[rant]
I don't mind dancing open embrace. I don't even mind being led nuevo moves if there's room on the floor (despite my boleo-bashing rants I occasionally post.) There are a few leaders I dance with on a regular basis that dance only open embrace and I enjoy dancing with them.
What I do mind is being told that I enjoy close embrace/estilo milonguero/apilado because:
1.) it's easier than open embrace/nuevo,
2.) I don't have to be on the music (wtf?)
3.) I don't have to support my own weight,
4.) or maintain my balance/axis,
5.) because I'm (with the rest of apilado dancers in particular) lazy. (double wtf??)
I also don't agree that I should like open embrace/nuevo because it "exposes all your mistakes and makes you a better dancer."
[/rant]
PS - I did try to come up with a classier title than "Insert Rude Gesture" but since the first working title was "Bite Me", I figured that was improvement enough.
I don't mind dancing open embrace. I don't even mind being led nuevo moves if there's room on the floor (despite my boleo-bashing rants I occasionally post.) There are a few leaders I dance with on a regular basis that dance only open embrace and I enjoy dancing with them.
What I do mind is being told that I enjoy close embrace/estilo milonguero/apilado because:
1.) it's easier than open embrace/nuevo,
2.) I don't have to be on the music (wtf?)
3.) I don't have to support my own weight,
4.) or maintain my balance/axis,
5.) because I'm (with the rest of apilado dancers in particular) lazy. (double wtf??)
I also don't agree that I should like open embrace/nuevo because it "exposes all your mistakes and makes you a better dancer."
[/rant]
PS - I did try to come up with a classier title than "Insert Rude Gesture" but since the first working title was "Bite Me", I figured that was improvement enough.
Comments
If people took the time to understand the technical differences between open and TRUE close embrace (not sort-of-close-standing-next-to each-other-close that I generally treat like open in posture styling), then we'd all be a lot happier and more understanding of each other that there are different muscles being trained in each case, with their own set of problems and needs.
I respect and enjoy open. It's a different set of posture skills for me than close.
I enjoy close. It's a different set of posture skills than open.
Grounding and using the core remains the same in both. Weight placement is different.
End of story.
bastet
I like and respect open embrace. It uses a different set of posture skill than close embrace.
I like close embrace. It uses a differnt set of posture techniques than open.
People should learn and understand both.
End of story.
bastet
bastet
However, the opposite isn't true. Moving to milonguero style after learning, let's say nuevo, is really really difficult for most people.
Especially "anglo-saxons" have issues with moving so physically close to those of the opposite sex who aren't lovers.
It sounds harsh, but it's true.
So viva those who can dance well and comfortably heart-to-heart with a stranger.
Thanks for the inspiration.
http://tango-beat.blogspot.com/2009/12/when-simple-is-complex.html
First, just about everyone has said I should have kept the original title lol. It certainly would have been more succinct. ;)
Johanna, Withersr, and Bastet - most of the emails I've gotten have said the same thing. We've all heard these remarks and it's especially astonishing when someone, like your dance partner for instance, says stuff like that to your face. That was the last straw for me Tuesday night - and what inspired the post. It's one thing to make generalizations like that on a forum - it's another thing to say it to me in person.
Tangocherie - you're right on the money as always, getting straight to the heart of the matter.
Mark - I loved your post and will be forwarding it tons.
You should have a care when you say that close embrace dancers have weak cores and their axis are tilted.
Done correctly, you should be using your core just as much as in open.
In terms of posture- close is different than open. The weight placement forward is not wrong for true CLOSE embrace (not the standing-next-to-each-other-close that is NOT milonguero close) but it is not right for open and one or the other partner needs to adjust.
Try to understand, rather than judge.
bastet
In any case, I think these guys are talking out of their backsides. Jeeze!The stuff we have to put up with sometimes!