Opposite side

Whatever direction we intend to move, we engage our whole body in the movement. This applies when we think of motivating, energizing, or anchoring the movement out of the opposite side of our body.

step1, tools, intention, motivation, pivot, pull, push

What and why

When we move, our attention usually and naturally goes to the parts of our body facing the way we want to move. That's natural… and limiting. When we focus on motivating our movement from the side or parts on the opposite side of our body, it activates all of our body.

Video and transcript

English transcript

- Hola, friends. Please join us as we explore a concept of opposite side. Well, what do we mean by that? We've already seen it in a couple of different ways. One is that wind up in in intention. Remember, suppose we're wanting to go in this direction, I'm first gonna go in the other direction, giving that wind up in the other direction, loading up that heavy leg to push into the direction that we want. Example one. Number two, dissociation. We talked about how, when we're running that we bring opposite shoulder to the opposite hip. What are we talking about here? The idea that we can use it in our forward and backward motion and in pivots.

- So, it might seem a little bit counterintuitive to think about the opposite side than the direction that you're moving. Mostly, we think I'm going to go forward. My chest is going to start in that direction but when we're dancing, we wanna create really powerful movements and we find that it is far more useful for us as dancers to actually think about, if you will, the spine versus musculature. So, instead of thinking of your chest as heading forward in that direction, we find it to be much more impactful if we think of moving our spine or yet even our back in that direction. And of course what we have going forward, we would also use as going backwards. A lot of times people think I'm gonna go backwards. So what do they do? They move their back to initiate that movement backwards. If you'll notice that created quite a bit of posture problems and off balance.

- Pulls the partners out.

- Pulls, all kinds of issues when we think of using the wrong side, however, if we think of that backwards movement as coming from the front of us and moving through the back, then again, we're creating a much more organic and useful movement.

- Well described. And we had that same thing in the pivots. Let's say that this is my axis. That's the spindle about which I'm going to turn, either forward or backward. Well, we tend to think I've gotta move all of this around there. Think, try this instead, I'm going to think instead of moving this part back while this part goes forward. What that does is it concentrates the energy that we are applying that turning energy so it stays tightly over that spindle. If I'm going forward, pulling that back. If I'm going back, I think of the part on the spindle going forward. It gives so much more power and focus and balance.

- Balance, yes. This has, I have found this in my own practice to be very helpful. If you find that during rotation, you are losing that balance, flip that mindset and see if that doesn't help you focus over the axis and stay more on that spindle like you were talking about. It's a great tip for people that are working on that.

- And there is a way that leaders can facilitate that as well. Again, as we've said, we so often use our hands for everything that we want to accomplish. So, if I'm leading a back ocho, there's that tendency to, oh, you go back there. No, no, no, no, no. I can instead pull my side away to leave my partner, leave Tina on her axis.

- When I get lots of energy coming from that hand side being that it's on the outside, if you will, of my axis that can oftentimes help throw me off balance.

- So do play with all of that. See how it feels. And understandably, it may feel really weird at first. And as you explore with intention and care, we feel that you will find it produces a much better result. And when we've done all of that, we've practiced that and we're ready for the next exploration, we'll click that next button. Then we'll all join up there. Until then.

- [Both] Abrazos!

Transcripción en español

- Hola, amigos. Acompáñenos a explorar el concepto de lado opuesto. ¿Qué queremos decir con eso? Ya lo hemos visto de varias maneras. Una de ellas es la que se refiere a la intención. Recuerden, supongan que queremos ir en esta dirección, pero primero voy a ir en la otra dirección, dejando que el viento suba en la otra dirección, poniendo esa pierna pesada para empujar en la dirección que queremos. Ejemplo uno. Número dos, disociación. Hablamos de cómo, cuando estamos corriendo llevamos el hombro opuesto a la cadera opuesta. ¿De qué estamos hablando aquí? La idea de que podemos usarla en nuestro movimiento y hacia atrás y en los giros.

- Puede parecer un poco contraintuitivo pensar en el lado opuesto a la dirección en la que te estás moviendo. La mayoría de las veces, pensamos que voy a ir hacia adelante. Mi pecho va a empezar en esa dirección pero cuando estamos bailando, queremos crear movimientos realmente poderosos y vemos que es mucho más útil para nosotros como bailarines pensar en la columna frente a la musculatura. En lugar de pensar que el pecho se dirige hacia adelante en esa dirección, encontramos que es mucho más efectivo si pensamos en mover nuestra columna e incluso nuestra espalda en esa dirección. Y por supuesto que lo que tenemos yendo hacia adelante, también lo usamos para ir hacia atrás. Muchas veces la gente piensa que voy a ir hacia atrás. ¿Y qué hacen? Mueven su espalda para iniciar ese movimiento hacia atrás. Si te das cuenta, eso crea bastantes problemas de postura y desequilibrio.

- Jala a los compañeros hacia afuera.

