Tango and chaos
I started following what became the writings at Tango and Chaos when the website did not exist and the articles were posted instead on Tango-L. However, decided to revisit a few days ago and boy, what a pleasant surprise! Lots of new information on milongueros in Buenos Aires, and a new section on walking techniques. Since my recent private classes with Hsueh-tze and Javier Rodriguez/Andrea Misse all tended to focus on improving my walking, I was naturally quite fascinated. Well, suffice it to say, the conclusion is that, while the physical form may have deviated slightly, the essence is very much consistent with what I have been learning…
Here are some clips I really enjoyed. Curiously, apart from the age of the dancers, they really reminded me a little of the musicality and techniques exhibited by Javier Rodriguez. 
- Pocho – scroll down to see the demonstration at Sunderland.
- Ricardo Vidort – scroll down to see the second clip.
Popularity: 11%
The embrace
Having a good embrace is the key to being able to dance well in close embrace. Sounds like tautology, doesn’t it? But you’d be surprised at the number of people who were unaware of this and still “imagined” that they were dancing in close embrace, but that’s another story…
Here are some nice writings on the embrace, from people who had the opportunity to stay in Buenos Aires for extended periods of time: one from a leader’s and two from followers’ perspective. Incidentally, all three articles mentioned the style of Javier and Andrea who will be in Singapore next week!
Very worthwhile reading!
Popularity: 5%
Assimilation
It’s great to have Hsueh-tze back, for the second time this year. Currently we are about half-way through her series of workshops. As usual, she has enlightened all of us on the subtleties of close embrace and yet again highlighted some very important fundamental techniques that allow us to do just that little extra with the music…
Unfortunately, as usual, this is also going to be another period of struggle for me, as far as the Tango is concerned, as I try to disassemble and critically scrutinise the Tango knowledge that I have accumulated up to this point. Really a kind of deconstruction/construction process. Hopefully, after the eventual reconstruction, I can reach a better level than I am. The trouble is, it can take a while. Meanwhile, things can get a touch frustrating. 
Popularity: 33%
Secrets of close embrace
The five secrets of close embrace according to Hsueh-tze Lee.
- Vertical lift.
- Opposites: Lead/follow exchange; focus forward while moving backward. Waiting mutually.
- Leg power to indicate intention.
- Centre to centre: moving through one’s centre and stay with partner’s centre.
- Maintain a comfortable embrace. After all, this is why we dance in close embrace, no?
Popularity: 29%