Compensating for Your Partner - She Has Noodle Arms
If you're in class (or in a social circumstance, also, but it's worse in class), focus on how you can make things work. It's too easy to spend too much time trying to fix your partner instead of teaching yourself how to overcome. We'd like you to understand that learning doesn't happen for yourself while you're trying to fix your partner.
- Artist Name:
- Tanghetto
- Song Title:
- Alexanderplatz Tango
- Album Title:
- Emigrante (Electrotango)
- Artist Website:
- http://www.tanghetto.com/
(From Wikipedia): Tanghetto is a musical group based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and one of the most important on the neo tango scene. The style of Tanghetto is a blend of tango and electronic music.
- 00:05
- So, leaders, oftentimes, you'll be dancing with a girl. And it'll be wonderful. Except, it's not.
- 00:11
- And, if her arms give you no frame. So, for example, let's say, I want her to pivot. And I do this, "Pivot!"
- 00:18
- And nothing happens, except her arm moves. This is, sort of, not ideal.
- 00:21
- This is, like the extreme bad. A more common bad would be like this. Pivot me again.
- 00:26
- And we're really not connected. And he's really not making it happen. But he starts me along, and my shoulder gives.
- 00:31
- And then, he starts some more, and then I pivot. Just by myself.
- 00:34
- And so, what I want you to do, leaders, is I want you to think, that there's two steps to movement.
- 00:39
- And that, the first is you have to get rid of all the slack in the system. You have to make sure it's snug.
- 00:43
- So, if I want her to move, and at...
- 00:45
- At the beginning, I'll be holding her still. And then, I'll softly bring my arms together, until she stops moving.
- 00:50
- So, you see our arms moving, and moving, and moving. And then, it stops. And now, I can ask her to pivot.
- 00:55
- D: Because now, I have...
N: He's got my body.
D: Her body. - 00:58
- So, for example. If we go off camera, and we get an aid. Very, very expensive, very rare.
- 01:05
- But, you know, we're lucky we can have things like this. It's a towel. And...
- 01:10
- We'll just twist it up. And, let's say, I wanted to pull her forward. Hold with both hands.
- 01:16
- D: So, I want to pull her... And, stand over here. She's... had no idea I was going to do this.
N: No, I didn't. - 01:22
- So, if I have the towel here, and I pull - nothing happens. Because there's slack.
- 01:27
- And so, the towel is her arms. And, as long as the towel moves, the body doesn't.
- 01:31
- So, if I have her arms... Relax, and grab my hand.
- 01:33
- If I have her arms, and the arms move, as long as the arms move - the body doesn't. Same as the towel.
- 01:38
- On the other hand, if the towel has no slack, then, when I pull, she comes to me.
- 01:46
- D: Which is great.
N: And that's the fun part. - 01:48
- So, this is about what do you do, when she has noodle arms.
- 01:51
- Right, so, for example, if, instead of holding the towel, I'm holding her hands, and I want her to come towards me,
- 01:56
- I'll slowly pull, until her arms stop moving. And, once they stop moving, then, I can move her body to me.
- 02:03
- D: And it's true in all dimensions.
N: Right.
D: It's not just moving towards, but moving away, or moving circularly. - 02:07
- So, for example, if I want her to rotate...
- 02:10
- As long as the arm moves, nothing is going to happen.
- 02:13
- D: So, I don't do this. I move my hand in. In, towards her body, until the hand can't move anymore.
N: Yeah, I can't... - 02:18
- D: Eventually, it's stuck.
N: He's, kind of, using her body mechanics against her.
D: And then, you can use that to pivot her. - 02:23
- If she doesn't...and, eventually, that will be uncomfortable enough, so she'll figure it out.
- 02:27
- N: And then, she'll try to move you out a little bit.
D: Which is fine, let her.
N: Yeah. - 02:30
- As long, as she stays strong at this place, well, then, you can dance at this place.
- 02:34
- And, in general, that's the philosophy. That you can always... From a side view.
- 02:41
- If you see her right arm. I'll just softly compress in until it stops moving.
- 02:46
- And, once it's stopped moving, then I can, sort of, have a vise between my left arm and my right.
- 02:51
- Compress in, and then I can move.
- 02:53
- And then, her arms are no longer noodle. Or, rather, they are, but they're unmoving.
