BODY CONDITIONING
SUMMARY
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Tango dancing is based entirely on natural movement –
at its best, it does not require any artificial technique. Moreover, recovering
natural body coordination is the biggest key to continuous improvement in tango
dancing.
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The MAIN CHALLENGE in body
conditioning is to recover natural movement and coordination until no
adjustments of it are necessary in order to dance tango. In other words, all choreography and musicality, no matter how
complex, should be accomplished easily through natural walking, without
sacrificing good partner connection (see corresponding sections).
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Due to certain trends in modern culture, in most
people natural movement is not fully manifest, but is covered up by
anti-natural patterns, caused by lifestyle habits and psychosomatic factors.
This means that most people who wish to explore more advanced levels of tango
dancing may need to recover good natural movement and coordination, at least to
some extent.
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There are various schools of bodywork which aim to
recover natural coordination – I discuss several of them in this section – but,
so far, no integrative and/or reliable approach seems to exist. However, there are certain directions of
improvement, common goals which can be potentially agreed upon.
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The following aspects of body coordination seem useful
to discuss individually, though they are all just different views on the one
thing – good natural movement:
o
Relaxation/Refinement
of Effort/Ease of Movement
o
Balance
o
Rhythm
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It is often difficult to tell if one is improving,
even if the directions of improvement are clear. I therefore list some objective
tests which can be used to monitor one’s
progress. However, the most important evaluation is subjective – the main point
is still the heightening experience of the dancer.
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At the end of this section, I provide some more
information on the schools of body work which I have found particularly helpful
– The Alexander Technique, Nei Kung, Tai Chi
Chuan, and Bioenergetic Therapy.
BODY CONDITIONING
As I mention repeatedly, good standing and walking are
the biggest key to good tango. One of the most beautiful aspects of this dance
is the fact that it does not require any artificial technique – just good natural
movement. A man and a woman connecting into one organic whole with no
artifice. This is why one of the known sayings of the old-timers is that “to
dance tango is to walk like one walks in the street.” Of course, in dancing,
the body may perform more different movements than it does in simple walking.
The point of the saying is that nothing needs to be changed in the fundamental
mechanics of the walk – the body is simply allowed to adjust to the challenges
of the dance like in most traditional folk dancing, without learning any
specific technique for one’s feet or one’s hips. In addition, more than other
dances, most tango figures are based on simply stepping here and there, and the
best tango dancers actually look like they are “just walking”. But there is
another famous saying: “in order to dance tango well, one must first learn how
to stand and walk well.” If tango is based on natural movement, what is there
to learn? The seeming contradiction is resolved when one understands that most
of us do not walk well even “in the street”. The sad fact is that good natural
movement is rare nowadays. Many movement specialists acknowledge this problem,
but most people are still unaware of it. A vast majority of people in developed
countries do not use their bodies well, do not take full advantage of their
natural physical design. For many people this is hard to believe, but the
sooner we face this fact, the better for us. It represents a larger trend in
civilized societies in general: a weakening of the instinct. It is for this
reason that most tango dancers today are not as comfortable dancing as they are
walking – they are having to adjust their movement, use special techniques or
unconscious manipulations in order to make the dance work.
The good news is that it seems to be possible to do
something about this, to get back in touch with our instincts, to recover good
natural movement. This has been understood and even accomplished to various
degrees by many Eastern martial artists. For example, in Tai Chi Chuan, it is
understood that the greatest power comes from the Taoist principle of aligning,
harmonizing with nature. I have become convinced, both through observation and
through personal experience, that the same principle governs tango dancing: no
artificial technique is nearly as effective for tango dancing as the natural
movement and coordination of the body. An artificial technique can help
make this dance work before proper natural conditions are achieved, but the
most sublime tango is the one that is walked naturally. In my experience, *RECOVERING NATURAL BODY COORDINATION IS
THE BIGGEST KEY TO CONTINUING IMPROVEMENT IN TANGO DANCING*. But in order
to even start this process, I had to first come to terms with the fact that
natural movement is not to be taken for granted, that what has become habitual
is not necessarily natural.
At present, the corruption of physical functioning is
progressing at an alarming rate. Problems of hypertension, chronic fatigue,
debilitating muscle pains and joint trauma are more common than they had ever
been in the past. The modern sedentary lifestyle is partly responsible for this.
Spending most of our day in a chair since early childhood certainly contributes
to our loss of proper freedom in the hip joints. In “The Origin of Species”,
Charles Darwin talks about the growth or the disappearance of certain traits
through “use” or “disuse”. The mechanism of this is not yet known, but the fact
itself is confirmed by various experiments on animals. Since good movement is
not necessary in the modern lifestyle, we are losing it, unless we do something
deliberately to maintain it. But there is another deep cause of body
malfunction – psychosomatic disturbances. We are now living farther and farther
away from our original natural environment. As a result, the voice of the
instinct in us is getting weaker. At the same time, we are becoming more
mentally and emotionally complex, more able to imagine things, and carry our
emotions everywhere with us. But, as it has already been shown by science, all
our emotions find expression in the body. Our bodies adopt chronic psychosomatic
tension patterns corresponding to our habitual emotional attitudes
(bioenergetic therapy deals with this phenomenon directly). These chronic
tensions in time can turn into physical shortening of the muscles and fusing of
connective tissues together in anti-natural ways. As a result, our joints are
not allowed their full range of motion, the spine cannot release into the
subtle balance inherent in its design. These patterns are further complicated
by the fact that we often adopt them as children, before our bodies are even
fully formed.
How can we reverse this trend? There is no going back
to the past, to the unconscious, entirely instinctual functioning. We must use
our growing awareness to learn how to free ourselves from the built up
conditioned reflexes and the anti-natural tensions in the body. (A great
advance in this understanding was made by F.M.Alexander – I will give more
details about his work at the end of this section.) But this also means
learning how to be different emotionally, how not to hold on to the psychosomatic
patterns. This is one of the ways that body work, and, by means of it, tango
dancing, connects with one’s general mental and spiritual development.
Tango comes from a different time and a different
culture, in which an average person was blessed with stronger connection to
good natural movement. An average person in Buenos Aires of the first half of
the 20th century stood and walked much better than an average person
today. This is why tango dancers of the old did not have to work on their body
conditions. If their natural conditions were not good enough, they simply did
not dance tango, and we do not know much about them. But the old-timers who we
have seen dance so beautifully learned it with ease due to their good natural
conditions. Such people were mostly the ones who invented this dance – tango
grew out of the very way that they stood and walked. Nowadays good body
conditions are rare. Our attitudes have changed as well, and we do not want to
give up the idea of dancing tango even if we do not walk well enough. This
means that most people today must work on their bodies in order to even
approach the grace and skill of the old-timers, let alone surpass it. Clear
ways to bring our bodies back to their natural grace do not even exist yet – our
corruptions are developing faster than our knowledge of how to deal with them.
The old-timers saw that most younger dancers could not walk well and spoke out
about it, but they did not know how to remedy the problem.
A big breakthrough for me was seeing that the secret
of the old-timers was not in any “special tango walk”, but in a relative
freedom from corruptions of good natural movement. I then began looking for
ways to develop that freedom in myself – to relearn how to stand and walk well.
I have studied Alexander Technique, yoga, Tai Chi Chuan, Nei Kung, and
Bioenergetics, all of which make some claims about their ability to bring one
back to harmonious functioning. I have learned a lot and was able to progress
in what I feel is the right direction. But I have not seen any complete system,
any school that was able to produce balanced human beings with any consistency.
They all had some pieces of good understanding which helped me greatly, but, in
my opinion, none of them see the full picture. I do not yet see the full
picture, either, but at least I know that I do not. My great hope is that
eventually there will be enough of a dialogue among people who see the full
magnitude of the problem so that a working method for reversing our physical
corruption can be developed. To say “reversing” is not exact, however. We must
learn how to be “good animals” again but with an unprecedented awareness of
ourselves. In fact, I believe that it is only through awareness that we
can rediscover our proper natural functioning.
