Thank you fir sharing.. Very well explained. I prefer to wear flat coz i have a bad knee. I learned more from you the proper technique on how to dance tango in flat shoes.👍👍
I see people dancing on their toes in Tango flats all the time and think to myself that must not be comfortable! You wonderfully break down WHY. thank you so much!
I hear women say that their feet hurt MORE dancing in tango flats, and they are the ones keeping their heels off the ground the whole time! Unfortunately this comes from a lot of tango instructors teaching this way, but hopefully this will shed some light on the subject and help followers dance without pain.
@@physiodancernm In my experience a beginner follower with high heels is easier to dance with than the same one in (almost) flats. The heels force them to shift their weight forward and straighten up AND it helps them "finish the step" quicker. With flat(ter) shoes it often takes them ages to finally settle onto the foot. It doesn't really matter for more experienced followers, but I'd really recommend all followers to start with heels. Even if, or maybe especially if they are not used to wearing heels. Not outrageously high ones of course, but high anyway. Tango walk is different than street walk and doing each one in different shoes does make sense.
I dance the tango mainly in flats or low heels. It has never occurred to me that I might dance on my toes! I find dancing in flats really comfortable and smooth-looking. I'm 1.55m.
Hi Caroline , there is no tango teacher online who actually teaches tango dancing in flats . What I was told is it is different. Can you please dive more into this topic ?
Hello, thanks for asking! And actually my name is Carolyn 😉I address several components about dancing tango in flats in many of my videos.Here are a couple: "The Tango Walk: Perfecting Your Biomechanics", and also my videos on Weight Transfers: Froward, Side and Back. There is a video for each. I hope this helps!
If tango were only about gymnastics, I would not hesitate to agree with you. Tango has that little extra that we call "elegance", linked to "tradition" or "how it used to be". A lot of us dance it with the believe that "the old times are there" when we dance tango, and our ladies believe it too. The tango attire helps us feel closer to those days...Tango would not have been resurrected, at least in Europe, if people had not felt the need to get immersed in the past... like it used to be!
Hi, and thank you for your comment! In the video I am wearing ballet instructor shoes by Bloch. I also have split some tango sneakers from 2x4 Al pie that I wear.
Hello. That is a Bloch Adult Elastosplit Grecian Leather Teaching Sandal (for ballet teachers!) Available on the Bloch website and on Discount Dancewear. I prefer a spit sole dancing in flats and these work great!
Thank you for this video. I've been teaching since 1991, but in 2023, an increasing number of students are challenging what I want to share (which is great), such as the concept of passing through the entire foot, not just the metatarsals, with arguments of "it's physically impossible" and "no dancers are really doing that so please show me videos of real dancers in close embrace actually doing that" (these arguments are understandable but not ideal). Your video goes beyond being a well-structured example. I appreciate your conciseness, real physical demonstrations, your professional background in bodywork, and your references to your teachers. Could you possibly provide some names and real-world video examples of dancers dancing (not necessarily performing) or performing (not necessarily just dancing at a milonga) in flats at a milonga (that I can forward to those who need such visual aides)? 😊 Could you create more videos like this, perhaps focusing on specific challenges like "Flats when dancing Pugliese" or "Simplifying the footwork in fast-paced dances," etc.? Thanks again! Your contribution to Follower Technique is remarkable, and it's great to see you open up discussions on the NoHeels/NoFullFoot approach.
Thank you for your thoughtful response to my video! I completely agree about the visuals being so important; that is why so many followers dance on the ball of their foot! I have seen many professional tango dancers use their entire foot dancing in flats during class and demonstrations. However, the opposite is also true. I found as an ex-professional ballet dancer I could show-off dancing on a very controlled high demi-pointe when in tango flats; but honestly it hurt my feet after doing it for more than an hour. It took me decades to figure out what I was missing! And as a leader, I can say even if a follower is pretty well balanced hovering on demi-pointe, it feels like their feet are hooves coming down on the floor, and I lose a lot of dynamic in what I can lead them to do. To start, I would recommend videos of Virginia Vasconi teaching with Jaimes Friedgen. They have multiple posts on Instagram, and they easily switch lead/follow roles; which is pretty rare to see! She wears tango heels to perform, but usually they are pretty low to accommodate lifts and moves for show tango. If I find any others I will let you know. As a Physical Therapist, I can honestly say that people will believe what they want to believe. There will always be dancers who insist that to be a considered a good tango dancer, one must dance in high heels. If followers start having pain that limits their ability to dance, they start to listen to healthier alternatives. Please subscribe (if you have not yet) and let your students know about my RUclips channel! Abrazos, Carolyn
@@physiodancernm Thank-you for your detailed response! HAH/LOL, "hooves coming down"... what a communicative metaphor indeed. Yes, I do already follow Jaimes Friedgen but wasn't subscribed to @virginiavasconi171 yet, so thanks for the tip. I AM subscribed to your channel,.. and I DO tell my students about your video on this subject!
