tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.comments2023-09-27T12:44:03.592+01:00MsHedgehogmsHedgehoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719152265628932122noreply@blogger.comBlogger4049125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-90474530341732892019-09-22T17:31:26.135+01:002019-09-22T17:31:26.135+01:00Hi @JJ! I just watched the videos on YouTube. It t...Hi @JJ! I just watched the videos on YouTube. It took quite a lot of time. They don't publish or list them anywhere, as far as I know, but they do announce each song so you don't have to recognise them just by ear. You just have to understand a song announcement in Argentine Spanish. I haven't checked whether they included the announcements in the videos this year, though.msHedgehoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05719152265628932122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-13344424008238678272019-09-22T17:28:59.453+01:002019-09-22T17:28:59.453+01:00@Steve C: you don't necessarily need to divide...@Steve C: you don't necessarily need to divide your practice time unless you want to. If you focus your practice on following for a while, and you've already got a basic level of leading, your leading is likely to improve without additional effort. It also works the other way round, the first thing I usually notice with women who start leading regularly is that their following improves fast. It's pretty safe to switch completely in practice or classes and just do the other socially for extended periods.<br /><br />I agree with your observation about pivots. When leading, doing them well is useful, when following it's pretty much necessary.msHedgehoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05719152265628932122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-81324499214215068972019-09-22T17:21:39.737+01:002019-09-22T17:21:39.737+01:00@Mike - true, but I would spell out that that'...@Mike - true, but I would spell out that that's because real follower musicality and full participation is pretty much invisible to everyone except the partner you are actually dancing with at the time. The stuff you can easily see is just for the audience and it takes a very knowledgeable eye to spot it.msHedgehoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05719152265628932122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-3725907501856404802019-09-10T00:16:26.874+01:002019-09-10T00:16:26.874+01:00Yours is the only writing on this subject I've...Yours is the only writing on this subject I've seen, and I'm grateful for this inspiration! People suppose I'm a male learning following as a pedagogic way to improve my leading, but then when I explain that following is great fun, and another world of the dance, which is why so many people do it, there's a pause, and "oh, ok, that makes sense." Even though as a leader I'm thoroughly used to adapting to different followers, the hardest thing about following has been getting used to how to move my body in close proximity and hold my leader. Second hardest is shutting off the leader brain kibitzing about here comes this awesome passage in this song, let's do something physical with it. Also for certain movements such as pivots the standard for followers is much much higher than for leaders. Finally, trying to seriously learn following in addition to continuing to lead, it's hard to find enough practice time. Steve Cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-65239265825769721092019-09-07T12:19:20.558+01:002019-09-07T12:19:20.558+01:00I want to continue the study by taking down the so...I want to continue the study by taking down the songs between 2015 and 2019. But I have problem finding the names of the music. Would you mind sharing how you found the songs? My email is jjlu001@gmail.com. Thanks.-JJJJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13139867590195060689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-2807893903160959072019-09-06T23:32:13.479+01:002019-09-06T23:32:13.479+01:00Thank you for this carefully curated collection, a...Thank you for this carefully curated collection, and your thoughtful commentary. I appreciate that you haven't included followers with boleos that reach their armpits. What I think is evident in all of the clips you have chosen is that the follower seems visibly to concentrating on just doing what the leader is asking. Any ornament or addition is a rare little flash of brilliance which highlights the quality of the connection.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17860952314130563209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-80346763427969735592019-02-26T19:49:09.550+00:002019-02-26T19:49:09.550+00:00@David Phillips: Interesting! which role were you ...@David Phillips: Interesting! which role were you dancing? It's not clear from your description. If it's the follower who doesn't like it then I would suggest just varying the style of movement for musicality and leaving it at that.<br /><br />As to the second point, in my experience it's pretty rare that teachers mention any of these things at all, but of course that varies dramatically. <br /><br />Delivering that stuff requires quite a bit of practice and active experimentation by the follower herself, I think.msHedgehoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05719152265628932122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-54948535201217299532019-02-19T04:05:15.445+00:002019-02-19T04:05:15.445+00:00So, two things.