To turn our attention to how we move is to open the
Pandora’s box of painful self-consciousness. Initially, it can greatly inhibit
one’s freedom of movement and dancing. In a children’s story, when the
centipede was asked how it managed to coordinate all its legs, it could no
longer take a step. But we are losing our proper coordination even without
anyone asking us about it. I believe that eventually we will all have to pass
through the initially painful self-consciousness, learn how to turn the light
of awareness on to all aspects of our being and how not to freeze up under it.
Once we begin this process as applied to body movement, the task is two-fold.
On one hand, we must find ways to gradually bring ourselves back to harmonious
natural functioning, which means identifying and eliminating the anti-natural
patterns and their causes. But in the meantime we must also learn how to use
our less-than-perfect conditions in the best possible way, how to forget about
our imperfections at least sometimes. (I have a lot of trouble with this.) As
the body is brought into harmony with its nature, it becomes an increasingly
refined instrument for all our creative pursuits. All our acts become more
rooted in our unconscious, instinctual nature, thereby becoming more and more
creative and spontaneous. Purifying the body is like cultivating the soil upon
which all that we do can grow better. It is the strengthening of our root in
our evolutionary past so that we can more effectively create the future. As
applied to tango, the better we learn how to stand and walk, the more refined
and free our dancing can become.
Working on the body is a very difficult task about
which we so far know very little, it can take years or even decades, and one
can never reach the state one aims for, but the process is worth it
nevertheless, for every step in the right direction brings more freedom,
energy, and creativity to many aspects of one’s life. Moreover, I believe that
it is an integral part of our conscious evolution, a necessary step at this
moment in history. Many people are starting to feel this, which explains the
growing interest in yoga and other body-oriented disciplines. Body work is one
of the main aspects of tango which give evolutionary significance to this art
form. It is through dancing tango that I first discovered that my
psycho-physical being needed improvement, and it is my dancing that acts as the
clearest feedback to that process.
Whether the optimal physical functioning has ever
existed among humans is an interesting anthropological and philosophical
question. At what point in our evolution did we stand up straight? Was it
before or after the first psycho-somatic problems started taking hold? Some
Greek statues look more balanced and more beautiful to us than many tribal
humans. Who was closer to nature? Maybe there have only been some fortunate
moments when we approached perfect harmony with our natural design, possibly
only in some extraordinary individuals. As a culture, we could not have held on
to it, for it happened largely unconsciously, if ever. Through awareness,
however, anyone can move towards the functioning that is more in accord with
our nature.
The value of harmonizing with nature has been
understood in many traditional Eastern arts. Tai Chi Chuan is an art based on
Taoist philosophy, in which following the natural way is a fundamental
principle. Tai Chi masters achieved supreme fighting ability not through an
artificial technique, but by opening up natural powers of the human body.
Because of it, they were able to defeat a physically stronger opponent without
effort. In the Tai Chi circles, it is common knowledge that practicing “the
form” is central to one’s progress in the interaction with an opponent.
Diligent individual practice of the form is supposed to restore natural
coordination of the body and breathing, eventually letting the internal energy
manifest. Beginners are not even allowed to spar or do push-hands for the first
year or two. By contrast, tango dancers naively believe that they can keep
improving without limit without any systematic body work. The Tai Chi culture
is definitely further along in its understanding of how necessary it is to work
seriously on the realignment and reintegration of the body. But even among Tai
Chi practitioners, optimal body conditions are rare.
After studying several different body-oriented
disciplines and looking closely at their practitioners and teachers, I have
seen that none of it works automatically. What may have been
effective for some people a couple of centuries ago may not work at all for a
modern human. The body-oriented arts of the past can teach us a lot, but we
must be more aware than ever of what we are trying to accomplish, as well as of
how to monitor our progress. I have seen yoga instructors, Tai Chi
practitioners, and Alexander Technique teachers alike who had terrible posture
and poor body coordination, completely unaware of their problems. They blindly
trusted that if they practiced their discipline enough and if they were able to
get certified in some way, it meant automatically that they were on the right
track. We must become more scientific about bodywork. A great project for
medical science would be to extract the very essence of the various ancient
body-based practices and create a yoga that is scientific in addition to being
spiritual. Hopefully, some day it will happen. Meanwhile, I have been trying to
figure it out for myself. I approach this work roughly from three sides:
1. Learning the right general attitude towards one’s physical self, the
best way to “think inside the body”, consciously “direct” one’s functioning.
Learning how to intend better conditions without violently fighting one’s
limitations, how to deal with one’s less than perfect state in the most optimal
way. The Alexander Technique was what largely opened to me a higher
sophistication of this process.
2. Physical work on one’s tissues, stretching, strengthening the muscles
and the tendons, realigning and freeing up the joints. I have been learning a
lot about this from Nei Kung, Tai Chi, and to some extent yoga.
3. The psychological component – learning how one’s emotional blocks are
expressing themselves through chronic patterns of muscular tension and physical
body “attitudes”; gradually releasing these patterns through appropriate
exercises and psychological self-examination. Bioenergetic therapy has been
helping me with this part.
Where does one get time to do all this? The good news
is that many of these things can be combined. The Alexander Technique, for
example, does not even require a separate practice, once one has learned enough
in lessons. It is mostly about developing a more appropriate and conscious
approach to one’s usual physical activities. It can be practiced while sitting
on a subway or walking to work, which is when one can also ponder one’s
psycho-somatic states to some degree. But some regular practice is necessary, I
believe. I work on my body for 1.5 to 2 hours a day on average, with a routine
that I keep modifying slightly all the time, often improvising exercises of my
own, but which is still based mostly on Nei Kung and Tai Chi. I have
incorporated several Bioenergetic exercises, especially because some of them
are strikingly similar to Nei Kung postures. Sometimes I also feel like doing
certain yoga poses, and occasionally I go running. I will not discuss my
routine in detail here, for I constantly keep adjusting it to what I feel are
my current needs. In general, it seems that everyone’s problems are so
different, that anyone who is serious about body work must eventually develop
their own routine, and keep modifying it according to one’s own senses.
However, to begin this process, it is very helpful to learn how others have
been trying to do the same. Eventually I may start sharing specific exercises
for body conditioning, but I do not yet feel ready to do it. For now, I can
recommend the disciplines which were helpful to me (the Alexander Technique,
Nei Kung, Tai Chi, Bioenergetics, yoga), but also talk about the directions
of improvement. It is the latter which, in my opinion, can be shared
and agreed upon more than specific routines. As long as the objectives are
clear, one can eventually find a way to approach them.
How does one know that he is working in the right direction?
How can we tell that the body is recapturing its natural functioning? Some
general aspects are obvious – one is probably on the right track if one has
more energy, feels lighter, is less prone to disease. The biggest criteria are
subjective, meaning how one’s physical functioning is experienced from
the inside. The more the body is brought into its natural balance, the more it
feels like energy, the less it feels like matter. There is less and less
sensation of body parts – we are not meant to feel individual joins or muscles
unless the body is hurt or stressed excessively. If we feel (or hear)
individual parts, especially if there is pain or discomfort, it means that
something is wrong. Ultimately, the body can be experienced more and more like
“no-thing”
– as a field of energy, weightless, with no uncomfortable rigidity. Another
definite sign of progress is if all other aspects of tango dancing – partner
connection, musicality, choreographic freedom – seem to improve at
once. In my experience, the most important principle to keep in mind is
that, on some deeper level, the body wants to “right” itself, which means
that a better functioning feels better, that one can
eventually find the way to work on it simply by listening to one’s senses. The
whole process of readjusting ourselves can also become natural, like the
stretching of a cat. Another way to know that one’s movement is good is if
there are no two ways about it, when it feels right, and even paying attention
to it does not “scare it away”.
But before we develop such inner wisdom, we need some
more precise and more objective criteria or aspects of
good physical functioning. Without an extensive experience with body work, most
people are very out of touch with their own senses, and can hardly rely on
them. I will describe such criteria, goals, or lines of improvement which I
consider valid at this point, the ways to work on them, the ways to get
feedback on them, and the ways in which they apply directly to better tango
dancing. After that, I will share some more information about Alexander
Technique, Nei Kung, Tai Chi, and Bioenergetics, the study of which has helped
me greatly to piece together my present understanding.
