Floorcraft

Recently we have been a part of several conversations about the flow of the floor at milongas. We have noticed frustration at many levels, from both leaders and followers ... Followers fear for their exposed toes, leaders get frustrated, embraces stiffen, and everyone suffers. People we talked with had all experienced the joy of a organized dance floor circling the room, but lamented it doesn't happen often enough.

A well moving floor keeps everyone in line, but once the floor gets disjointed, it's all over... When the flow stalls or dancers get bunched, once dynamic couples are forced to suffer in place or search for space outside the traditional order. The former makes for a lame dance, the latter diminishes the chance for a uniform flow to resume.

Hearing the feelings of the community has inspired us think what can we do about it? We can all make an effort to keep the floor moving, but this is easier said than done. A great floor requires priorities as well as skills. And that is what we will be focusing on for the next five weeks in our group lessons.

Too often people prioritize their dancing, which is undoubtedly an important focus, but it should not overshadow our embrace with our partner, our connection to the other couples on the floor, and our appreciation of the music. But in order to balance these priorities, we need skills. We must gain control of our dance, maintain a comfortable embrace, and keep our balance, so that every movement is a deliberate decision rather than the unintended consequence of inertia. Leaders must know their steps cold and keep their partners feeling secure. Followers must maintain good technique at all times, mirror the dynamics of their partners, and keep embellishments appropriate to the situation. And we must all be able to adapt our styles and choreographies to the line of dance.