On Fri, Apr 18, 2008 at 11:46 AM, Jay Rabe <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> True, but OTOH, the foundation of Alexander Technique is the observation > that movement or posture that feels comfortable is often wrong from a > structural standpoint, and though it arose as a consequence of the body's > appropriate adaptation or accommodation to an injury or bad shoes, it > progresses to feeling comfortable and natural through months or years of > habitual repetition. The instructor's role then becomes a bit more > complicated and difficult, in bringing the dancer's attention to the issue so > they can correct it if possible. > Each dancer needs to be comfortable with their movements. Different anatomical characteristics, including injury, will make a 'one size fits all' approach inapplicable. Dancers who are made to feel uncomfortable in their bodies will stop dancing tango. Where the instructor needs to intervene in particular is where one dancer's position of comfort makes another dancer uncomfortable, whether that 'other dancer' is the partner, or some other dancer on the dance floor. If is also noteworthy that different instructors recommend different technique, much of which has been a source of debate on this list (e.g., heel first vs. toe first, position of the woman's head in the embrace). Some of these technique differences reflect personal preferences and some reflect stylistic differences. There is no one optimal technique for every dancer or every style. For example, to say that the same technique is used dancing in a close embrace versus an open frame is erroneous and misleading. Rather than focusing on details, one should focus on the common ground of technique, e.g., balance and stability, coordination of movements between partners. Remember, tango has been danced for over 100 years by people in Buenos Aires who have not had extensive training. Most good dancers developed on their own, by many kilometers of walking on the dance floor. Innate body knowledge (kinesthetic sense) is an important evolutionary adaptation in developing physical skills. However, it doesn't sell classes like Alexander technique. Ron _______________________________________________ Tango-L mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l
