Two Leaders - Argentine Tango

I've been spending a lot of time dancing Argentine Tango lately, and at a recent milonga, I witnessed a vision of two leaders.

The first was dancing with what I suspect was his girlfriend, she danced with him several times, though not every dance.  She also danced with other men but he didn't dance with other women.  She was definitely the better dancer, I suspect that she was introducing him to Tango.

He wasn't a total beginner, he knew salida and a few other moves.  But what  drove me crazy (and I suspect, his dance partner as well) was his tentativeness.  He didn't keep a rhythm, he was hesitant when he moved, and when he wasn't moving he was nervous and twitchy.  I kept seeing what looked like false starts and indecision. His partner seemed nervous and hyper-alert, she realized she had no idea what was coming next, and neither did he, and it could happen at any instant, without warning.  It looked as though he was second guessing himself until he figured out the right thing - he'd have been better off doing the wrong thing calmly, definitively and rhythmically.

The second was  a young man, but obviously experienced.  He was calm and rhythmic and deliberate.  His dancing was simple and unadorned, but very clear and patient.  I saw him dance with a woman I know who's had about six months of ballroom dancing and basically an hour or so of Argentine Tango, and he made her look beautiful and graceful and elegant.  When she did something different than he led, he just handled it without lifting an eyebrow.  When things got tricky, he just slowed everything down - he would just be still for a few beats, and then he would start moving again in half time.  And when he was still, he was so beautifully still.  He wasn't just static and frozen either, he'd move or sway or change his embrace but he was able to do it in a way that told his partner "we're just being still right now".  When he moved she knew it just enough in advance.  Everything he did looked (and I imagine felt) inevitable.

I so badly want to be guy number 2.

So here's my plan.

Work on frame and lead and clarity first.  Figures and moves come later.

Be willing to just be still.  Learn what movements say "we're staying here" vs "we're moving now".  Learn to eliminate anything that's twitchy or indeterminate.  Decide to be still, and communicate that.

Let go of the beat and don't try too hard to follow the music.  Remember that it's easy to dance too fast (for your partner, or your skill level, or your ability to lead), but it's nearly impossible to dance too slowly.

Dance Simply.

Private Partner Music

If you study at a busy dance studio, there is always competition for the sound system and music.  On a busy evening, there may be one or two group classes and up to 3 or 4 private lessons taking place simultaneously at my studio.  Of course it's worse just before a performance when everybody needs to practice and they need to practice to the music as much as possible.  Our studio has folding walls that do a very good job of dividing the room both spatially and acoustically, but even so, getting the music you need playing can be a bit of a challenge - which is handled graciously, as you might expect, but a challenge none the less.

Now this is a problem that you can make go away by throwing a little money at it.  I've put together a bluetooth rig with a couple pairs of headphones so that I and my partner can have music that's completely private.  The rig generally runs off my phone, but works on ipods or anything else with a headphone jack.

Headphones:

The main goal here is something that won't fall off when you spin.  Based on my experience wearing headphones at the gym, I picked a style that wrapped around the back of your head.

These are nice and solid and really stay on.  If you wear glasses as I do, there's a lot of stuff running over the top of your ears, which then stick out a little, and you eventually get a little pressure inward there, though I've worn mine for several hours without much discomfort. Plus they hold my glasses on...  Specifically, I ordered two identical GoGroove AudioActive headsets - I picked them because they looked like what I wanted and were relatively cheap.

Bluetooth:  I can't find a way to connect a single bluetooth transmitter to two headsets, so I wasted some time trying to find a way to do this with my phone's built-in bluetooth.  The answer is a pair of bluetooth transmitters that plug into a splitter cable, which plugs into your audio jack  This makes it more versatile than using your phone's bluetooth anyway - I can use my partner's phone, or a computer or an ipod. I picked up a pair of TaoTronics TT-BA01 bluetooth transmitters, because they were pretty cheap and fairly well reviewed.

Setting up is pretty easy - pair each headset with one of the transmitters (I've added yellow tape so I know which headset and transmitter to use when I'm practicing solo), and plug everything together in the obvious way.  I've had to re-pair the headsets to the transmitters a few times, but it just takes 30 seconds or so.

I'm very happy with the results.  I've danced an energetic East Coast Swing with these, and neither me or my partner had any problems with slippage.  I've used them solo for several hours now, and probably a couple of hours with partners (though one of the women I dance with won't try them for unknown reasons). We have had occasional gaps in the music stream, buy I honestly don't know if that's the bluetooth rig, or my phone.  Since both headsets seem to have a gap at the same instant, I suspect it may be my phone.  It's disconcerting because you're suddenly off the beat, but I treat it as an opportunity to dance through the obstacle, and it's better than having to do everything without music.  Usually I get about one of these skips every hour or so, but one evening we got 4 or 5 in a single practice and I was pretty worried.  That hasn't recurred, I don't know why, probably I rebooted my phone.  The other smartphone factor is that if you get a text. a call, or a calendar reminder, it's disconcerting for that notification to suddenly sound in your headphones (and with my phone, the music is interrupted and you're suddenly off the beat again).