One partner tried the experiment ...So, two things.<br /><br />One partner tried the experiment where the follower stops the leader's move or only changes the character of the move. I was thinking the exercise might help a follower with asserting their grounding and with realizing that if they could change things at any step, then they must be alert to changes from the leader. But my partner didn't like it at all, saying that it felt too much like hijacking the leader's intentions. We tried switching roles, and I couldn't make it seem useful.<br /><br />Another partner said, "Well, of course, those are all good things that you or other teachers tell us at one time or another. But the question is, how do we perfect ourselves to that advice." I am always looking (Alexander Technique, Franklin Method, NLP, etc.) for good exercises, experiments, experiences, and imagery to help dancers understand. One particular challenge is in helping followers: 1) Arriving at a clear axis; 2) Waiting patiently; yet 3) Responding instantly to a clear intention; then 4) Moving themselves with good energy and clear intention; to 5) Repeat. For leaders the related challenge comes in giving that clear intention early enough, but not too early.David Phillipshttp://tangotribe.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-74758498138459708582019-02-12T23:51:18.623+00:002019-02-12T23:51:18.623+00:00Outstanding! You have covered so much ground in su...Outstanding! You have covered so much ground in such a simple, clear way. I've posted a link on my Tango Tribe page on Facebook, and am specifically recommending your article to my regular practice partners.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18246731841181068314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-62859950753242058532019-01-09T18:07:16.505+00:002019-01-09T18:07:16.505+00:00Not in the least, I assure you, although I don'...Not in the least, I assure you, although I don't remember exactly what you said.msHedgehoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05719152265628932122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-51242096248053634102018-12-30T12:03:49.949+00:002018-12-30T12:03:49.949+00:00Very useful, thanks!Very useful, thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-59754168378764314192018-12-15T11:47:45.660+00:002018-12-15T11:47:45.660+00:00I intended my comment to be in support to what you...I intended my comment to be in support to what you had written. From your comment, I think it may have read differently. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01165924269092533716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-50311741957963826042018-12-15T10:38:31.302+00:002018-12-15T10:38:31.302+00:00Mentioning that the skills and effort of women'...Mentioning that the skills and effort of women's work are not taken seriously by society is just a statement of a routine, obvious, very well studied, economically and politically significant fact about human social interactions. msHedgehoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05719152265628932122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-69065749709431329632018-12-13T11:42:17.180+00:002018-12-13T11:42:17.180+00:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01165924269092533716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-19256115023895506982018-08-25T16:18:10.541+01:002018-08-25T16:18:10.541+01:00delightful... but it's hard for a lone Line Ri...delightful... but it's hard for a lone Line Rider to play with the opposite layers sometimes :) the rider gets hammered by the piano madness and misses a chances to levitate with the viloins :)MOCKBAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05150628026789690963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-17745460691069119842018-06-11T12:49:08.298+01:002018-06-11T12:49:08.298+01:00This is an excellent tour through the things to lo...This is an excellent tour through the things to look for in some of the best leaders out there.<br /><br />One mini-hint to add to your own - you can watch YouTube videos in slow-motion without having to download them first (just click on the settings icon in the bottom right corner). You can also, of course, speed them up and turn even the dancers you admire the most into hyperactive maniacs (with incredibly neat feet).Matthewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-10007986147370916352018-04-19T22:14:20.506+01:002018-04-19T22:14:20.506+01:00I quite like some of them! As long as they're ...I quite like some of them! As long as they're at a safe distance from the Troilo.<br /><br />I start out really liking "Sosiego en la noche", great tune, but it then it just gets annoying as it wanders off trying to fit too much in, and ends up episodic and in baby-pandasville.<br /><br />"Uno" is a lot more successful IMO.<br /><br />The smoky voice is pretty nice.msHedgehoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05719152265628932122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-18588152126829958122018-02-16T17:48:15.716+00:002018-02-16T17:48:15.716+00:00I just re-read your comment and noticed this bit:
