive...It's just a way of being nice, and making it your responsibility to make sure that everyone has a pleasant experience.

Last weekend, after a tanda I received a fantastic compliment...The woman I was dancing with asked me where I had learned to dance, and I told her that I had mostly learned in Colorado from the local teachers and from the festival instructors that came through town... Her response was that I didn't dance like most of the Denver leaders...That I danced more like they do in Buenos Aires...Well this really made me feel fantastic, and for me was the highlight of the evening even though I had had many incredible tandas that night.

Was she Bullshitting me?? Who cares!

San Pugliese (Saint Pugliese)

"In the hard-core of Tango, Osvaldo inhabits the axis.  He's the hard stuff.  A 12 year old single malt as opposed to a cooler...If he is an acquired taste, that alone indicates how deep into Tango people are..."

Keith Elshaw

Tango Tales

I recently came across a very interesting website, on which can be heard a Tango oriented Internet radio/podcast site.

I have so far only listened to a couple of the archived broadcasts available at that site, here is one that I really enjoyed.


How People Dance


This is broadcast in three tracks including both commentary on the subject as well as some great musical interludes totaling about 50 minutes and can be listened to, or downloaded.


The rest of the archives can be found here


Tango Tales


Follow the links for even more great stuff on this site.


Enjoy!