One must keep in mind, however, that no criteria, no
tests, nothing that can be said or even imagined can ever completely describe or
ensure good natural movement, even if simply because there is no limit to how
good it can be. Ultimately, it is up to each dancer, each human being to
discover the path to one’s nature. Everyone has a different set of problems,
which means the solution will likewise be somewhat different. However, at any
stage, we should have some commonly acknowledged degrees of freedom or
fundamental abilities, which can therefore act as guidelines and standards in
one’s process of improvement. I will discuss such aspects of good body movement
and coordination, some of which are more difficult to test and observe
objectively than others. After that, I will summarize some useful objective
tests of good body conditioning. The breakdown into “aspects” really amounts to
looking at the same thing from different angles. It can be useful for learning,
but, ultimately, it is all about letting the nature of the body manifest. If
this work is done well, all the aspects of good movement improve at the same
time.
DIRECTIONS OF IMPROVEMENT/ASPECTS OF GOOD MOVEMENT AND
COORDINATION
Relaxation/Refinement of Effort/Ease of Movement
In many art forms, from music to martial disciplines,
there comes a time when the teacher is urging the student to “relax!” as the
student has no idea how to do it. Many artists in various fields have
understood that the excess tension is one of the biggest obstacles to progress.
Such “internal” martial arts as Tai Chi Chuan and Aikido have had an advantage
over the “hard” styles through relaxation and refinement of effort which
allowed for better sensitivity and responsiveness to the opponent. In music or
painting, if one is tense one’s hands will not be able to affect the subtleties
which one intends. In tango dancing, it is likewise one of the most important
directions of improvement. The more relaxed one becomes, the more sensitive one
can be to the partner, the more spontaneously one can respond and connect to
his or her movement. A woman who is tense will feel heavy no matter how little
she may actually weigh. A man who is tense will inevitably feel hard in his
lead.
Relaxation, ease of movement, is a big part of the
elusive quality of elegance – the quintessential attribute of tango dancing. Elegance
is the freedom from the unnecessary, the beautiful simplicity of means, the “refinement
of effort” as writer Albert Murray put it in his elaboration on the
elegance of jazz music. But above all, relaxation is necessary for openness –
be it to one’s partner, to the music, or to spontaneous invention of dance
patterns.
To understand the potential advantages of being more
relaxed is a lot easier than learning how to relax. The first problem is that
we often do not know how relaxed we are. Usually, other people have to break
the news that we are too tense. Second, there is no such thing as “completely
relaxed”. In the words of cellist Pablo Casals, “there is no limit to how
relaxed one can be”. So the challenge is really to relax more and more all the time.
OK, but how does one do it? For many people relaxing means sinking one’s body
into a nice soft couch. How does one do it while standing, let alone dancing?
The most sophisticated way I have seen for reducing
excess tension is the Alexander Technique. (I will discuss it in some more
detail at the end of this section.) It involves becoming aware of anti-natural
and unnecessary reflex patterns in the body and unlearning those reflexes. It
also involves learning how to change conditions within the body with thought,
which is a fascinating thing in itself. To relax does not mean to collapse, it
means to project an intention of expansion, softness, and weightlessness
throughout the body. With practice, such intention can get rid of a lot of the
unnecessary muscular effort which we tend to use in our everyday physical
tasks. The thought of lengthening and widening one’s torso, of extra space in
all one’s joints, eventually starts to manifest in reality, and the body
attains much more of an effortless power. F.M. Alexander, the founder of the
Alexander Technique, discovered that the relationship between the head and the
spine play a key role in our patterns of tension. He realized that “releasing
the head away from the spine” is a good place to start. (This relates well to
one of the main Tai Chi principles of “the head as though suspended”.)
Alexander Technique relates to the principle of nothingness – it is about
clearing the slate, training oneself to stop interfering with the natural
coordination of the body.
But there is another part to the issue of relaxation,
which the Alexander Technique does not take into consideration. There will
always be a limit to relaxation if the skeletal structure has not achieved its
proper alignment, if the joints are not allowed their proper range of movement.
Alexander teachers assert that if one practices the Technique diligently and
patiently, the body will eventually “right” itself. But I have seen serious
practitioners who after 30 years of it have not achieved proper alignment or
coordination. The Alexander principle is probably the most important one for
working with the body, but it may not be sufficient. I believe that in most
cases (mine included) a deeper intervention is necessary. Tissues need to be
stretched, inactive muscles must be challenged to mobilize, possibly some
connective tissue needs to be “un-fused”. In this regard, I have learned the
most from Nei Kung and Tai Chi Chuan, which involve conscious realignment of
the skeletal structure and the reintegration of the musculature by means of
fairly strenuous postures (more details below). One problem with this approach
which I have experienced is that once I have understood where I lack range in
my legs, it became difficult to keep myself from trying to stretch a little as
I am dancing. As a result, I am often pulling or pushing something in my body
during the dance, which sometimes gets me a certain mechanical advantage, but
always interferes with relaxation and inevitably prevents more sublime states
from happening. Alexander practitioners understand such temptation all too
well, which is why they discourage any manipulations of body parts. I believe
that I simply have to learn better self-control: stretch when I am stretching,
and let go when I am dancing. At times, I manage to stop all my manipulations,
and project a thought of release throughout the body, starting with the head,
and I do experience an improvement in many aspects of the dance. So far,
however, I cannot do it consistently enough – putting my limitations out of my
mind is still hard for me.
How does one monitor progress in one’s relaxation? How
does one know that one is more relaxed than before? One good test is how much
one sweats. I used to bring three shirts to every milonga and soak them through
one after another. Wearing a jacket for dancing used to be unthinkable. Now I
can dance all night in a suit and do not have to change once. Another test is
how light one’s body feels, or how little body parts hurt after hours of
dancing. In addition, if one pays careful attention, eventually it will become
clear that when one projects an intention to become softer and more expanded
throughout the body, many aspects of the dance improve instantly as though by
themselves – one is able to better adjust to the partner’s movement, be more
spontaneous in responding to the music and avoiding collisions. I found that
when I relax my eyes and use more of the peripheral vision, I am able to flow
with other couples on the floor instinctually, without even trying. Through
one’s own relaxation, one can sometimes even produce relaxation in the
partner’s body (this phenomenon is known and used routinely by Alexander
teachers). Ultimately, one can neutralize effort and balance the body to such
an extent that all the particular mechanics of it become “erased” from one’s
senses, begins to feel more and more like “no-thing”. But that is a very
advanced stage. In any case, if I had to name one most important physical
quality to develop, it would be relaxation.
Few will deny that good balance is an aspect of good dancing and good
body movement in general. Internally, a well-balanced body feels calm and
steady, none of its movements feel out of control, it never feels like it is
about to fall, even in the midst of a vigorous physical activity. Balanced
walking is what enables one to slow down and explore a more sophisticated
musicality in tango dancing. It is also essential for the quality of stillness
in partner connection. Balance on one foot is essential for female tango
dancers for their part includes many pivots, voleos, and one-footed stops. But
it is also important for the men, especially if they wish to do one-footed
turning or twisting figures.
In balanced
walking, the foot is placed on the ground lightly, and only then the weight of
the body is transferred on to it. A body that is properly coordinated does it
naturally. Native Americans were famous for their inaudible walk, though to
them it was completely natural. The whole reason it was noticed at all was how
much it contrasted with the way people in our culture “bump” from foot to foot.
Try walking barefoot around a room without causing any vibration. Every “bump”
represents a slight falling off balance. While dancing tango, such bumpy walk
robs one of control, of an ability to accompany the partner, and of a more
sophisticated musicality. Many dancers of the older generation saw this problem
and criticized younger dancers for “falling” or “running” instead of walking. A
number of older teachers tried to fix the problem by telling their students to
practice moving “first the foot, then the body”. Initially, many younger
dancers, including myself, rebelled against this idea, for it seemed
artificial. Besides, it seemed impossible to provide a body lead if the foot
had to move first. Later I understood the right motivation behind the concept
of “first the foot, then the body”, but also that the reality was more
complicated. (In the flow of the movement, the weight can be kept on the foot
even as the body has already moved forward or has not yet arrived completely
over it. I call this “dynamic equilibrium”.) For women, keeping the balance on
the “previous”
foot is essential for the ability to accompany the partner (see Partner
Connection section). It provides for the famous “waiting” or hesitation
in each step, which in turn allows for an easy synchronization with the
partner’s rhythm and timing.
