Tango is a Form of Non-verbal Communication
If you throw floor-craft, fancy footwork, and musicality to the wind, all that’s left is two people trying desperately to communication feelings and directions to each other. These signals need speedy translation.
Remember, a professional is someone who does the basics extremely well. To lead and follow like a pro in tango, you must train yourself to encode and decode these signals as quickly and accurately as possible. That’s it!
Surely, you can’t be serious?
I am serious; and don’t call me Shirley! In fact, I like to use a little rhyming ditty to remember how to communicate with my tango partner…
Intend, Extend, and Send
First, the leader invites the follower to travel with him by communicating his intention in a certain direction on the dance floor.
Second, the follower confirms she receives his intention by extending her free leg in the desired direction.
Third, both dancers send their bodies from point A to point B after committing to the weight change requested by the leader’s intention.
All this happens in rapid-fire succession, to music, with a touch of improvisation. For those new to the tango scene, this chess game of constant surprise is what you have to look forward to!
The Intend, Extend, Send Tutorial Series
Are you free for the next two weeks? Great! Followers, be prepared to sharpen your response time. Leaders, expect to add vigor (and subtlety) to your lead. Best of all, look forward to improving your musicality with four blog posts dedicated to exploring the principles of my favorite catchy rhyme:
Wednesday September 16, 2009
Intend, Extend, Send (1/4): Precision Tango Walking
(link TBA)
Friday September 18, 2009
Intend, Extend, Send (2/4): Unmistakable Tango Side Steps
(link TBA)
Monday September 21, 2009
Intend, Extend, Send (3/4): How to Accent Tango Music with Your Walk
(link TBA)
Wednesday September 23, 2009
Intend, Extend, Send (4/4): How to Accent Tango Music with Your Side Steps
(link TBA)
The concept of intend, extend, and send is powerful, and extremely practical, in both open and closed embrace. Make sure to revisit this post for updates or, better yet, just subscribe to the Tango Notebook and we’ll drop you an email when they are published.
If you prefer your theories and training to mine then, by all means, let’s talk about it. It does you no good sitting in front of your monitor cursing the Tango Gods for allowing me to write. Nothing’s stopping you from starting a discussion in the comments section! After all, we all have holes to fill in our individual tango equations.
Keep dancing,
Panayiotis Pete Karabetis
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{ 14 tango-induced comments }
Pete,
Nice studio!!! I didn’t know that communication was so complicated. I don’t need a translation. I go with the flow, and it’s magical. I suppose that’s the difference between Argentines and Americans. But what’s that music you are using? It doesn’t make me want to dance tango!
I don’t need a translation. I go with the flow, and it’s magical.
Jantango (may I call you JT?),
for many beginner tango dancers, fear and anxiety replace much of the flow and magic you and I feel naturally.
It’s no mystery that tango in the states, although still labeled Argentine, is taught from different angles considering America’s propensity to learn dance by numbers and systems, rather than the feel of the music and partner.
The studio is tops (Thank you to Towson Dance Studio) and the song is Chunga’s Revenge by Gotan Project. It’s an acquired taste, for sure.
By the way, where are you from originally?
Hi Shirley
Well, I discovered something in my following today… that it is difficult for me to lean in (for close embrace) and not isolate my hips backwards (ie sticking out the butt). Hello Pilates! Otherwise, I’m overcompensating in the other direction (isolating the hips inwards, which I suppose is great for canyengue, but limiting for other styles. Honestly, sometimes trying to coordinate all the movements through the hold is like trying to pat your head and rub your belly at the same time!
I am really pumped about these tutorials!! Now I only need to find a pair of fly heels that I can afford on this terrible budget of mine…
Someone should start a website called flytangoshoes.com. Get to your local business office and make it happen, Sharese!
Shoes are cool and all, but do you have someone to practice with?
Sharese – I’m a great believer that tango is mostly about mood. I know that great shoes give the women a head start of the proper attitude on the dance floor.
However, the reality is that your feet should come last in the tango mood. There are much more important things that come before footwear.
About the music – One of the greatest parts of the tango experience is that the leader can choose to dance to the under-beat or the flowing melody. Many of the new tango music selections (such as in the video) provide a clean break between the two.
In that Gotan Project piece you can choose to dance to the rapid heavy beat, or the ultra-sexy slow part as in the melody. It’s fun to do both as in the video. Much of the traditional tango music is not as dynamic.
Andrew! Good to have you back dance buddy and party host. So many people bash Neuvo Tango music, but, you’re correct in saying it provides more of a dynamic to improvise to.
I love Pugliese for this reason because his heavy rhythms are overlapped with melodies that add depth to his pieces. D’Arienzo, focusing more on staccato beats, doesn’t give the melody the spotlight.
A perfect example of the beauty of Neuvo Tango music is Chicho Frumboli and Juana Sepulveda dancing to Borges y Paraguay.
You will enjoy this clip!
Just wanted to thank you personally for writing this blog. It is fun, thought provoking and educational. I also love your dry humor approach
I recommend this blog to all my students.
Way to GOOOOO!
That is a wonderful compliment and I thank you very much. Please expect more dry humor for the purpose of making such a serious dance not so hard to take in. More to come!
I’ve been dancing Argentine for about a year now, and I’m just starting to move from the awkward beginner phase of overthinking to what I consider being an actual dancer, in that I can lose myself to the music and the mood and just dance.
My instructor helps us achieve this by turning the lights low while we’re dancing (he turns the lights up for instruction). I also have a teacher who encourages his more experienced students to switch roles in the dance; ergo, women get to lead and men follow.
It’s a great exercise for us! As a developing lead, I find that, when I’m leading newer ladies, it helps both of us if I slow down my movements. That way, I know exactly what I’m trying to convey, and she has to wait to ‘hear’ the lead before moving.
As for music, I love Bajofondo (they have a similar sound to Gotan Project). I feel the music best when I have that heavy, sexy bass line to the song.
I just found TN on Facebook, and I’m looking forward to the coming articles!
Welcome aboard, Shae!
Thought-out comments like yours do wonders for people reading this blog. I’m going to download Bajofondo from iTunes tonight and listen for those sexy bass lines you talk so highly about. One thing’s for sure: more articles you will have!
Unfortunately its not tango what you are dancing. Looks like neo, the opposit of tango.
@WH
Unfortunate? Nah, it’s just what it is. The other 4 posts in the series will go over my understanding of leading and following. When you see them, please feel free to share your thoughts openly. Until then, what is your definition of tango.
Don’t be shy.
[WEARING A DUNCE HAT]
You can’t walk – you can’t lead. You go first and the follower second. WRONG. Stop giving lessons!
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