A lot of experienced leaders have diagnostics they run to find out what the woman can deliver if they haven't danced with her before. They're all things that won't be noticed if they don't work too well, but give you a lot of information.
There must be lots I'm not aware of at all. But here are the ones I think I know about:
Different stride lengths.
Anything involving a forward step for the follower.
Especially a step right into the leader.
Tiny, slo-o-o-w step.
Pause between steps with feet apart. Hesitations.
Slo-o-o-w cross.
Small boleo in a safe place, just to see what happens.
Turn-and-block without the following step-over that most people expect the woman to do with no lead and despite the blocking. Reverse it and do something else ...
Also:
Ampster on dialling in.
Mari on un tal Gavito - diagnostics before doing a back sacada.
Different dance, but a lot of crossover
ReplyDeleteThough as the lovely LMC replied
Bloody hell, and I get told *I* think too much :S
It depends on the music.
It depends on the partner.
Sometimes, only one of these things matters. Sometimes neither matter.
I'm a woman, I'm inconsistent, so sue me.
This is a controversial one. If a follower isn't wearing tango shoes then it's usually a good sign she's not particularly good.
ReplyDeleteThere is some rationale here - you can't move efficiently doing tango movements if you're wearing certain footwear and if the follower hasn't figured that out yet then they're probably not there yet overall.
Must admit, although I try to dance with new people at every milonga, this does guide me. Other leaders concur.
can you lead her to change her weight on the spot.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Ms. H. Add change of direction on a pivot.
ReplyDeleterealising that your partner is running that check list is utterly offputting
ReplyDeletePS dialing in is a different matter
@Anon "realising that your partner is running that check list is utterly offputting"
ReplyDeleteMy thinking, which thankfully worked, was that by repeatedly doing it consciously I would eventually get to the point where I'd be able to do it without thinking. Then I can just dance from the get-go while my subconcious takes care of dialing in. At that point it becomes a feeling that deepens rather than a mental checklist.
@ghost
ReplyDeletethose are two different things, - dialing in and running a check list.
I was talking about the latter, obviously.
To clarify, I don't remember ever thinking that anyone had 'used,' if that is the right word, more than one of these in the same dance. I don't know of anyone who actually runs a checklist. But there are lots of things that may or may not work, and sometimes you can tell that poeple didn't know they were going to work.
ReplyDelete@ anonymous:
ReplyDelete"can you lead her to change her weight on the spot."
- yes, that's my main one too.
In fact, that's almost my only diagnostic. Almost everything else, I can fix or work around. But if I can't lead her to change weight, it becomes a real challenge.
Also, based on my experience in MJ and salsa, a good enough leader is someone who does this checklist and adjusts his dance style, usually within at most 3-4 seconds of starting to dance.
ReplyDeleteSometimes you can do this before starting to dance, just by observing her walk.
@Anon and MsH
ReplyDeleteOk now I'm confused...
Maybe I've misunderstood Ampster's and Mari's post.
What's the difference between "dialing in" and "running a check list"?
"The dialing in begins.
Does she go long, or go short? Do her steps feel choppy or smooth? Does she feel heavy or light? Does she follow what's led, or does she misread the lead?"
~ Ampster
"This lets him know where she is, and if she's waiting for him, or taking her step ahead of his. If she consistently pulls ahead and doesn't wait, the leader knows not to go ahead with the back sacada." ~ Mari