On Wed, Sep 26, 2007 at 01:11:42AM +0300, Krasimir Stoyanov wrote: > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Daniel Lakeland" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 11:20 PM > Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Strong Lead - resistance effect > > > > > The bodies act 'as if' a force is acting > > between them, but not because the leader is applying a physical force > > to the follower. > > REALLY? Isn't there a simpler explanation? That the bodies DO experience a > force in-between?
No, for two reasons. First, I and others frequently dance with partners using no physical connection, to practice both follow and lead, and second, the forces required to synchronize two bodies moving in the way that tango dancers do would be very strong and unpleasant when applied across the arms of the embrace. Definitely, tango dancers in an embrace transmit forces between the two bodies, but these forces are signalling, not the principle forces required to synchronize the bodies. For example: A 70 kg rigid sack of potatoes on ice (a model for a follower being forced around) is accelerated from rest to .5 m/s in an interval of .5 seconds and then back to rest in another .5 seconds. The impulse in each interaction is 35 N-s and the average force is 70 N. The peak force must be more than the average force. Perhaps 1.5 times as much is a reasonable guess. So are you first pushing your partner with 105 N of force and then pulling her back to stop her? This is about 25 lbs. Try dead-lifting a 25 lb (~ 100N or 11kg of mass) weight and then come back and tell me if you're applying that much force to your follower. I suggest the answer lies in between that and zero. Perhaps 5 lbs of force on average, with the follower supplying the rest of the lateral forces required using her legs (surely we must acknowledge the keen importance of the followers legs!) Yes, forces are transmitted, and occasionally during vigorous turns and soforth they may approach my example of 100 N or 25 lbs, but on average they are much below this. -- Daniel Lakeland [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.street-artists.org/~dlakelan _______________________________________________ Tango-L mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l
