is often mentioned in tango. It's an almost magical quality that accentuates the marca, clarifying and giving purpose to the movements. Yet, what is it? Physically, quantifiably, how is this property expressed?
intention
....Noun
....1. A course of action that a person intends to follow.
Hmmm, what do I do when I "intend" something?
Well, when I intend to do something I form a idea in my mind, prepare to do it, then execute. Ok, usually I procrastinate a whole lot before execution, but that's beside the point.
As it applies to tango:
1. Form an idea= No physical correlate.
2. Prepare= Assume a mechanically advantageous skeletal position, if it's a big movement utilize momentum.
3. Execute= Take physical action.
Therefore, intention lies in the preparation for movement, which is made clearer by holding a purposeful idea first.
To make a long story short, it is circular, spiral, or loopy movement, depending on the plane in which you are going to going to move, that happens first in the negative and then the positive. The greater or more challenging the movement, the more important and greater the preparation.
For example, if I am going to jump up, I first crouch down. The bigger the jump, the lower I get.
In tango walking (1), I have the weight first on the ball of my weighted foot, then I transfer it to my heel as I engage the leg muscles by bending my standing knee and ankle, send my COG past the tip of my toe (aiding balance with contra-body movement), while extending my free leg and landing on it's heel.
The greatest incidence of intention usually occurs when starting from a dead stop, and is less pronounced in each succeeding step that occurs in the same direction, at the same speed, length, musical cue, as the first one. "Momentum," both physical and psychological, assists.
The neat thing is that we can actually see this happening below:
The "camel hump" that I note at 18 sec. is the weight going onto the ball of my foot (first hump), then back to my heel (dip), and subsequently highest as it rolls back through my forefoot (second hump) then zero as the foot becomes unweighted.
Compare this with the normal walking (2) at the beginning of the video, where there is no preloading of the heel, but instead the weight just spills over the forefoot, while my free leg is moving forward to catch me.
To Do [ a little help please :) ]
Analyze the gait patterns of other tango dancers with similar as well as disparate walking styles for how intention is expressed. In addition, analyze how the degree of resistance that the woman provides affects the gait mechanics. Analyze intention in other tango contexts.
Endnotes
1. Tango walking= in the style I utilize most frequently, that of being relatively smooth with only minor up and down motion, utilizing the slight bending of the knees and ankles for leveling and impulse, while maintaining a near perpendicular attitude with my spine in relation to the floor.
2. Provided by Steve Pastor, thanks!
Intention
Tango Research Tools
* Tango is about Feeling, but by sorting out technique, we can put it away and get on with the dancing.
Below is what my laptop looks like. This upload is jumpy, and the audio out of sync, but both are smooth in real life.
I can have two different videos (and annotate them with lines), along with numerous pressure sensors that can be applied to feet, chest, hands, etc.
My summer project is to use these tools to enhance my classroom teaching of beginner, intermediate, and advanced dancers in addition to conducting general research into where and when pressure is applied in the dance.
My winter project is to sort out the data, as well as figure out inexpensive means for all tango learners to implement the research findings- at least those that don't think I'm crazy, or stupid, or both ;-)
My question for you is this:
If you could know where your/your partner's/your student's weight is located at any point in the dance- what would you want to know, why, and how would you use it?
For better quality click monitor 2x then "Watch in High Quality"
Results
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Tango is an Art ... duh :)
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What I've found is that the sensors are good at telling me what a particular person or couple is doing, but not relevant for what others Should be doing. Yes, they're good for training in that person or couple's style, but not for any generalized conclusions about tango. Descriptive, not Proscriptive.
Equipment Suppliers
Wireless Force Sensors: Tekscan
Dual Camera Motion Analysis Software: All Sport Systems
