驾驶与同步

探戈大师劳尔·卡布拉尔是个杰出的探戈理论家和老舞棍式探戈教师。他在http://www.raultangocabral.com.ar上发表了一系列文章。以下是对其关键信息——通过正确拥抱实现同步运动——的简要概括。

舞者最重要的素质与舞步毫无关系。对领舞者来说，最关键的是他的乐感和他驾驶跟随者的能力。对于跟随者来说，最关键的是她保持自身轻盈和与领舞者同步运动的能力。

在探戈中，领舞者就象司机，用他的身体去驾驶舞伴的身体。领舞者的每一步都是通过舞伴表达的。驾驶并不意味着他先动，然后等待舞伴跟着动。探戈是同步运动，即在同一时间一起行动。这意味着“跟随”是个不正确的概念，因为“跟随”意味着片刻之后。即使是很小的片刻也不能说是同步。正确的做法应该如同跟随者进入带领者的汽车，在他们共同的音乐之旅中任其运载。

探戈独特而神奇的实质在于两个身体象一个身体一样运动。这完全是通过拥抱和身体传达其运动信息的能力来实现的。许多人通过探戈重新发现了拥抱的意义。探戈的拥抱把我们带回到在女人怀抱保护下度过的生命的初期。是对拥抱的渴望把人们带进探戈。拥抱是探戈得以在世界许多文化中普及的原因。

驾驶舞伴和同步运动是通过合适的拥抱来实现的。探戈从一开始就只有一种沟通方式，既从身体到身体，而不是由手臂到手臂。两个舞伴的接触是通过身体的连接。他们的身体略微前倾，重心落在脚掌，但整个脚包括脚跟均接触地面。舞伴各自负责自己的平衡。男舞伴向女舞伴张开胸膛，欢迎她进入他的怀抱。他坚实地拥抱她，但不施加任何压力，全身没有任何紧张或僵硬之处。他用整个身体带领她，但他的信息主要来自胸口。他用这信息传达感觉，方向，步伐大小，计时，节奏，停顿，等等。他片刻不失去与她的连接，也从不割断与她的交流。

女人依在男人怀抱里，贴在他身上，让他感觉好象穿着她。她将身体微微前倾靠在他胸口，并合适地定位自己的胸部，这样她可以收到从他胸口发出的每一点信息。她把自己的身体从腰以上向上伸展，仿佛一根绷紧的琴弦，能在他微微的拨动下颤动。她的身体是柔软而放松的。由于放松，她的四肢，包括腿，臂，头，似乎并不存在，只有上身，尤其是胸部，成为她注意的中心，使她能感觉到从他胸口发出的任何信息，并与之同步运动。她的体重落在脚掌，但整个脚，包括脚跟，是与地面接触的。她的手臂轻轻地，无重量地放在他肩上。她不挂在他身上，或利用他来稳定自己，而是保持自己的平衡，所以她显得轻盈。她温顺而贴切，柔软却不松弛（例如臀部）。因为她的胸部微妙而实在地贴在他身上，她的存在是可以被感觉到的。她让他感觉到自己，也不断开与他的连接，知道如果她把自己与他分开，她就不能从他身上得到信息。她不断收听从他胸口发出的信息。她的胸一直贴着他的胸，直到探戈结束。这是实现同步运动最精确的方式。

Driving and Synchronization

Raul Cabral is a tango master, a brilliant thinker and teacher of the milonguero style of tango. He published a series of essays on http://www.raultangocabral.com.ar. The following is a brief summary of his key message on achieving synchronization through proper embrace.

The most important qualities of a dancer have nothing to do with steps. What are essential for the leader are his musicality and his ability to drive the follower. What are essential for the follower are her abilities to be weightless and to synchronize the movement.

The leader is the driver in tango, who uses his body to effect the movement of the body of his partner. Every step of the leader should be expressed through his partner. Driving does not mean that he moves and waits for his partner to follow. Tango is synchronization, or moving exactly at the same time. This suggests that the word “follow” is an incorrect notion, because “follow” implies a moment later. Even if the moment is minimal, there is no synchronization. What is correct for the follower is to enter the moving car of the leader and allow herself to be transported by him on their musical journey.

The unique and magical essence of tango, two bodies moving as one, is achieved solely by the ability of the body to communicate the message of its movement through the embrace. Many people, through tango, are beginning to discover the importance of the embrace. Which takes us back to the first years of our lives, to the protection of the chest of women. It is the need of that connection that brings people into tango. The embrace is the reason that tango has triumphed in the multitude of societies in the world.

Driving and synchronization are achieved through proper embrace. Since the beginning of tango, there is only one communication in tango and it is corporal, from body to body, not arms to arms. The two partners make contact through their bodies, which are weighted slightly forward on the balls, but supported by the entire feet on the floor, including heels. Each partner is responsible for his/her own balance. The man spreads his chest, offers it to his partner, and welcomes her into his body. He embraces her firmly, but puts no pressure on her. There is nothing tense or hard in his body. He leads her with his whole body but his main message comes from his chest, from which he communicates the feeling, the direction, the size of step, the timing, the cadence, the pause, etc. He never loses his contact to her, not even an instant, and he never cuts the flow of communication.

The woman settles into the man’s embrace, molding herself on him until it feels as if he were wearing her. She leans her body slightly forward against his, and properly positions her chest so that she can receive every minute message from his torso. She stretches her body from the waist on upwards, as if she were the string of a violin vibrating at his slightest touch. Her body is soft and relaxed. It is upon relaxation that her extremities, legs, arms and head, become void of matter, and her torso, especially her chest, becomes the main focus. This allows her to feel the messages from the body of the leader and move in unison with him. Her weight is on the inside of the ball of her foot, but her whole foot, including the heel, is in contact with the floor. Her arm lands gently and weightlessly on his shoulders. She doesn‘t hang on him, or use the embrace to stabilize herself, but keeps her own balance, thus she is light. She is supple, but toned, soft, but with nothing loose (hips, for instance). Her presence is notable with subtle but assured pressure of her chest against his. She does not efface herself or break the connection, knowing if she separates herself from him, she won‘t get the information from his body. She is continuously tuned to the messages he emits from his chest. Until the tango is over, her chest is permanently in contact with his. This is the most exact way to achieve synchronization.