Truly balanced walking cannot be developed by simply practicing moving the
foot before the body. It is not about any “technique”, but a much more
difficult and involved process of recovering the natural walk – the one
that the body was designed for. As all other animals who walk on the ground,
humans are not designed to “bump” from foot to foot, but to place it down
softly, without immediately dropping the weight of the body on it. When natural
body coordination begins to manifest, steps naturally become softer and more
balanced. To learn how to walk smoothly without adopting any artificial
technique, one must develop proper range in all the joints of the legs. It is
mostly the stiffness that makes one fall. This issue relates directly to
flexibility, relaxation, and alignment. When all the muscles act as one
integrated “membrane”, while not being held in a fixed pattern, they
instinctively adjust for any loss of equilibrium that is about to happen. When
joints have their proper freedom, they perform miniscule adjustments
automatically to compensate for anything going out of balance.
A good way to work on balance is to practice walking very slowly, like
Tai Chi Chuan practitioners. This is useful to do both on one’s own, and with a
partner. Anyone who has tried to dance in slow motion close with a partner
knows how difficult it is – it does not let one “cheat” as much as one can
while walking by oneself. In this process, if one pays attention, one can
discover a lot about excess tension in one’s body, as well as which joints lack
range and which parts of the musculature need to become more flexible.
As compared to other aspects of good body coordination, balance is
relatively easy to test. Here are some simple ways:
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being able to stand on one foot for a long time;
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being able to balance on a very slippery surface, both
on one and on two feet;
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being able to balance on balance boards, which have
become common in recent years, both on one and on two feet;
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being able to balance on top of a rubber medicine
ball, both on one and on two feet;
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being able to balance on the balls of the feet, both
on one and on two feet;
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being able to do all of the above with eyes closed;
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being able to walk in slow motion, to slow down one’s
weight transfers;
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being able to do ochos without holding on to anything;
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being able to do front and back voleos repeatedly in
succession without holding on to anything;
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being able to follow a tango partner without leaning,
“hanging”, or resisting;
-
being able to dance on a very slippery floor without
losing balance;
-
being able to easily slow down or stop in the middle
of any step of any tango figure.
All the above tests are also ways to develop good balance –
I practice some of them on a regular basis. But in my experience, relaxation,
flexibility – increasing range and freedom in the joints, – and particularly
grounding (to be discussed next) are the biggest keys to balance.
Balance relates directly to the experience of stillness. Stillness
within movement or moving in stillness has opened to me the most amazing dance
experiences, though so far they have been rare. To attain stillness is to open
the way for true spontaneity and freedom. Stillness should not be confused with
holding – everything should be released and suspended. It is best achieved
through intention and correct work on the body. True stillness can only be achieved
through true balance, relaxation, and correct alignment. In most people
nowadays many big external muscles which are meant to mobilize the body are too
involved in holding the body upright. Ideally, the anti-gravity mechanism which
keeps the body upright and balanced is independent from walking and dancing.
That is when the body is capable of stopping without locking or holding any
joints and keeping the same suspended state while moving. I do not think it is
a good idea to try to become aware exactly which muscles are doing what. It is
more useful to simply know that the independence of moving and balancing is
potentially possible and intend it, while also working on
relaxation, grounding, and flexibility separately.
Grounding
Grounding is a notoriously enigmatic concept which has
been on the tongue of many tango teachers. “You have to get more grounded, walk
in a more grounded way,” – they say, often without explaining what that means.
I will try to demystify this issue slightly. First, let us say a person is
standing, and receives a slight push. If the body is stiff, the person is
likely to tilt, “rolling off” his base of support:
FIGURE 1
Tilting off
Balance
But if the body is relaxed and flexible, it can
accommodate the push, and keep the base of support entirely on the ground:
FIGURE 2
A More Grounded
Response
The latter would be a more grounded situation. Already
we see that grounding is very much related to relaxation and the freedom in the
joints.
Now let us consider walking. I say repeatedly that
good natural movement forms the basis for tango. By this I mean that at best,
no special technique, no manipulation of the joints of the legs is used. But
even good natural movement is not all the same. There is natural walking, but
there is also natural running, as well as everything in-between. One can make
big natural steps or small natural steps. What makes walking different in
principle from running is that there is a phase – let’s call it “mid-step” –
when both feet are on the ground.
Let us look at some different ways in which a person
can be found in mid-step:
FIGURE 3
Which stick figure is most grounded? The correct
answer is (c) – this figure has the best base of support, both feet are entirely
on the ground. At least for male dancers, this is the main way to get more
grounded – simply keep both feet in contact with the floor
as much as possible and as fully as possible, meaning the heel
and the toe at once. There is even an expression in the English language: “to
have both feet on the ground” which means to be well balanced in life, to feel
secure and steady. The old-timers have told me repeatedly not to show the soles
of my shoes, not to lift the heels too much. Theoretically, it makes perfect
sense: of course you are going to be more balanced on the whole foot than just
on the toes or just on the heel. One’s walking is much better balanced if one’s
ankles have enough flexibility to place the whole foot on the ground right
away, and especially to keep the back heel on the ground until all
the weight is on the other foot. Try walking very slowly and you will
see how much steadier that is than rolling from heel to toe while some weight
is on the foot. This is why all martial arts teach this kind of walking – one
never lifts the back heel until the weight has been transferred.
FIGURE 4
“Single Whip”
Whenever any
part of the body weight is supported by a foot, that ankle must be relaxed so
that the foot is entirely on the floor. This way, as I showed in the beginning,
one does not “roll off” the base of support, but translates in a balanced way.
That is also when the refinement of effort can move to a whole new level. When
I finally understood this, it was nothing short of a revelation. This
revelation was forced on me, in fact. On one of my trips to Buenos Aires I had
bought new tango shoes and decided to wear them to the next milonga. Dance
floors are slippery over there as it is, but on top of that I was wearing new
shoes with completely unused soles. I felt like I was on ice, and at first I
could hardly dance at all. But then my body relaxed and “snapped” into an
entirely new type of movement in which my feet slid on the floor almost without
lifting. Suddenly, I was dancing better than ever before in my life. It felt
like most of my weight had drained into my feet, and the rest of my body became
incredibly light and supple. I was able to connect better to my partners and
dance with more spontaneity and rhythm than ever before. I knew beyond any
doubt that I had discovered something very important, for it made sense to me
on many different levels, intellectually as well as experientially.
One can think of it this way: if one could have the
same base of support in walking as one does in standing, keeping it all rather
than rolling off of it, why wouldn’t one have it? Well, I can attest that it is
possible – I have seen it done many times in Buenos Aires, and I have learned
how to do it, not yet perfectly well, but much better than before.
The validity of this principle is also supported by
our visual sense of what tango looks like – in most professional photographs of
tango dancers, both of the man’s heels are on the floor, even if he cannot keep
them down while dancing. (I will shortly explain why it is somewhat different
for the woman.)
Only when the ankle is relaxed and the whole foot is
in contact with the floor can it feel like a “root” which they talk about a lot
in Tai Chi:
FIGURE 6
“Rooting”
The trouble is: most people nowadays lack the proper
range in the joints of the legs in order for such grounded walking to feel
natural. I still have trouble with it unless I am making relatively small
steps. It is an example of the confusion between the natural and the habitual.
Most people will find it very natural to roll from heel to toe even as the
weight is on that foot, and will often be found in positions “b”, “d”, or “e”.
In forward walking, it is the back heel that lifts prematurely, and in
backwards walking it is the front toes. This is why people love wearing thick
rubber soles – one can roll on the foot all day and it won’t hurt. Try walking
barefoot, like our ancestors! An average person nowadays moves in an unbalanced
way. It would hurt to walk like that barefoot on rough ground, and it is
inappropriate if at the same time one has to perform a precision task such as
wrestling, fencing, or connecting with a dance partner. In grounded walking the
whole foot stays in contact with the ground until all the weight of the body is
on the other foot. Yet, to most people this will feel unnatural, at
least initially. For most people, it takes a lot of stretching and loosening
the tendons and muscles of the legs in order for the whole foot to feel
like staying on the ground.