I happened to choose headsets that insert pretty fully into your ears, which helps to screen out background noise and the other music playing, but doesn't keep you from talking to your partner while dancing (though I pop one ear out for longer, stationary conversations.  Each headset has a volume adjustment which is very handy (there's also a pause/play/fwd/back control which is inactive due to the splitter cable). Generally, I just put the music I want on auto-repeat, and let it stream endlessly.  Compared to constant negotiation to get the song on just once, it's a luxury.

Accessories:

I've added a few individually packaged alcohol wipes for the cleanliness and convenience of my dance partners, and I got a zippered bag to carry all this in - in fact I ended up with a separate bag for the chargers. I also bought a 4-port USB charger power supply so I didn't have to carry four wall-wart chargers and a power strip to get everything recharged.  It's still a rat's nest of charging cables, though I tolerate that so I can recharge everything simultaneously.  The whole shooting match came in at about $150.

If anybody else tries this, I'd be very interested to hear about your experience and what hardware you chose, and how you liked it.

Argentine Tango and Lindy Hop

I took a couple Argentine tango classes, which are real eye-openers.  I've mentioned I'm a slave to the beat, I can always hear and hit the beat, even when there are other beats in the air.  I'm not steady enough to be a drummer, but I can get back on the beat pretty well (yes, I did play trumpet back in the day, why do you ask?).  Anyway, those Argentines consider hitting the beat an optional extra.  But god, it's beautiful and passionate and intimate, and it looks to be all about feeling where your partner is at, and communicating what you want.  Without the crutch of the beat.  Sensitivity and Leading.  Apparently Argentine is the original tango, American/Ballroom tango is the derived form. Yet another dance I have to learn.

I also ended up in a lindy hop class.  I was afraid it was too advanced for me, but it turns out it's just a jitterbug with kicking.  Actually, apparently, lindy hop is actually the original dance, and jitterbug is the later sub-form (which makes sense, it's easier).  Thank you wikipedia.  Anyway, it worked out well, because I feel pretty good about my jitterbug.  Plus, it's like the happiest dance ever.  Impossible not to smile.

No way to say

One of the wonderful things about dancing, for nerds like me, is the social protocol.  There's an accepted way to interact.  But no protocol covers everything, and there's some important things you just can't say.

There's an accepted etiquette for asking another person to dance, leading and following are recognized roles (and skills), you learn how to signal a turn and how to share the floor with other couples.   It seems like at least sixty percent of dancing is communication with your partner.

I get a lot wrong, but I've got really strong rhythm.  I forget the steps, I can't get out of my head, my weight often is on the wrong foot, and my hips - the tragedy of my hips is monumental.  I'm often doing completely the wrong thing, but I'm generally doing it on the beat.  I can always hear the beat, I know when to start, and I know when I'm off.  My teachers have commented on it, and they're not kidding.  If the music that happens to be playing is wrong for my lesson, the lesson is twice as hard.  Currently, my whole rationale for dancing is "She ought to feel the beat in your body".

I danced with a new partner recently and we couldn't get in sync.  The rhythm I was hearing and the rhythm I was feeling in her were just off.  I'm not talking about swinging around the beat, the way jazz does.  She was just off and, worse, inconsistent.  I restarted a couple of times.   I said things like "I think we're out of sync" and "I don't think we're on the beat".  I tried to lead bigger. I tried to firm up my frame.  I counted in my head.  I counted out loud.   I tried to ignore the music.  I tried to dance to her beat.  But I never managed to get synced up with this particular partner.

Late in the dance, visibly frustrated, she  said "you're not on the beat", and she honestly meant well by it, was trying to help with all her heart.  There was no doubt in her mind.  I try really hard to take criticism well.  Everybody there has been dancing longer than me, and the list of things I haven't learned dwarfs the seven I have. 

But she was wrong.  She was the one off the beat.  I didn't want to argue with her and I wasn't going to be able to really help either of us.

What can you say, other than "thanks for the dance"?

I need the music

At a recent lesson, I was trying to Tango without music and ended up foxtrotting. My brain just totally locked up. I need the music, particularly for the Tango - though I seem to be able to Jitterbug to imaginary music just fine - even just sitting here typing about it, I've got "Rock around the clock" running in my head. Maybe I just need a signature Tango tune in my head.

One of the more interesting quirks I've found from taking dance lessons is how often the music is missing, imaginary or wrong. There are several private lessons and other activities taking place in the same space, and so Teach and I usually just count out the steps with no music whatsoever - which is a great way of focusing at one thing at a time. Occasionally we put on an appropriate song and dance with music. Of course, the other couples sharing the space also do so, so somebody's playlist is always playing, but it doesn't have anything to do with your lesson. At one point I was Tangoing, the music was Salsa, and the singer was singing about "La Rumba". Ignoring the music feels like trying to ignore an itch...

I'm a slave to the beat...