Ciao, sorry for the delayed response, but It has taken me a while to catch up after dancing in Italy. Thank you so much for your support! And... watch out for my video this Thursday. A friend of mine took a video of me dancing in Massa, IT, and I am I flats! Hopefully this can help show how a follower can dance elegantly at a milonga without wearing heels. BTW, I am seeing many followers doing the same (dancing in flats letting their heels down) since the pandemic!
But does not your supporting foot bend when going back? As a rule, knee of the supporting leg should not bulge out/pass your body in order to give space to the leader. I am confused
Hello, I am not sure what you mean by the supporting foot bending when going back? The bend (knee flexion) of the supporting leg should be relative to the size of the step backward. For bigger, longer steps backwards, there will be greater knee flexion. You may want to watch my video for a practical demonstration of dancing in flats with a lead: ruclips.net/video/ENxh7k0WeWY/видео.html Let me know if this clarifies!
I may be understanding this wrong, but ... while the relative position of the feet on the floor in argentino is different than in (intl style) ballroom and thus the knees do not "miss" each other as they bend the way they would in, say, slowfox, but rather do move towards (almost) the same spot, if they hit, you are probably standing wrong. Your and your partner's hips are likely too close. The main contact (in close hold) is the chest, not the pelvis area and you actually need to keep a bit of distance between your bodies at that level. How much distance, depends on the style. But if your knees are hitting your partner's, you either need to increase that distance or refrain from going so low. (These things are really much easier to discuss in person, than in writing. Hopefully I'm making sense.)
@@jendakrynicky5218 Thank you for your questions. In Argentine Tango, if the follower is doing exactly what is led in relation to size and cadence of a step, there should not be any knee contact. Sometimes knees may brush the slightest bit. I am thinking of a way to illustrate this in a video, so stay tuned!
@@physiodancernm well, there should not be knee contact as that tends to be painful, but there are multiple possible reasons for the contact in different positions and steps. In the basic position it's likely a combination of keeping hips too close and trying to go too low, in case the person going forward walks outside it's likely caused by the standing leg's foot being too open and thus causing the knee to bend outside instead of forward, but there are plenty of other cases. It's not something that could be solved in writing. :-)
Love this video, really makes you think where your foot actually lands, keep the videos coming, thanks Carolyn
Thank you Maedbh for watching and subscribing!
Thank you fir sharing.. Very well explained. I prefer to wear flat coz i have a bad knee. I learned more from you the proper technique on how to dance tango in flat shoes.👍👍
Super! I'm happy this video helped you!
I see people dancing on their toes in Tango flats all the time and think to myself that must not be comfortable! You wonderfully break down WHY. thank you so much!
I hear women say that their feet hurt MORE dancing in tango flats, and they are the ones keeping their heels off the ground the whole time! Unfortunately this comes from a lot of tango instructors teaching this way, but hopefully this will shed some light on the subject and help followers dance without pain.
@@physiodancernm In my experience a beginner follower with high heels is easier to dance with than the same one in (almost) flats. The heels force them to shift their weight forward and straighten up AND it helps them "finish the step" quicker. With flat(ter) shoes it often takes them ages to finally settle onto the foot.
It doesn't really matter for more experienced followers, but I'd really recommend all followers to start with heels. Even if, or maybe especially if they are not used to wearing heels.
Not outrageously high ones of course, but high anyway. Tango walk is different than street walk and doing each one in different shoes does make sense.
I dance the tango mainly in flats or low heels. It has never occurred to me that I might dance on my toes! I find dancing in flats really comfortable and smooth-looking. I'm 1.55m.
Hi Caroline , there is no tango teacher online who actually teaches tango dancing in flats . What I was told is it is different. Can you please dive more into this topic ?
Hello, thanks for asking! And actually my name is Carolyn 😉I address several components about dancing tango in flats in many of my videos.Here are a couple: "The Tango Walk: Perfecting Your Biomechanics", and also my videos on Weight Transfers: Froward, Side and Back. There is a video for each. I hope this helps!
If tango were only about gymnastics, I would not hesitate to agree with you. Tango has that little extra that we call "elegance", linked to "tradition" or "how it used to be". A lot of us dance it with the believe that "the old times are there" when we dance tango, and our ladies believe it too. The tango attire helps us feel closer to those days...Tango would not have been resurrected, at least in Europe, if people had not felt the need to get immersed in the past... like it used to be!
Which shoes are you wearing in this video .?
Hello, they are dance teacher shoes by Bloch. Capezio makes a similar model.
Really liked your video. Can you share the brand of flats, style, vendor please. Also the short heeled shoe. Many thanks!!
Hi, and thank you for your comment! In the video I am wearing ballet instructor shoes by Bloch. I also have split some tango sneakers from 2x4 Al pie that I wear.
Hi, what is the name your practice shoe ? Want to buy one, seems comfy. Tks.