A question that usually comes up when one begins to
pay attention to the feet is: where on the foot does the weight fall? If we had
to name one point, it would have to be somewhere in the arch, which in its
proper state is not even in contact with the floor. Another way to answer this
question is that the weight should be evenly distributed through the foot, so
that the base of support is always as large and as even as possible.
Mechanically, that is what ensures the greatest stability. This is somewhat
more difficult for the women in tango – they find themselves pivoting a lot,
which is hard to do without lifting the high heel off the ground. The best
solution would be to wear lower heels, put leather instead of rubber caps on
them, and try to keep them down even during the pivots. If she has to lift it,
it is best to do it by only a hair, just enough to be able to pivot, and to put
it back down as soon as the pivot is over. But in general, if a woman feels
like dancing with her heels off the floor, it has much less of an effect on the
stability of the whole couple than if the man does it. It is much more
important for the woman to achieve stability in the middle of a step, to
be able to slow down the weight transfer. For most women, this is much easier
to do if she is on the balls of the feet. The important thing for both men and
women is not to change how high the heel is off the ground (the woman’s
high heel actually helps that; it is also why some men like a higher heel for
dancing). In other words, the metatarsal region should not be used as an extra
joint to bend or extend the leg. Keeping the heel on the same level is the
main thing that ensures smooth, steady walking without “lurching” or “falling”.
It
is when the base of support is kept constant. The main thing that makes
the walking un-grounded is the rolling on the foot, raising and lowering the
heel or the toes. This means that the second most grounded stick figure is
actually (a). A man could also dance on the balls of the feet, keeping his
heels up a constant distance from the floor – that would be steadier than
“rolling” (Some professionals actually did something like this in the late
80’s, but it was quickly abandoned). For most men, that would greatly diminish
the ability to balance on one foot and the ability to support and lead the
woman.
The other aspect of good grounding is a good ability
to sink.
Most physical power of the body to do anything comes from sinking the center
closer to the ground. This principle is well understood in Tai Chi. It is like
loading the spring for action. Sinking through a light flexion in the legs –
once again, without rolling off of the base of support – is a big part of
both good leading and good following. One can even say that the communication
between the partners passes through the ground in some sense. To sink well is
to do it with integrity, meaning without feeling any joints articulate,
without bending forward, and without picking up the heels. There will be some
articulation, of course, in the ankles, the knees, the hips, possibly some
movement in the spine, but if the musculature is well integrated, it is all
experienced as a whole-body “spring” – there is no sensation of individual
joints.
The best way to develop grounded walking is to
practice it separately. I have found the Tai Chi form very helpful in this, for
it stresses the principle of keeping the whole foot on the floor. However, in
the Yang style Tai Chi form, one almost never steps in a straight line, so just
practicing slow balanced walking is a useful exercise. It is what many older
tango instructors recommended. While walking slowly, one can gradually develop
the necessary range in the joints of the legs so as to keep the feet on the
floor without rolling on them. Taoist yoga called Nei Kung has worked for me as
the most powerful grounding exercise –
most postures involve lowering one’s body while keeping the feet entirely on
the floor. In the first and most important posture – the horse stance – one
stands still with knees bent for a relatively long time, essentially “growing
into the ground”. Most people will find that an additional flexibility through
stretching must be developed by in order to get more grounded. By trying to
improve the two fundamental grounding tasks – sinking and walking without
rolling off the base of support – one can discover exactly where in the body
more flexibility is needed, which areas of the body may need to be stretched
out. Another very useful exercise, which is at the same time a good test of
grounding and relaxation, is walking barefoot, preferably on rough natural
terrain. There one can experiment and discover for oneself the advantages of
not rolling the weight prematurely on to the toes and not dropping it
immediately on to the stepping foot.
While dancing, one should not go so far as to forcibly
press the heels down. Not only does that interfere with relaxation, but it also
usually throws the weight of the body on to the heels. It is better to intend
to relax the whole foot to the floor, and gradually it will start happening,
especially if one does the stretching on the side. Another simple solution (for
the men) is making smaller steps – that makes keeping the foot down a lot
easier.
How does one know if one is more or less grounded?
First of all, if one pays attention, one can feel whether the foot is relaxed
comfortably to the floor, or whether one is lifting the heel or the toes
prematurely. With enough attention, one can also feel if one is “falling” on to
the stepping foot, or placing it down softly – I list this as a test of
balanced walking, but it also tests grounding. In general, the more grounding, the more
balance. A man who is well grounded feels very stable as a partner and
can easily support the woman if she happens to lose her balance. One can also
test one’s grounding by whether one can slow down the weight transfer. As I
mention in the Balance sub-section, many people “fall” on to the next foot and
are not able to control how fast the weight is transferred on to it. Another
great test is the tango choreography itself: most sacadas, for example, will
feel too rough and uncomfortable if the man rolls on to the toes of the back
foot and “falls” on to the stepping foot. This is why most dancers nowadays
avoid sacadas, while most dancers of the 1940’s did them routinely as part of
such classic figure as the 8-point turn, for example. In my experience, better
grounding is important for all other aspects of this dance, but particularly
for being able to do a variety of figures in a close embrace. Finally, a great
test of grounding is the ability to pause at any phase of the dance, in
the middle of any figure. For the man, it is about not just stopping oneself,
but also effortlessly slowing down the partner in the middle of any step.
Centeredness of the body, which means the organization
of all movement around the center of gravity in the lower abdomen, is
notoriously important in many physical disciplines. To let all movement come
from the center is one of the fundamental principles in Tai Chi. Both true
balance and true spontaneity depend on centeredness. It is another one of those
darn things that wild animals do naturally, but we have to relearn. Why would a
body move not from the center? One simple reason is that we often live entirely
in our heads. We identify ourselves with the mind, which is thought to live in
the head. In reality, the intelligence of the body is in the center.
It is very hard to test one’s centeredness.
Experienced Tai Chi and dance instructors can sometimes tell by looking at
people’s movement if it is centered or not. I am still not sure how centered I
am. I can only tell that sometimes I am more centered than other times. I think
that many of the balance tests which I have listed are also centeredness tests
at the same time. From the inside, a more centered state feels…well, more
centered. There is less sensation of intermediate body parts. The hands and the
feet seem to be connected more directly to the center of the body and to
respond to one’s intent more immediately and precisely. The source of all
effective intention is in the center of the body. All true lead comes from there
and is received there. In some of the best dance states which I have
experienced, the hands and the chest seemed relatively still, while the lower
abdomen and the pelvis were taking care of all dancing and leading at once.
The only way to develop centeredness that I am aware
of is to intend it in all one’s physical activities. Putting one’s mind
in the center is practiced routinely in many Eastern arts. It is essential to
center one’s breath – this can be practiced in still poses such as sitting,
lying, or standing. If one breathes mostly with the upper chest and does not
let the abdomen and the diaphragm take part in it, one will probably move from
the chest as well, which means moving in an unbalanced way. In tango dancing,
moving from the chest instead of from the center is a common mistake, because
many people are taught to lead with the chest. It is true that in tango
dancing, the point of stillness in partner connection is on the level of the
chest. However, the movement and the lead should still come from the center of
the body.
Proper alignment of the skeleton and a good
integration of the musculature and the tendons are two sides of the same coin.
Alignment is often stressed because it can more easily be seen from the outside.
But good alignment only happens when muscles and tendons have achieved their
proper flow around the joints so as to let them bend properly. From the inside,
we experience the proper state as the “no-thing” – no more sensation of
individual joints or muscles, an experience of the whole body as an integrated,
weightless field of energy.
It is not easy to set a standard of good alignment
precisely. A human body is not a machine, we are all slightly different. What’s
important is to recognize when such differences represent a misuse
of the body. The most immediate way that we can discern that is to trust our
aesthetical sensibilities and our common sense. A well-aligned body looks and
feels well-aligned. The legs seem straight, the feet are close to parallel
while standing or walking in a straight line. The head, the ribcage, and the
pelvis seem to be roughly on top of one another, with nothing sticking our
backwards or forwards. The head is not pulled into the shoulders, the posture
is not slouched. The ankles are somewhat backwards of the hips, so that the
center axis of the torso passes through the arch. The tango embrace is an
effective test of many of these attributes. When one tries to get close with
the partner, it becomes immediately apparent if the heads or the hips meet
first because they are in front of the chest, or if there is stepping on each
other’s toes because somebody’s weight and center axis falls through the heels.
