Video - An equal improvisation

This is the embrace I was trying to describe in An Equal Improvisation.

My friend kindly allowed me to show these videos which were not planned. We had initially just gone to dance informally along with another local guy at a village hall on Saturday. It was a kind of practica I suppose. It occurred to me suddenly that this was a great opportunity to capture this kind of embrace with someone who has never done it before and who has almost no experience of trying to dance in the other role.

R has been dancing a year or so (in the woman’s role). Her experience in the other role could (and still can) be measured in minutes. After a stop-start beginning I have danced in the (traditional) guy’s role for about a year and a half and in the woman’s role for just over 4 years. It was the first time she has tried this embrace, my third. I am a bit hesitant about the embrace because it is so new and also perhaps just because we have not danced together that often.

So much for background. The main point is that in this first video she primarily, is initiating movement. Yet see how well she dances and it felt even better than it looks. She was so smooth, so aware of the partner and with awareness too of the music. I think of nearly all beginner guys who try to learn to dance in class and there is simply no comparison.

The difference I think is largely one of the approach to learning and the method. When I started to feel, from my own experience, sceptical about the effectiveness of learning to dance tango in class and by chance found someone experienced with whom to discuss this and music, process I was told, influences product. For a long time now I have found myself in agreement.

In the vals, the idea was she initiated movement but in fact what you notice with this kind of embrace when you dance is how much the next step seems almost mapped out for you, by where your axis is, perhaps or just...I’m not sure in fact by what. Things are slowed down, are very relaxing. But very often the next step just happens and, with this partner at least it wasn’t at all clear to me who initiated even though I was in a way listening out for that.

Ambitious from the get-go at the end of this clip I think R had asked how she would get me to turn around her.  

These trials I suppose giving confidence she was able to take the traditional arm position of the other role and dance such that that felt nice too.

In the milonga track she initiates and after a minute or so we swap. I find this milonga quite hard, because of its rhythm. It turned out she did not know it.

Intercambio: this wasn’t planned, as these things almost never are in my experience.

A very experienced guy friend never swaps roles yet is full of fun and a lovely, courteous, aware dancer for me. That same evening he tried this same “no arms” embrace in something between swapped roles and intercambio and it was fun and surprising.

I like this for many reasons partly because I sense character even more this way.

This is such a safe embrace. That is why I think it is great especially for people learning to dance in the (traditional) guy's role. You can retreat if you are uncertain and the other person takes over. You can be more forward, initiate movement. There is besides much scope for jokes, play, the unexpected.

Maybe you'll try it!