Two reasons why women feel rushed
My newest musicality student, a tanguera who’s been dancing just a few years and dances both roles, had two big AHA moments that made her feel great when she discovered that her musical instincts were accurate!
She has just learned two concepts in Phase 1 of Tango Musicality Mojo, each one shedding light on a frustration that keeps coming up for her in milongas:
#1) When, during a brief, RHYTHMIC SILENCE at the end of a regular phrase of music, the singer or a melodic instrument introduces the next phrase, many leaders start stepping and traveling forward on those melodic notes.
Some of my students over the years have explained that they do this because they’re afraid to fall behind in the music and be late for the new phrase.
Their partner, if she’s sensitive to the music, will be naturally inclined to hold a pause there until the rhythm of the next phrase begins, signaling them to go - because she feels the pause.
I have also had women students in classes who rushed when they encountered this kind of musical event. One might diagnose their urgency not to miss a step as “anticipating.”
The urgency to get moving as soon as one hears the first notes of a new melodic passage - during a rhythmic silence - will give one's partner the sense of being rushed.
But a “melodic introduction to the NEXT phrase” often belongs to the current, rhythmic phrase. This kind of musical element is a part of my Musicality Building Block #2, “Melodic Interventions in the Pauses.” I explain that first note that makes some dancers rush as being “the musical trigger that does NOT mean ‘go’.”
#2) A week after her first AHA, my student noted that she also feels rushed by leaders when a new rhythmic phrase STARTS with a few counts of RHYTHMIC SILENCE.
At the beginning of certain phrases, the rhythmic instruments are still, creating an invitation for dancers to pause before the bass picks up the rhythm again.
Musically sensitive dancers like my new student, even those who may have no musical training, will intuitively pause at the beginning of such phrases. My student said, “OHHH… NO WONDER I sometimes feel rushed when I want to pause. I am RIGHT about what I hear and now I understand why!”
A rhythmic silence beginning a phrase is often part of a SYNTHESIS of similar intervals in two phrases. It’s part of my Musicality Building Block #3 group - “Suspensions.” This type of Suspension also contains the “musical trigger that does NOT mean ‘go.’”
Maybe these kinds of rhythmic absences also compel YOU to pause for a second or two, and maybe the guy behind you in the ronda reacts to the trigger and almost bumps into you in his urgency to go! (Don't be that guy.)
It seems that my student is ready for cabeceos from more musical dancers so she can enjoy the beautiful pauses she perceives in the music - and that she now understands.
Abrazos,
Helaine
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Helaine Treitman is here to help you dance tango calmly and confidently, fully expressing your masculine self as you beautifully connect with the woman in your embrace. You’ll gain a deeply-informed understanding of tango music so you’ll know how to create magic for your partners, tanda after tanda. Start learning from Helaine now, with her FREE e-course, “9 Surprising Tango Tips for Men” — Get FREE Access Now!