Hello. That is a Bloch Adult Elastosplit Grecian Leather Teaching Sandal (for ballet teachers!) Available on the Bloch website and on Discount Dancewear. I prefer a spit sole dancing in flats and these work great!
Thank you for this video. I've been teaching since 1991, but in 2023, an increasing number of students are challenging what I want to share (which is great), such as the concept of passing through the entire foot, not just the metatarsals, with arguments of "it's physically impossible" and "no dancers are really doing that so please show me videos of real dancers in close embrace actually doing that" (these arguments are understandable but not ideal).
Your video goes beyond being a well-structured example. I appreciate your conciseness, real physical demonstrations, your professional background in bodywork, and your references to your teachers. Could you possibly provide some names and real-world video examples of dancers dancing (not necessarily performing) or performing (not necessarily just dancing at a milonga) in flats at a milonga (that I can forward to those who need such visual aides)? 😊 Could you create more videos like this, perhaps focusing on specific challenges like "Flats when dancing Pugliese" or "Simplifying the footwork in fast-paced dances," etc.?
Thanks again! Your contribution to Follower Technique is remarkable, and it's great to see you open up discussions on the NoHeels/NoFullFoot approach.
Thank you for your thoughtful response to my video! I completely agree about the visuals being so important; that is why so many followers dance on the ball of their foot! I have seen many professional tango dancers use their entire foot dancing in flats during class and demonstrations. However, the opposite is also true. I found as an ex-professional ballet dancer I could show-off dancing on a very controlled high demi-pointe when in tango flats; but honestly it hurt my feet after doing it for more than an hour. It took me decades to figure out what I was missing! And as a leader, I can say even if a follower is pretty well balanced hovering on demi-pointe, it feels like their feet are hooves coming down on the floor, and I lose a lot of dynamic in what I can lead them to do.
To start, I would recommend videos of Virginia Vasconi teaching with Jaimes Friedgen. They have multiple posts on Instagram, and they easily switch lead/follow roles; which is pretty rare to see! She wears tango heels to perform, but usually they are pretty low to accommodate lifts and moves for show tango. If I find any others I will let you know.
As a Physical Therapist, I can honestly say that people will believe what they want to believe. There will always be dancers who insist that to be a considered a good tango dancer, one must dance in high heels. If followers start having pain that limits their ability to dance, they start to listen to healthier alternatives.
Please subscribe (if you have not yet) and let your students know about my RUclips channel!
Abrazos,
Carolyn
@@physiodancernm Thank-you for your detailed response! HAH/LOL, "hooves coming down"... what a communicative metaphor indeed. Yes, I do already follow Jaimes Friedgen but wasn't subscribed to @virginiavasconi171 yet, so thanks for the tip. I AM subscribed to your channel,.. and I DO tell my students about your video on this subject!
Ciao, sorry for the delayed response, but It has taken me a while to catch up after dancing in Italy. Thank you so much for your support! And... watch out for my video this Thursday. A friend of mine took a video of me dancing in Massa, IT, and I am I flats! Hopefully this can help show how a follower can dance elegantly at a milonga without wearing heels. BTW, I am seeing many followers doing the same (dancing in flats letting their heels down) since the pandemic!
But does not your supporting foot bend when going back? As a rule, knee of the supporting leg should not bulge out/pass your body in order to give space to the leader. I am confused
Hello, I am not sure what you mean by the supporting foot bending when going back? The bend (knee flexion) of the supporting leg should be relative to the size of the step backward. For bigger, longer steps backwards, there will be greater knee flexion. You may want to watch my video for a practical demonstration of dancing in flats with a lead: ruclips.net/video/ENxh7k0WeWY/видео.html
Let me know if this clarifies!
I may be understanding this wrong, but ... while the relative position of the feet on the floor in argentino is different than in (intl style) ballroom and thus the knees do not "miss" each other as they bend the way they would in, say, slowfox, but rather do move towards (almost) the same spot, if they hit, you are probably standing wrong. Your and your partner's hips are likely too close. The main contact (in close hold) is the chest, not the pelvis area and you actually need to keep a bit of distance between your bodies at that level.
How much distance, depends on the style. But if your knees are hitting your partner's, you either need to increase that distance or refrain from going so low.
(These things are really much easier to discuss in person, than in writing. Hopefully I'm making sense.)
@@jendakrynicky5218 Thank you for your questions. In Argentine Tango, if the follower is doing exactly what is led in relation to size and cadence of a step, there should not be any knee contact. Sometimes knees may brush the slightest bit. I am thinking of a way to illustrate this in a video, so stay tuned!
@@physiodancernm well, there should not be knee contact as that tends to be painful, but there are multiple possible reasons for the contact in different positions and steps.
In the basic position it's likely a combination of keeping hips too close and trying to go too low, in case the person going forward walks outside it's likely caused by the standing leg's foot being too open and thus causing the knee to bend outside instead of forward, but there are plenty of other cases.
It's not something that could be solved in writing. :-)