Hi everybody, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. Last week, I discussed how important it is for both leaders and followers to concentrate on the very immediate process of executing individual movements. I reduced the challenge of dancing social Tango to one of focusing on a simple step to the side, "constantly trying to make the movement more and more perfect every time you attempt to do it." Today, I'd like to talk about how this notion of concentrating on the execution of a single step relates to navigating effectively through -- and making your follower feel comfortable throughout -- a complex, multi-step figure.

For many -- if not most -- leaders, the learning process starts by firing up YouTube, finding a sequence, and then memorizing it in pieces until you can visualize the entire sequence as it progresses through its individual components. This is usually how I often begin learning a figure myself, and I agree that it's a great way to get a sequence from video (or class) into your head. The problem is that for a lot of leaders, this also represents the end of the process. The part where you figure out how to actually lead a follower through it without killing her is all too often left to another day, or another lifetime.

What leading a figure ultimately comes down to is not immediately attempting to create continuous flow or musical timing of some sort, but rather leading each individual step within the sequence from beginning to end. With this in mind, let's revisit the notion that any single dance movement can be broken down into three identifiable elements:

1.     The beginning -- both partners begin in balance (what I like to call "neutral") as the leader and follower engage the lead/follow mechanism (the leader leads; the follower follows). This process -- which is interdependent -- initiates each step.

2.     The middle -- the follower responds to the invitation to do something by going into action and taking the step (e.g., traveling through space, if the lead has been for a linear movement, or pivoting, if the lead has been for a rotation). At the same time, the leader does two things: First, he consciously and carefully monitors his follower's behavior to make certain she is actually responding to his lead in the way he intends; second, he accompanies what she's doing in an appropriate way of his choosing. This element within each step is independent on the part of the leader and the follower; i.e., both partners execute this phase on their own.

3.     The end -- Each of the partners finds upright balance. This, too, is independent; i.e., neither of the partners uses or in any way relies on the other to attain this state.

In developing the lead for a complex figure, the crucial first challenge in the process is to break the sequence down into its individual components -- and to learn how to lead/follow each step from beginning through its middle, and finally to its balanced end. Not only does this demand of both the leader and follower a thorough understanding of the lead/follow mechanism in order to comfortably navigate the beginning of each step; it also calls for absolute precision at the end of each movement in order to effect balance. To be a bit more specific here, the leader must make certain that he doesn't force his follower through the end of any given movement into the next, thereby compromising her ability to bring herself into balance. At the same time, of course, it is essential that the follower attempt to find her own individual balance at the end of each movement, and not unthinkingly rush or feel compelled to move from one step to the next.

Once the leader and follower have been able to develop this interactive sense of neutrality or balance between individual steps, only then should the leader begin to think about building transitions between movements in order to eventually create a cohesive sequence.

The next time you decide to work up the lead/follow for a sequence from YouTube or from a class, try to address the beginning, middle, and end of each individual step as your first goal. I guarantee that this progressive process will produce surprisingly satisfactory results for you and for your partner.

The following folks helped set up, break down and clean up before and after the milonga. Without them, there would be no Firehouse Tango.

• Kerry Stoldt - Cookies
  

• Bill Kennick
  
• Mary Pagano
• George Ngo
• Christine Russo
• Bill Krukovsky
• Walter Milani
• Meryl Shapiro
• Jesse & Cathy
• Bob Brillo
• June Stahl
• Diane Langmuir