- Saca todo tipo de problemas cuando pensamos en usar el lado equivocado, sin embargo, si pensamos en ese movimiento hacia atrás como si viniera de la parte delantera de nosotros y moviéndose por la espalda, entonces de nuevo, estamos creando un movimiento mucho más natural y útil.

- Bien dicho. Y lo mismo ocurre con los giros. Digamos que este es mi eje. Ese es el eje sobre el que voy a girar, ya sea hacia adelante o hacia atrás. Bueno, tendemos a pensar que tengo que mover todo esto por ahí. Piensa, intenta esto en su lugar, voy a pensar que en lugar de mover esta parte hacia atrás mientras esta parte va hacia adelante. Lo que eso hace es concentrar la energía que estamos aplicando esa energía de giro para que se mantenga apretada sobre ese eje. Si voy hacia adelante, tirando de eso hacia atrás. Si voy hacia atrás, pienso en la parte del eje yendo hacia adelante. Da mucho más poder y enfoque y equilibrio.

- Equilibrio, sí. Esto lo he visto en mi propia práctica es muy útil. Si encuentras que durante la rotación, pierdes el equilibrio, cambia la mentalidad y ve si eso no te ayuda a concentrarte sobre el eje y permanecer más en ese eje del que hablabas. Es un gran consejo para la gente que esta trabajando en eso.

- Y hay una manera en que los líderes pueden ayudar a eso también. De nuevo, como hemos dicho, a menudo usamos nuestras manos para todo lo que queremos lograr. Entonces, si estoy dirigiendo un ocho de espalda, hay esa tendencia a ir hacia atrás. No, no, no, no, no. En lugar de eso puedo alejar a mi lado para dejar a mi pareja, dejar a Tina en su eje. Cuando tengo mucha energía que viene de ese lado de la mano ya que esta en el exterior de mi eje que a menudo puede ayudar a perder el equilibrio.

- Prueba con todo eso. Mira cómo se siente. Y comprensiblemente, puede sentirse muy raro al principio. Y a medida que explores con intención y cuidado, creemos que encontrarás un resultado mucho mejor. Y cuando hemos hecho todo esto, lo hemos practicado y estamos listos para la siguiente exploración, haremos clic en el siguiente botón. Entonces nos encontraremos todos allí. Hasta entonces.

- ¡Abrazos!

How

Explore: Targeted resistance to activate intention What experiments might give a sense of motivating our movements from the spine or the opposite side?

Dancing back-to-back with a partner.
Anchoring and pushing for a move versus “falling” into a step.

Pivot

Consider this. Our back parts are closer to our spine than our front parts. So what?

Our spine is the tower upon which our other parts hang (or perch, in the case of the head). When we move in tango, we intend to move our spine and everything on it across the floor, or else to pivot over a leg acting as an extension of the spine. (As described in Two basic movements.)

Let's use pivots as an example. We tend to think of moving our light-leg side, our “away-from-our-axis” side, in the direction of the pivot, around our axis. But because it is away from our axis, it tends to throw off our balance. Experiment with how much more stable a pivot feels when motivated by twisting at the on-axis heavy-leg side of our body, using the front or back plane opposite the direction of the pivot.

For example: Standing on my AS leg and doing a front pivot, I tend to bodymind think-feel it as my HS moving forward toward my AS. But this tends to push my partner and squash the embrace. If I instead motivate the pivot from the backside (hip) of my AS leg, it keeps everything nicely centered, maintains a more stable embrace, and my partner feels it as a more pleasant opening pull (rather than a closing push).

Explore opposite energy with a partner

Dancer, explorer in a relaxed neutral stance.
Pusher partner is in a braced position on the side of the dancer opposite the direction Dancer will step. So, if Dancer wants to take a forward step, Pusher is behind, pushing in the direction of the intended step, and if Dancer wants to step right, Pusher is on their left, pushing toward the right, and so on.
Close enough to extend a hand, placing it on the body at a level just below the breastbone if they were in front.
Pusher starts offering pressure, pushing gently as if trying to force Dancer to take the step.
Dancer resists being pushed into the step and internally scans their body to feel what parts they are energizing. This opposite direction shifting and grounding is our windup to prepare for the step. Feel our weight sinking into the floor and rolling ever so slightly against the travel direction. (This automatically winds up a dance partner in the opposite direction for their step!)
Does that sound unclear? Is it difficult to picture our intent? No worries! This time, Pusher, go to the side opposite where you were, and do the experiment in that direction, resisting the step. Dancers need this part, too. It is the second half of a step where we actually move into the step.
Switch roles and repeat.

(Pusher, yes, this could inform your body at the same time, but it is likely to confuse, as you are facing opposite the way you are preparing. It's probably best to give all your attention to helping Dancer explore and wait your turn.)

Still confused? All our explorations serve an active curiosity about what is happening in our body and in our partner's body, and about the ways we use our body that can help or hinder.

The Game of Argentine Tango

Everything is a range of possibilities

Opposite side

What and why

Video and transcript

How

Pivot

Explore opposite energy with a partner