People who dance “open” style forfeit this test of good body alignment. Proper
alignment of the body is what more than anything else enables a centered
connection in a close embrace. If the head, the chest, and the pelvis are
aligned vertically in the way that is inherent in our design, then partners can
stand right up against each other, facing each other, without the heads, the
knees, or the toes touching. This is what allows for the execution of most
tango figures without breaking a close embrace.
Good alignment enables the body to feel “on its axis”.
This means that when the body rotates it does so around an axis which passes
roughly through the middle of the body. When the torso is bent forward or
slouched, the axis of rotation can be outside the body altogether in some
places:
FIGURE 7
(a) - (d): poor posture
(e): better posture
In my opinion, good alignment/integration is the other
half of tango’s elegance, in addition to relaxation or refinement of effort.
One gets an aesthetical pleasure out of watching a body that functions in
accord with its nature. Such a body will also need very little effort to
perform even the more complex figures and to communicate with the partner.
It would be nice to have more precise tests of good
alignment. Our common sense and our aesthetical sensibilities are easily
corrupted, swayed by what is most normal – meaning common
– away from what is natural. Even the standards used in kinesiology and physical
therapy are affected by “the norm”. Yet, the more we pay attention to the design
of the body and to what looks and, most importantly, feels good to us, the
more our sense of the natural can be reawakened, the more we will be able to
know what good alignment is.
The important part of working on one’s alignment is
not to force it, not to try and put things in their proper place, as many are
immediately tempted to do. F. M. Alexander said, “there is no right position,
only right conditions”. Another famous saying is “form follows function”. All
this means that one must look for an inner sense that the body is working
properly, and use alignment only as feedback, to check if one is progressing in
the right direction. Nowadays, it is all too common in various movement
disciplines, from dance to martial arts, to manipulate body parts according to
some mental
picture of where they should be. Many teachers are adamant about
“closing the ribs”, “lifting the chest”, “tucking the pelvis in”, “pushing the
knee out”, and many other crude manipulations of the body. Most of the time,
such directions create additional artificial patterns which take people even
farther away from natural movement. Usually, there is a good reason
that these instructions are given – the butt is probably too “out”, the knees
are probably too “in”. We usually need someone to tell us such things in order
to even become aware of the problem. But to try and simply put a body part in a
different place is not the right way to correct such misalignments and can even
lead to injury. Rather, one should look for a way to work with the body more as
a whole, discover the problem and the solution from the inside. Things are
usually misaligned because something is not letting them be in their
proper place. The main task is to discover the root cause of such interference
and begin to dissolve it. It could be psychological, or simply habitual.
Usually, some joints need to be opened up, muscles mobilized or elongated. The
resulting changes in alignment are to be used only as feedback, as a check that
one is moving in the right direction. Do not try to put the feet parallel –
work on the whole leg and watch the feet gradually become more parallel on
their own. Do not try to change the shape of the spine according to what you
think it should be – rather practice releasing it into length, work on the
flexibility and the freedom in the legs, and the spine will gradually attain
its proper function and, therefore, form. Do not push the knee out – rather
look for such an integration of the whole leg that the knee feels like
“nothing”. In fact, I found this a very important principle: the knee is to be
protected above any other joint, for it is a hinge joint, meaning it only has
one degree of freedom. If it is misused, it can be easily hurt, which is why
one should try to eliminate any discomfort in and around it. If it does not
work by direct intention, one can try adjusting something in the hips and the
ankles – they can take a lot more abuse, for they are designed for more degrees
of freedom.
In working on alignment, it is important to remember
that, on some level, the body wants to “right” itself, even if some
anti-natural habits are in the way – we just have to discover how to let it. I
have already experienced clearly how better alignment results from developing
better relaxation, centeredness, proper range and freedom in the joints. I no
longer try to place parts of my body in their right places. Instead, I look for
a better experience, sensation of the body from the inside, which ultimately is
simply the “no-thing” – essentially “erasing” all the internal mechanics from
our sensory awareness.
Flexibility is traditionally valued by dancers, but I
feel that it is often misunderstood. It is important as much as it allows for
the proper range and freedom in the joints. Most people initially lack this
proper freedom, which is why they usually have to work on their flexibility in
order to dance better. But often people work on it blindly, without
understanding why they are stretching this way or that. The main point of
stretching is to allow for proper balance and walking. Being able to do splits
or touch one’s forehead to one’s knees does not guarantee good walking. The
work on flexibility should be connected directly to walking and balancing. For
tango in particular, what I have described as grounding, balance, and alignment
can be taken as the guidelines. For example, one needs to be able to
comfortably step in any direction in such a way that both feet are entirely
on the floor (this includes crossing over diagonally, which makes many tango
figures much more doable):
FIGURE 8
As one practices these degrees of freedom, slow
balanced walking, or general balancing, one can begin to feel which muscles need
to be lengthened in order to allow for the necessary freedom in the joints. In
this regard, Tai Chi and Nei Kung have helped me greatly, for most stretching
inherent in those forms is done while standing or moving slowly with
one’s feet on the floor. One essentially stretches “into” the step.
However, some yoga poses have also helped me target certain areas more
specifically.
Another test of useful flexibility is if one can squat
comfortably with feet close together and parallel, without lifting the heels
and without dropping all the weight of the body on to the heels. This is
something that most people in the third world countries do routinely, but most
first-world inhabitants cannot. (I still cannot do this well, but I have been
able to get closer to it.)
Stretching of the upper body can also be necessary in
order to allow for the proper freedom of the spine and the arms. Most tango
dancers can use more twisting flexibility for all the pivots, voleos, and twisting
leads. Here, too, it is important to use one’s senses and gradually feel out
which stretching is helping to achieve proper freedom.
I feel that the work on flexibility is very personal –
it depends on one’s specific problems with the body, overall physical shape and
prior experience with physical disciplines. There are many ways to stretch,
especially with the current popularity of yoga, and they may all work to some
extent. But it is very important to use one’s senses, not push oneself too much
or too little, not to expect quick results, and understand what one is actually
trying to accomplish and why. I started out by thinking of my body in purely
mechanical terms, thinking that if I simply pull enough on a muscle, it will
eventually lengthen. It all turned out to be much more complex. I eventually
realized that if I do not relax enough as I stretch, the muscles do not give.
All muscles are connected to each other in some way, and if one carries an
overall level of tension in one’s body, it works against any kind of
lengthening. In this regard, the Alexander Principle has been a great help. The
other obstacle to flexibility is the psychosomatic holdings. As I have
mentioned already, they are patterns of chronic tension which we adopt
subconsciously as reflections of our emotional blocks. One could be trying to
stretch a tight area, but if one does not resolve a corresponding psychological
issue, the body will keep shrinking back into the defensive holding.
Bioenergetic therapy deals with such issues directly, as I will explain in more
detail below.
The concept of rhythm brings us back to the intuitive,
sensible understanding of good dancing. To dance well is to have good rhythm,
among other things. It depends on good integration of the whole musculature,
which allows for a natural spring in the whole body, and especially the legs, a
so-called “cadencia” in all walking, stopping, and sinking. But rhythm cannot
be analyzed very well. It is something that we experience and perceive as a
whole. According to a popular belief, you either have it, or you do not. All
the work on grounding, relaxation, etc., may not add up to good rhythm. But if
the work is done correctly, aiming for the natural movement, the rhythm will
improve. Breaking things down too much creates a danger of an approach to one’s
body that is too mechanistic. It is very important to capitalize on one’s
intuitive powers, not to lose sight of what seems like good dancing for no
particular reason, or just because it has good rhythm. Useful body work goes in
the direction of freedom of movement, reawakening of the natural body
coordination, which in common terms should translate into good rhythm, when the
body becomes able to spontaneously find resonance with the partner and the
music. After all, the most classic definition of tango is “rhythm and elegance”.
Rhythm is also something very individual. Everyone has
some rhythm, but no two dancers’ rhythms are the same. This is another reason
that this dance is so exciting – dancing with a different person means dancing
a slightly different rhythm, as long as one can somehow connect with it.