...I just re-read your comment and noticed this bit:<br />"The question that arises for me in a dance context is whether you are accorded more respect because you are wearing trousers, or because people notice that you can lead."<br /><br />First instinctive answer: they're the same thing. Second more thoughtful answer: Because I lead. But I can enhance or partly counteract the effect with what I wear. I thought about this for a minute, and asked myself whether I could get the same effect by dressing the part and not delivering. The answer is no, I don't think so. Perhaps in a tiny way, but not really. Dressing the way I do does not result in any social maleness by itself, because it's still normal female clothing. Some additional performance is necessary. The way this manifests itself, first pass, is that women start being more careful to respect my social boundaries, like they don't want to piss me off.msHedgehoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05719152265628932122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-57912421097327535262018-02-12T20:43:38.318+00:002018-02-12T20:43:38.318+00:00A friend reminded me of this post, now that I expa...A friend reminded me of this post, now that I expanded a lot on the "Ojos Negros" history. Like figured out that Canaro's version was lifted from one of the earliest Spanish sound-movie clips, and arranged by a Spaniard of German extraction. Or that the "Zhmerinka thread" was a total fable, and the Gypsy romance arranger Sergey Gerdal was in fact a Scandinavian Sophus Herdahl. Or that the original music accompanying the Hrebinka verse was a lively mazurka composed by a Dutch Russian harp prodigy in 1843. It's a long long tale but check it out when the mood is right :) <br />http://humilitan.blogspot.com/2018/01/ojos-negros-que-fascinan-from-1830s-to.htmlMOCKBAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05150628026789690963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-45262486350064147562017-12-22T18:56:04.153+00:002017-12-22T18:56:04.153+00:00Biagi sounds like Biagi also with Acuna. Which son...Biagi sounds like Biagi also with Acuna. Which song do you mean expecially?Tizianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-45413664400523082482017-12-21T21:55:29.410+00:002017-12-21T21:55:29.410+00:00There are some unappealing Carlos Acuña / Biagi tr...There are some unappealing Carlos Acuña / Biagi tracks, but ... overall I like this spicy voice and orchestra for its different vibe. These tracks remind me of why I sometimes call Biagi the Salvador Dali of tango. Acuña is the gaucho wandering singing through that painting. His voice to me often sounds percussive like Biagi's arrangements, the tough sound enlivens songs about subjects like the puñal, the barrio reo, and the violence of la luz del candil. His smokiness reminds me of life outdoors. The combination of Biagi's crazy trills and percussive syncopation goes well with this on many tracks. For example, https://open.spotify.com/track/4jCoxsixxlmYFhy1dFl7n9 has much to offer dancers. Not as sumptuous as some of his other tracks with, for example, Hugo Duval, for which I am so grateful, but then again the plush life can get boring.stompyzillanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-1746184124886158122017-12-19T20:37:51.615+00:002017-12-19T20:37:51.615+00:00Indeed - the book "sex and suits" is ver...Indeed - the book "sex and suits" is very interesting on the (relative) uniformity of male clothing, and the (relatively short) history of it being more uniform than female clothing. I don't know to what extent it's right, but it's a fascinating read.<br /><br />The most famous example of the people-acting-differently effect, but much less subtle, is of course <a href="https://twitter.com/SchneidRemarks/status/839910253680553988" rel="nofollow">this viral first-person twitter thread</a> from a man who - first accidentally and then on purpose - exchanged email signatures with a female colleague for a couple of weeks. Of course I'm usually not aware of it either, because each of us only has our own experience and nothing else to compare: the effect of changing roles is comparatively subtle, but enough to be noticed by me.msHedgehoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05719152265628932122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-52680719559237875002017-12-17T17:37:04.849+00:002017-12-17T17:37:04.849+00:00Thank you for putting into words your considered t...Thank you for putting into words your considered thoughts on this. You are right - men don't have the same choices with clothes. However I suspect that we are consequently a little more sensitive to any deviation from the established norm. I remember the joke that if a woman turns up at a function in the same dress as another then one of them will probably have to go home and change. Whereas when men turn up dressed identically they congratulate one another on having at least done something right.<br /><br />The people "mysteriously acting like you actually matter" effect is something I've really only heard of. Perhaps the closest I've come to it is once going to dinner with a group of lesbians. I remember noticing a certain undercurrent of "what would you know about anything? You're just a man" and thinking that women probably experience this a lot. There are some YouTube videos of men being convincingly dressed as women and remarking on this effect. <br /><br />As a (gay) man who both leads and follows, do I feel in any way diminished when I follow? No, I don't think so. I might if I could only follow, but that's because my options would be so drastically limited at most dance events. The question that arises for me in a dance context is whether you are accorded more respect because you are wearing trousers, or because people notice that you can lead.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-16468599593648086492017-12-06T10:03:22.848+00:002017-12-06T10:03:22.848+00:00Wow, I love your writing about your friend, and I ...Wow, I love your writing about your friend, and I love to see these beautiful musical legs and feet...Michellenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-36652218367896946352017-11-24T19:58:38.280+00:002017-11-24T19:58:38.280+00:00@mikeintonbridge - those are interesting points - ...@mikeintonbridge - those are interesting points - worth two short posts or one long one! Maybe I'll do them both.<br /><br />@Plain Jane: I don't do it so much now - just the odd short one, and the long ones when I am really interested in something - but thank you :)msHedgehoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05719152265628932122noreply@blogger.com