Linear Vocabulary - Using Dice to Put Together a Combo
This is a concept we really want our students to understand in a very internal way. But it is a surprisingly difficult one. Tests have shown that too many choices or too much freedom actually hinders decision making.
But, when you do finally understand the breadth of possibilities available because you can put just about any of the steps together with any others, there comes a moment when it feels like everything falls into place and most of the pressure comes off. And tango really can become flowing and easy.
- Artist Name:
- Miguel Caló
- Song Title:
- Al Compás Del Corazón
- Album Title:
- Al Compás Del Corazón
(Paraphrased from Wikipedia and Todotango): Miguel Caló (October 28, 1907 – May 24, 1972) was a famous tango bandoneonist, composer, and the leader of the Orchestra Miguel Caló. Caló carried out and developed a style that connects traditional tango with the innovations of the age, without stridence, with a highlighted presence of the violins, a rhythmic bandoneon section and a spectacular piano.
- 00:04
- Here's the deal:
- 00:06
- We're trying to find a way to really communicate that, as long as you have these few movements,
- 00:12
- it doesn't matter what order you put them in, or how you, well, it matters how you do them a lot.
- 00:16
- But it doesn't matter how you put them together.
- 00:19
- And so, David came up with this really cool thing, which we hope will be very convincing as a way of showing you
- 00:26
- It really doesn't matter.
- 00:28
- Show them your very cool thing.
- 00:30
- I'm turning this camera.
- 00:33
- So, I downloaded this app from the android market, and hopefully, you can see this in the camera,
- 00:38
- I don't know, maybe it'll look blurry.
- 00:40
- But, I'm giving each thing a number from 1 to 5, and this will generate a random number. For example,
- 00:45
- 2... 3... 4... 3... 2
- 00:52
- Doesn't seem random, but here's the evidence. You saw me do it live.
- 00:55
- 2 3 4 3 2
- 00:57
- And, we can say, well, forward is 1, backward is 2, side is 3, weight change is 4, and a pause is 5.
- 01:05
- 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, now he has to remember it.
- 01:07
- Yeah, yeah, so, let's see,
- 01:09
- Forward, back... So 2 is back, so we have back... side... weight change... side... back.
- 01:21
- Back, side, weight change, side, back.
- 01:24
- OK, let's do it.
- 01:25
- Yeah, wish us luck, hopefully... The hard part is remembering.
- 01:28
- So you have...
- 01:30
- Drat.
- 01:32
- 2 3 4 3 2
- 01:33
- Yeah, so we have: back, side, weight change, side, back.
- 01:39
- That works!
- 01:40
- And it's completely legitimate to do that.
- 01:43
- So, for example... So, if this is our line of dance, we'd want to do this in our line of dance, we would say, one more time,
- 01:56
- Do it again, Dave, run that fancy thing you've got
Let's see - 01:59
- another one.
Oh, yes, yes, yes, another example. - 02:02
- Once again, hopefully you can see that I'm not cheating,
- 02:04
- And I really am using my random number generator off the android marketplace.
- 02:08
- Oh, I love technology.
- 02:10
- 4... 4, 1, 2... 2... 4
- 02:16
- 4 1 2 2 4
- 02:18
- Okay, 4 1 2 2 4
- 02:20
- So 4 is... Right, so 4 is weight change, 2 is back... No, 4 1
- 02:26
- 4 1 2 2 4
- 02:27
- 4... 1... 2... 2... 4
- 02:33
- Let's do that again.
- 02:36
- 4... 1... 2... 2... 4
- 02:43
- One more time.
- 02:47
- 4... Whoops, went the wrong way, one more time
- 02:51
- 4... 1... 2... 2... 4
- 02:57
- Right? So, the android marketplace is a brilliant choreographer, there you have it.
- 03:01
- Or, alternatively, it doesn't really matter what you do, as long as you do it with conviction, and then you have some...
- 03:08
- And in the next chapter we'll talk about navigation,
- 03:11
- And you have this idea that, at the end, you have some end to the phrase through time or weight change.
- 03:16
- I think that thing he said about conviction is really important.
- 03:19
- It's so important just to choose, it doesn't matter what you choose to do, but mean it when you do it.
- 03:25
- That's true of life, too