TESTS OF GOOD MOVEMENT AND
COORDINATION
Working on the above aspects of good movement is
complicated by the fact that many of them are not easy to test. How do we know
how relaxed, grounded, rhythmical we are? Balance and flexibility are fairly
easy to test, but not so with centeredness or relaxation. I will therefore
summarize some clear standards or tests of good movement which can be
used to monitor one’s progress.
-
Walking In Line. Fundamental tango choreography itself is a great test of good
movement. The very basic walking in line is difficult for most people. A
well-conditioned body can walk comfortably in line with the partner while
maintaining the optimal (close, free, centered, balanced, effortless)
connection. This means that the bodies should be able to be right in front of
each other with practically no gap, perfectly centered with each other,
perfectly balanced individually, without touching toes, knees, or heads with
one’s partner. This is a good test of balance, grounding, and
alignment/integration.
-
Advanced Choreography. More and more advanced tango figures are good tests of good movement,
as long as good partner connection is kept. As good body conditions are
developed, more and more complex figures become easily doable without
sacrificing good partner connection. For example, all front sacadas can be done
without separating from the partner. With extraordinarily good conditions, back
sacadas can also be done with minimal separation. This is a good test of
alignment/integration, balance, grounding, and flexibility.
-
Dancing in Slow Motion. When better body conditions are achieved, it becomes possible to slow
down the dance indefinitely. One of my teachers told me to practice dancing one
step every four beats (meaning every 2 bars of the music!). But even that is
not the limit of how slow one can go. This is especially difficult if one is to
maintain good partner connection. It is a good test of balance, grounding, and
alignment/integration.
-
The Tests of Balance. Balance is the easiest aspect to test, as I have already mentioned. I
will once again list the good tests of balance, most of which also relate to
grounding:
o
being able to stand on one foot for a long time;
o
being able to balance on a very slippery surface, both
on one and on two feet;
o
being able to balance on balance boards, which have
become common in recent years, both on one and on two feet;
o
being able to balance on top of a rubber medicine
ball, both on one and on two feet;
o
being able to balance on the balls of the feet, both
on one and on two feet;
o
being able to do all of the above with eyes closed;
o
being able to do ochos without holding on to anything;
o
being able to do front and back voleos repeatedly in
succession without holding on to anything;
o
being able to dance on a very slippery floor without
losing balance.
-
Walking without Lifting the
Heels. This is a test which will initially seem anti-natural
to most people. I cannot pass it yet myself, though I have come closer to this
ability. On a smooth surface, a well-conditioned body should be able to walk without
lifting the heels at all. It is how anyone would tend to walk while on
very slippery ice (try it if this seems dubious). The only problem is that this
ice walking will feel awkward to anyone with less than optimal body conditions.
Ultimately, in good tango dancing, the lifting of the heel is also minimized.
This test relates mainly to grounding and flexibility.
-
Stepping in Various
Directions without Lifting the Heels. As I
mentioned in the Flexibility subsection, a good test of it is the ability to
step in different directions without losing one’s good grounding – without
lifting the heels:
-
Sinking without Lifting the
Heels. A body that has sufficient freedom in the joints is
able to sink with feet together or in mid-step in any direction (see figure
above) without lifting the heels and without giving up the upright posture. How
far one must be able to sink like that is yet unclear to me, but it must be at
least 3 inches or so. I do not mean to say that one should sink as much as
possibly while dancing tango, but the ability to do it is a good test of
flexibility, alignment/integrity, and grounding.
SCHOOLS OF BODYWORK
The name is somewhat unfortunate, as many Alexander
teachers acknowledge. It would be better to call it “the Alexander Principle”,
for there is very little in the way of technique in it. In fact, it is an
effective antidote to all kinds of anti-natural techniques. Some people have
called it “Zen for your body”, for it is based on undoing rather than doing. Of
all the body-based disciplines which I have been exposed to (and I am only
mentioning the ones which I liked) the Alexander principle has been the most
revelatory for me. Though I no longer take lessons in it, I keep coming back to
it in all my body work. It is like a beacon that brings me back on the right
track again and again.
The Alexander principle is very hard to describe in a
nutshell, but I will try to give a general idea of it. At the root of it is the
belief in the intrinsic, instinctual knowledge of the body of how to function
properly. The Technique aims to let that knowledge manifest by identifying and
getting rid of obstacles – for the most part, reflexes developed by the
neuromuscular system as a response to stressful situations or inefficient uses
of the body picked up for whatever reason. The way it deals with the obstacles
is the most ingenious part of it.
The inventor of the Technique, F. M. Alexander was an
actor who began losing his voice on stage. Doctors failed to help him, so he
embarked on an independent exploration of his problem. He eventually realized
that the problems with his voice were directly related to certain postures he
adopted as he spoke and to tension patterns associated with them, mostly in his
neck. At first, he thought it was all about finding the correct position
of his head, but his voice still kept breaking. It took him about 9 years, but
eventually he realized that it was more about the right condition of the
musculature, the absence of tension in the back and the neck. His breakthrough
discovery was that he could release the undue tension by giving himself
directions, thinking of a more released condition in his body, rather than
trying to actively do anything. He realized that the relationship between the head
and the spine was a key factor which largely determined conditions in the rest
of the body. The back of the neck is where most people hold their fear and
their worry; releasing that part through “directing” oneself helps the whole body achieve a more harmonious
functioning. With these new insights, Alexander quickly eliminated the problems
with his voice. He eventually refined his method, began teaching it and wrote
about it in detail. He emphasized two main parts of the right approach:
inhibition and direction. Inhibition means not responding to stimuli in the
habitual way, and direction means projecting a mental intention for a more
released, less contracted functioning. The most important direction used by
Alexander practitioners is to “release the head away from the spine”, which
tends to undo the common contractions in the neck area. The deep wisdom of this
approach is that one cannot undo tension with tension, cannot eliminate an
anti-natural neuromuscular pattern with another muscular manipulation. It turns
out that the body can respond to a simple thought, an image, a simple request
for more freedom and lightness. Alexander teachers also know how to encourage
it with a light touch of their fingers, but the core of the work is in one’s
own learning to direct oneself.
Alexander thought that one of the main reasons that
the modern human becomes stuck in many counterproductive patterns is our
“end-gaining” as he called it. By this he meant an exaggerated reaching for the
goals without due attention to the means of their pursuit. Alexander Technique
is all about paying attention to the means by which we perform our everyday
tasks – sit, stand, get up from a chair. It is even better if one has a steady
physical practice of some sort, like dancing, for example, in which one can
explore one’s functioning and gradually purify it, letting go of the
unnecessary. I use the Alexander Technique not only in my dancing, but also in
all the work I do on my body. I feel that it has accelerated my progress in all
of it and has helped me avoid injuring myself. It has also been the chief
method by which I have been able to eliminate a multitude of artificial
techniques and mechanisms which used to plague my dancing (they still do so,
but not nearly as much).
The Alexander method is a very powerful method for
moving out of corrupt patterns and attitudes, but it is an extremely slow
process requiring a lot of patience. All too often, I still fall into
end-gaining, pushing or pulling something in my body in order to achieve
certain results faster. In hindsight, I realize that most of the time it is not
worth it – one is much better off approaching the dancing with the conditions
of release and openness in the body.
Alexander teachers claim that just through the
practice of inhibition and direction, one’s body will eventually “right” itself
completely. But I have seen Alexander practitioners who have practiced for many
years, who have achieved a great degree of lightness, but whose bodies have not
recaptured a good natural coordination or alignment. I believe that nowadays,
the corruption of our physical design are so severe, and we develop them so
early in childhood that a stronger intervention is necessary. Some tissues need
to be worked on directly, otherwise they may never achieve their proper length
and mobility, which means that the joints may never achieve their proper range
and coordination. In this respect, my practice of Nei Kung and Tai Chi has been
most helpful. The main weakness of Alexander Technique is the lack of objective
tests, by which one can reliably monitor one’s progress. This is a problem that
plagues many schools of bodywork. For this reason, the Alexander Technique
alone may not be sufficient to recover good natural body conditions.
Nevertheless, it seems to be the most fundamental principle of working on
one’s body, for it points away from attachment to fixed patterns.
