 Photo by Zoltán Németh I’ve taught quite a few women who wanted to learn to lead, so I dare speculate that certain parts in leading do come easy for women. So what are women, who are just starting to learn to lead, usually great at? For one, we as women tend to be very sensitive to our partner’s needs. We naturally aim for movements that feel as comfortable as possible for the follower in our arms. So, even at the peril of the follower’s boredom, it is usually quite pain-free to dance with a female leader, even if she’s just starting out.
Secondly, women who decide to learn leading are usually accomplished followers already. Even if they do not yet have much experience with tango, those drawn to it tend to have some dance skills from other fields. This may sound very discriminatory, and I apologize in advance for all the exceptions, but I noticed that generally speaking, women tend to have better body awareness than men. That means they will be able to learn leading faster than a male beginner who is meeting tango as a dance for the first time. This second point is somehow related to the next one. Often, women tend to have a better feeling for the music. I don’t dare say whether this is due to natural gifts, or more musical training or simply because those women who are learning to lead usually have a few years of experience in following. Finally, female leaders, after very little practice usually display great navigational skills on the dancefloor. They are good with dancing in their line and they tend to exhibit courtesy to other couples on the dancefloor. Photo credit: Zoltán Németh, www.argentinetango.photo |
