Milan for Followers

A good spot for Followers to plan their next Tango vacation is: Milano. “Milan” in Northern Italy. It is a center for Fashion & Design, it’s also home to Italy’s national Stock Exchange, and it’s also home to high-end restaurants and shops. And it’s also home to Leonardo da Vinci’s very famous mural, “The Last Supper”. So it’s got nice shops. Great history. Lovely food and shopping. But that’s probably not why you’ve landed here on this page. You’re here because of the title, ‘Milan for Followers’. What on Earth does that mean ? It means that if you are a Follower that has danced for a good length of time, and you have done the festival scene, the workshop to workshop cycle, explored the Marathon scene, and even the Encuentro scene, you’ve probably been to Buenos Aires by now and you’re wondering what’s next ? Milan is your next destination.

Why ?

Several reasons.

1.) The men dress nicely for Milongas. No. It’s true. They actually dress up for Milongas. And as has said before in Vol 3. (Truism 1096), nothing screams ‘come hither’ more to a woman than a man in a tailored suit! And in this case, usually the shoes are handmade as well.

2.) Then there’s the fact that they smell nice.

3.) They actually know how to dance musically, within the line of dance. This is floorcraft, within the construct of the music. Which usually results in dancing the shit out of a Milonga. And then there’s…

4.) They are usually exceptionally personable and know how to treat a lady (usually). And last but not least…

5.) The food is f#cking divine!

So if #’s 1 thru 4 don’t do it for you at the very least you’ll have some amazing food that’ll blow your mind!

To be clear:  Before you start planning your next Tango vacation for Milan, there are a few things you sort of need to do first and foremost. 1.) You need to work on your foundation. Make it clean. Make it clear. Make it consistent. We have some tools here on Tango Topics to help you with that in our Follower Technique series. So what does “Clean” and “Clear” mean ? It means that you want to work on your walk, and the stability of that walk, you should be able to walk independently of your L/lead in a pair of heels. So if you can walk without wobbling, without wavering, without needing to hold on to anyone, or anything (no balance bars!), then you’re onto something. If you can make it look elegant while you’re at it so much the better. This is a facet to “Clean”. If you haven’t analyzed your walk, and how you’re extending your legs forward, side, and back, and how you do that is the most efficient, the most economical, in all seven foundational moves, then you may want to do that. The reason is that when you travel to distant lands, and you’re the same dancer without modifying anything about yourself, you’re going to be presented with the same types of dancers that you always attract. However, upping your foundational clarity tends to change who’s watching you and why! This is good advice whether you’re going to Milan or Buenos Aires or anywhere else in the world for Tango. Work on your foundation, always. It will do a world of good for you.

Which also brings up another point: Private Lessons. If you can afford a weekly private lesson with a teacher that can identify your foundation issues, and get you to reconceptualize them, visualize them, detail them, and then start to embody them, then you’re on to something. And so that we’re clear, working with a Teacher that walks you around the room for an hour, or dances you around the room, isn’t going to change anything. It will give you false impressions that you’re actually improving instead of doing exercises, as well as repetitions, and detailing what your walk wants to be using visual aids, video playback, close up views, explanations of how and what to do and why. This is what your private lessons on foundation should be. Start with the Back Step first and foremost because it’s the most common step for you. Again this stuff is relevant whether or not you’re traveling to Milan or Buenos Aires. 😉

Next, working on your stability, as well as your embrace, they sort of go hand in hand. And they’re kind of important. Working on your stability while walking independent of your L/lead will force you not to use the Embrace as a way to stabilize yourself using your arms, or hands in your Forward Steps, your Side Steps, your Back Steps, or your Follower’s Molinete or the Milonguero Turn, or your crosses, and most especially your Traveling Ochos. Thereby the embrace is free to be what it needs to be, an embrace construct that you can mold and use to your purposes! 🙂

Two Caveats: There are TWO caveats that you need to be aware of before you set off for Milan.

The first is an item we have detailed here on Tango Topics, and that’s the ‘Italian Solution’ to an embrace quandary that happens for every Lead in the world, that the Italians have solved (to a degree), and as a Follower, you should be prepared for it to happen almost immediately. If you’re not certain what the Italian Solution is, go follow the link above and you will have to register as a free user to see it, but you’ll get the general gist of it. The problem is clearly spelled out for anyone visiting the site, but you really do need to register (it’s free) to see the full solution and what it is and why it exists.

Secondly, to a lesser degree but still present, be prepared for a bit of attitude, bravado, and show off behavior now and again, but it’s all in an effort to show you off, not necessarily themselves per se. Which is to say that more than a few lessons on Adornments & Embellishments wouldn’t kill you (which is really an expression of your foundation in time to the music), and that means you really do have to know your music. At the same time while the bravado exists, there’s a reason for it, they expect and want you to show YOU off. They will create space for you do just that. But at the same time, they’ll expect you Take The Space, not wait for the space to make those things happen.

Taking the Space“, in this case, means that you’re going to be a bit more proactive than you usually would, you’re going to be bit more hyper-aware, and if you’re led into say a Molinete or a Traveling Ocho, or an Argentine Cross AND you’re listening to the music, and you hear something in the music that fits with that particular piece of vocabulary that you’re currently in, then you accentuate that vocabulary by engaging an Adornment within the time that you have and not being apologetic about it. Be powerful. Be strong. Own your steps. Never say “Sorry”. Ever. Never apologize for what you’re been led to do. If you’re being honest and you Followed what you felt happening, then you have nothing to apologize for.  That’s “Taking the Space” and that’s why it’s crucial to practice your potential Adornments relentlessly when you’re sitting, standing, waiting for something else to happen, standing and talking to someone, not just on the dance floor but off the dance floor. It is an imperative that you start to play with those ideas sooner rather than later in heels.

