At
the end of a tanda I asked the Very Experienced Partner about
the
need for
a lead to
be decisive without being in the least rough. 'More chest!' was her
immediate, clear and memorable reply, without hesitation. 'More chest
is never rough!' she
added.
She
made it sound so
straightforward, and yet... It's easy enough for leads to remember,
at
the start of a tango,
to straighten
the back and shoulders, breath
in and
hold
the chest forwards, but imperceptibly it all
slumps,
the
initial
good contact
with the partner deteriorates, and leading can become more awkward.
Tango developed among people whose posture was naturally
good,
who weren't slumped at terminals all day, who walked a lot more than
we usually do.
Most of us don't have good posture, we tend to be round-shouldered,
our heads habitually inclined forwards, our lower backs curved out,
as they are when we sit at desks and tables. It can be a submissive, despairing posture.
Good
yoga, Pilates or Alexander teachers can help
correct this, and get the back straight and the head stacked on top of the vertebrae. It's
essentially the body's natural posture, the position in which it
works best and is least prone to injury (lower back injury in
particular), and it's really the only good starting posture for
tango. Or any other kind of dance: if you go to the stage door cafe
at London's dance theatre, Sadler's Wells, you'll start
to
notice two species of human, those who have straight backs with their
heads in line, and... well, sadly, the rest of us
