Chicho

and the Tango Fundamental

Principles
There are not many fundamental principles of connection and communication in
tango, i.e. of “leading and following”. After a while, if we study tango properly,
focusing on the quality of movements’ execution, effortlessness of movement and
some artistry in “choreographies” (to at least reduce the boredom of predictability) on
the social pista, we are – more or less – familiar with the principles. We keep visiting
milongas, but also practicas and workshops, and practice and learn more and more
movements or sequences. Due to overly focusing on sequences (arrangement of
steps), i.e. neglecting due attention to the principles, and learning the steps
separately for leaders and followers, where everybody learns their part (isolated: “I
do not know the steps of the other role”), we tend to be aware of the principles ever
less, which means we apply them ever less. Some teachers are aware of that, so
they keep repeating the principles (e.g. “lead her pivot by changing your weight/foot
instead of pushing simply with the hand/arm”). Obviously, it is not enough.
“Obviously” – because you can experience in milongas the application of exactly the
opposite “principle”: people simply push with their hand/arm to make (her make)
pivot. The most striking example is when a follower seeks resistance in the leader’s
hand in order to make pivot whereas the leader is not changing the foot or has any
contraction in his embrace, or any plan to lead her pivot, so the follower
compensates that by protruding the pelvis in the not marked direction and
consequently losing the balance, connection, and the tango.
The methodological problem is in the fact of separation of theoretical presentation of
principles and practical arrangement of steps. Students do not find the principles
needed, since they learn the steps, everybody their part, they join in couples and
smoothly do the sequence. They both know the sequence and they fluently walk it
through.
Chicho also teaches the principles with use of sequences, but what makes a
difference is that he constructs the sequence in which the critical points require strict
application of the principle. It becomes obvious if the couple has not applied the
principle, because the sequence is distorted. Then Chicho intervenes and reminds
everybody to apply the principle.
So the methodological point is to create a sequence with several critical points where
the learning target principle is to be applied, or the sequence will be distorted.
Majority of teachers go the easier way: select any sequence and recite several
principles occasionally. Their students keep nodding to the theoretical part (it is easy
to understand theoretically), then ignore it and learn the steps until they execute
them perfectly. That is the secret how you can have an excellent technique without
being able to dance.
That is why I keep visiting Chicho’s workshops.
NOTE:
It is the technique as it is taught in majority of tango schools: technique to execute a movement
regardless of the partner. E.g. pivot technique - how to make torsion of the body, but the connection
part is neglected. Therefore, the very term "technique" is abused and reduced to the "individual
technique", or "technique to execute a movement without a partner". That is what destroys tango!