These are the two Caveats to dancing in Milan. [ls_content_block id=”12273″ para=”yes”]

The Tango Topics Opinion: Let’s get something straight no one is bashing your skills as a Follower. No one. At the same time, you do need to up your game. This is a whole different class of L/lead that you’re getting in Milan, Florence, and Torino. They’re more musical, playful, and engaging. They’re also a bit more demanding, and expectational than your run of the mill L/lead then you’re used to experiencing. They’re also a bit more temperamental and mercurial. Then there’s the whole clothing thing. These are MEN we’re talking about here. So here’s a good piece of advice, look at the women around in Milan and Northern Italy. They dress for success. Trust us, we know, this is not exactly empowering women with this stuff. From one perspective you’re playing into the old paradigm of pleasing a man with what you’re wearing. You’re enticing him to want you simply because of what you’ve got on your body. You can use this stuff to your advantage, not as a negative. Men are visual creatures. Remember that. It will go a long way to getting you what you want, getting you the dance. So give them a little visual. However while it may get you the dance that you want, it will not keep the dance that you want. For that to happen, that’s why we suggested working on your foundation! See ? These things go hand in hand.

In the end, spend more than two weeks there, about a month but be warned once you go down this pathway, you will not want to come back home. At all. These men are insanely good, insanely musical, and they do know how to pursue a woman. You’ve been warned. 😉 YMMV.

MORE REMINDERS

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Frequently with Argentine Tango we use language that we think is descriptive of what we’re doing but in actual fact is either not that or so far from the mark it is more confusing than anything else. Before we go any further, it is possible that in reading this that you may not see the issue at all. That you know what the speaker meant, and that’s the important part, right. Wrong. That’s the problem right there. The inference. If you have to infer that X or Y is occurring then there’s far too much ‘wiggle’ room for errors in understanding to crop up.

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The idea of a Practica is ‘theoretically’ to Practice what you have learned. To try out what you have been shown, with multiple partners, as if you were in a class rotation. It is ‘theoretical’ because while the theory is nice, the reality is a little different.

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Lethargy (Moving Too Slow)

Lethargy is moving too slow for the intended lead’s request (‘lead’ is the action, and not the person). What this really boils down to is the reaction time of the dancer that is a.) a lag from the time at which a request was sent to the time it was received. and b.) way in which it is done (the real speed issue). Note what’s missing from this definition, the roles of the dance! There is no blame in this definition. None what so ever. However, that is seemingly about to change. It’s not, but your perception of it will until you get to the end.

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The Female Lead

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The ‘Connection’ Fallacy

Connection” is a wonderful idea. We like to believe in the romanticism of this word, and all that it implies, which is as it turns out a considerable amount. However, the word itself, from a Tango perspective, has been beat up and bruised that it more than likely has lost it’s original intent. When you say the word to someone it could mean any one of eight (8) different things as it relates to the dance. However, this is not a definition of the word, for that please see the Tango Topics Definition of the word "Connection". 


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The Neurology of Leading – Part 2

A question that comes up for some leads, not all leads, but some Leads (big ‘L’) is why is it important that you spend a lot of time listening to Tango music, and more importantly to mark the music ? Typically you’ll hear this question as “I have a life you know ? I have things to do. I can’t sit around all day long just listening to song after song after song for days, weeks, months, marking up every song in some crazy 8 count beat sort of way, and then try to memorize all that all so….

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Keep something in the back of your mind: What you’re seeing in a youtube video is a couple that is performing for the 15th row for a room full of people. They’re not social dancingWhereas this website is all about ‘Social Tango’  or how to make things function on a social dance floor. Social Dance floor ? Your local milonga! They are showing you flashy moves as a presentation, to show off! But not stopping and talking about how this works which is what you need to see. This website and all of it’s content show you the how and  why you’d want to put that piece of vocabulary there, or how to make things work. This website is all about those things and more!

You could watch Tango YouTube videos and thereby spend your time, trying to infer, and figure out how things may work in that particular situation. Bend your body this way or that, twist and force this position or that. Place your foot here or there and figure it out. This is known as Tango Twister.  Which can be a lot of fun, but more than likely it won’t help you, because you’re missing something: The explanation from an experienced teacher showing you how to properly excute this stuff from a Leading Perspective as well as from a Following Perspective!

The goal of YouTube videos is to get you to study with those teachers in person. The goal of Tango Topics videos allows you to work at your own pace, in the comfort of your own space, so that you can play them over and over again to improve your understanding of the vocabulary or technique being described to therefore better your dancing experience. The goal of classes and workshops is to get you to come back over and over and over again, thereby spending more money with that teacher. This website and the videos under it are here to act as a resource for you to help you to improve your dance. Pay once and you’re done.

Eventually, one way or another you’re going to pay for this lesson, either here and now, or with them. TANSTAAFL! The difference between that lesson and this ? Is that you get to play this lesson over and over and over again. Further still, there are supporting materials (other videos) that help to explain the language and the underlying technique of how and why things work, so you can easily reference those things in the corresponding articles that go with the material, and or any language in the Tango Topics Dictionary. 

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