“Friends” doing isolations – click on picture
Be a Towel my son!
In Argentine tango classes we love to use the terms, disassociation and isolation.
Isolation – Independent movement of body parts, according to time and shifting of speed. In jazz dance this is a very important concept, and difficult to understand. In tango classes we try to find many similar examples as comparisons.
One common example is, a twisted towel.
The term isolation can also be said as disassociation, disassociate or used as synonyms.
Instead of giving long explanations, let’s watch a video.
Sometimes a picture is worth more than 100 words, and a video is even better than 100 pictures.
To fully understand the concepts, for now we will look at the upper-body twist movement and the hip-leg movement – their balanced relationship to each other. Explanations of individual technicalities (foot placement, how to initiate movements etc.) will come in different articles. For now understanding the basic concept is the most important.
Watch the videos in order! Dancer: Jordi Moragues
Show these to your dance partner, they can be very important for understanding the technicalities of their movements.
1. Upper Body 90 Degree Twist- Following the Hip and Leg Together!
2. The Same at 180 Degrees!
3. More Exciting when Initiating the Hip+Leg, while the Upper Body Follows
4. Our Body is Open to Possibilities-one Advanced Example from many, Chest->Hip->Chest:
While practicing, use the least amount of “strength from momentum”.
Rather concentrate on the strength gained from the core muscle twist.
The strength of the two together, result in the turn. The question is, what is the balance between the two?
The answer is not simple to figure out, but the result will speak for itself.
Note: There are some older masters in Buenos Aires (milongueros), who hardly do this. Tango still works using a minimal amount of isolation and disassociation. But if you want to give more “flavor” to your dance, then these videos will be helpful for you.
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