Books:
“Body Learning” by Michael Gelb – a very accessible
introduction to Alexander Technique.
“The Use of the Self” by F. M. Alexander – the classic
work.
American Center for the Alexander Technique:
For private lessons in New York City contact
Barbara Kent (212) 865-2947
Nei Kung means internal power. I have learned it from
master C. K. Chu, who believes that for a modern person, it is a necessary
supplement to the study of Tai Chi. His version of Nei Kung is 10 static or
slow-moving postures, many of them also act as stretches. The first posture is
the “embracing horse” stance, which is also known as the “horse-riding” stance,
and is held for longer than any other posture. Experienced practitioners
sometimes hold it for over an hour, but so far I am content with about 30 minutes.
Similarly to Tai Chi, the benefits of Nei Kung are based on the concept of
“chi” – the intrinsic life-energy of the body. Supposedly, both Nei Kung and
Tai Chi opens up the channels of chi, so that it can better circulate through
the body. Unblocking the flow of chi has all kinds of health benefits, too
numerous to mention. But in addition to this, Nei Kung also trains the internal
power of the body by restoring proper coordination and alignment of bones,
muscles, and tendons. In addition to stretching, I believe that by prolonged
static holding the wrongful coordinations of the musculature are simply tired
out and begin to release, letting the correct coordination manifest. I cannot
yet feel all the claimed effects with enough clarity, but some results of my
Nei Kung practice are undeniable. I have been doing it for about 3 years almost
every day, though I now practice a modified routine, combined with Tai Chi and
several Bioenergetic esercises. Since I started practicing it regularly, I have
been sick a lot less than before, I have more energy than ever, my allergy
symptoms have become a lot less pronounced, and most chronic aches and pains
have disappeared. In addition, I feel that Nei Kung, as well as Tai Chi, has
had a direct effect on my dancing, improving
my centering, my balance, my alignment, and especially my grounding. I
must say also that just standing in the horse-riding position for about 20
minutes is enough to completely alter my mood, creating a light and peaceful
disposition, and it seems to work every time without fail.
The few problems which I have had with Nei Kung have
to do mostly not with what it is, but how it is taught. Master Chu has taught
me many great things, and just handing down the ancient practice of Nei Kung,
which was kept secret for a long time in China, deserves my sincere thanks – it
has truly changed my life. But my teacher did not avoid the common mistakes
which most instructors make nowadays, be it in dance or martial arts: some of
the instructions had too much “end-gaining” inherent in them, like, for example
some ways of reshaping the spine. I have seen many students become stuck in
such techniques, never releasing into the natural grace and freedom of the
body. I also ultimately felt that some of those techniques were hindering
rather than helping my progress, and stopped using them. I will not discuss
them here, those who end up studying with master Chu can talk to me directly.
Most of what he taught me has had a great effect on my overall physical and
mental well-being. I would simply advise to approach Nei Kung with the
Alexander principle in mind, and, above all, with the attention to one’s own
senses.
Books:
“The Book of Nei Kung” by C.K.Chu
Master C.K.Chu’s website:
Tai Chi Chuan, often referred to simply as Tai Chi, is
a system of self-defense, which in the 17th and 18th
centuries was considered superior to most other styles in China. Tai Chi masters
were famous for defeating much larger and seemingly stronger opponents with
ease. They were able to do it through the cultivation of effortless internal
power of the body rather than through muscular strength, and through
sensitivity to the opponent by which they were able to use his own force
against him. The ability to do that depends greatly on the correct work on the
body, for which the Tai Chi form is designed. It is this form that the art is
largely known for nowadays. Because the practice of the form opens up natural
powers of the body, it has numerous health benefits, which is the main reason
it is practiced so widely. However, in order to receive the full benefit of it,
it is also recommended to engage in “push-hands” – the interactive two-person
form in which partners aim to push each other off balance, but to do it through
softness and effortless sensitivity to each other. This practice acts as
feedback on how correctly one is practicing the solo form, on whether one
really is developing the powers which one aims for.
I started learning the Tai Chi form at about the same
time as I started practicing Nei Kung, also from master Chu, but it took me a
longer time to develop a regular practice of it (partly because it takes much
longer to learn – Nei Kung can be practice effectively after the first lesson).
I have been practicing it consistently for only about a year. But already I
believe it has helped me with my dancing. The whole form is done in slow,
balanced steps supporting self-defense hand movements. All the power is
supposed to come from centering and “rooting”. Besides helping me learn better
walking, the form also seems to be generally energizing. I feel that it has
many benefits which I cannot explain yet for I have not practiced it long
enough.
A fascinating thing about Tai Chi is how its
principles of interaction with the opponent apply almost word-for-word to tango
dancing. Such concepts as “sticking and yielding”, “centering”, “sinking”,
“developing greater power through softness” which I learned in Tai Chi have
resonated immediately with what I have experienced in good dancing and partner
connection, and have brought new clarity to my understanding of the dynamics of
tango. In my opinion, the general principles of effective interaction have so
far been understood much better by Tai Chi practitioners than by tango dancers.
A dancer can benefit greatly by studying it not only because of the clarity of
principles, but also because the form is a great tool to develop better
grounding, balance, and overall coordination.
As with Nei Kung, my slight problem with Tai Chi is in
how it is often taught. I have seen more than one Tai Chi instructor, and I
feel that sometimes they instruct students to
manipulate their body parts in crude ways which, worse of all,
contradict each other from school to school. To a Tai Chi student, I would
recommend taking such things with a grain of salt, and using their own senses
to decide how much to use them. Above all, I would recommend approaching Tai
Chi, as any other body discipline, with the Alexander principle in mind.
Books:
“T’ai Chi Chuan Principles and Practice” by C.K.Chu
“T’ai Chi Touchstones: Yang Family Secret
Transmissions” compiled and translated by Douglas Wile
Master C.K.Chu’s website:
Bioenergetics is the mother of most brands of
body-conscious psychotherapy which exist today. It was co-founded by Alexander
Lowen and John Pierrakos, the two foremost students of Wilhelm Reich, who was
the pioneer of incorporating body work on into the psychotherapeutic process.
Alexander Lowen wrote most definitive books on the subject, which I highly
recommend, especially “Bioenergetics”, “The Language of the Body”, and “The
Manual of Bioenergetic Exercises”. The main idea of Bioenergetics is that all
psychological “blocks” are expressed in the physical body through
characteristic patterns of chronic muscular tensions. Experienced Bionergetics
specialists can accurately diagnose a person’s psychological condition by
simply looking at his body, without even talking to him. But aside from using
the body to see the problem, they also use it in the therapeutic process.
Physical action on a tight area can often bring the psychological problem to
the surface, and sometimes speed its resolution. In addition to the traditional
psychotherapeutic process, a therapist may recommend certain exercises to begin
releasing patterns of tension (some of the exercises are remarkably similar to
Nei Kung postures), or press on patient’s tight muscles, or ask the patient to
express certain attitudes bodily – hit a pillow, kick a mattress, or scream.
Sometimes this brings about sudden epiphanies and resolutions of inner
conflict, but even if it does not, it brings about in the patient an awareness
not just of the psychological side of the problem, but also how his or her
physical being has been carrying it. The problem is thus approached from two
ends at once – both psychologically and physically.
In my opinion, such awareness is essential for someone
who is serious about restoring proper body coordination and pursuing an art
form seriously. If left unexamined, a pattern of psycho-somatic tension can be
a stumbling block in all one’s body work. Fear or anger lodged in the body may
never let tight muscles release, may never allow for a harmonious function of
the whole muscular-skeletal system. I have been fascinated by Lowen’s books for
years, and have gone to several Core Energetics workshops (Core Energetics is
similar to Bioenergetics, but incorporates spirituality and favors the group
approach). This year I started working with a Bioenergetics therapist, and so
far have found it very productive.
Books on Bioenergetics and Core Energetics:
“Bionergetics” by Alexander Lowen
“The Language of the Body” by Alexander Lowen
“The Way to Vibrant Health – A Manual of Bioenergetic
Exercises” by Alexander Lowen and Leslie Lowen
“Core Energetics” by John Pierrakos
New York Society for Bioenergetic Analysis: