I have always found that the way to initiate the lean is similar to the way in which the man can stop a lady who has turned into an automatic ocho machine - by lifting her ever so slightly. That does not mean that you lift her with your hands or arms. Rather you raise you solar plexus and let the connection do the work.
The effect appears to be that she is standing on the ball of her foot (often the left) with her calf muscles temporarily slightly extended. She is then unable to walk until you once again return her to ground level. From there you can lead a lean and add all sorts of possibilities. Step back right and bend left knee slightly invites a catch round the outside of the left knee. Step back left invites a catch round the inside of the right knee. Walk round at a constant distance produces a callesita, often with beautiful decorations from the lady. If the lady chooses to let her free leg circle low to the floor, the man can offer her free foot (obviously without weight) and she can choose to do a drag of her own. Turning the shoulders can often produce a volcada ... and so on. I like holding the lean and rocking a tiny amount backwards and forward to the tipping point, in time with the music. It's a lovely moment especially in the Vals. The softer your knees are, the easier will it be to execute such a move. The easier her knees are, the more choice she will have in how to react to your lead. Of course, the indication is just that. Like every other lead in Tango, it is an invitation, not a command. The lady may ignore it if she wishes, or even fight it. One hopes that the latter will be rare. Brazos Laurie (Laurence) ----- Original Message ---- > From: Igor Polk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > After she steps forward, then there is time when she brings the back leg to > the "collect" position. At this time you move faster and initiate the lean. > Once she feels the lean, she will not be able to move to the next step. > Besides, your foot is already in appropriate position. > Sorry Igor but I just don't get it. I'm probably misunderstanding but the whole idea of 'moving more quickly to initiate the lean', seemingly before she has time to react and step forward just doesn't make sense to me. I like to use Carpa a lot but it's always done in a slow and controlled manner. IMHO if you step back, you have to do something positive to stop your partner from making a forward step. As Michael and I have commented and as agreed by Trini, suspension works fine but I'm sure there are other ways. ----- Original Message ---- > From: Trini y Sean (PATangoS) <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > While suspension is one way to signal the woman not to step forward, I prefer a > technique in which the man steps back but leaves the his chest more-or-less > where it was so that the woman feels his support. Essentially, he gives her his > weight so that they have a shared axis. If the woman feels the man's chest > going away from her, she will naturally want to follow and she'll step. > Hmm, sorry Trini, I think I understand what your saying but your decription seems to defy the laws of physics. If you step back and leave your chest in place, all your weight will be transferred to your partner but without giving her the chance to lean in order to provide the counterbalance that is essential in Carpa. IMO, both partners must lean at exactly the same time. When I step back into Carpa, I keep my chest up and my knees straight. Any flexing of the knee or lowering of the chest will cause the girl to step forward. But something I like to add is a slightl rotation my torso left while stepping back. This has the effect of causing the girls left foot to move behind her right foot and reinforces the message that I don't want her to step forward. Sorry to be so long-winded but, btw, if I'm going directly into a Valcada with lady's Front Boleo, the mechanism will be very different to that described above. Jack _______________________________________________ ) ________________________________________________________________________ AOL Email goes Mobile! You can now read your AOL Emails whilst on the move. Sign up for a free AOL Email account with unlimited storage today. _______________________________________________ Tango-L mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l
