探戈中的行走

传统的探戈教学非常重视行走。在那个时代，探戈大师在教舞步之前要花很长时间教行走。这是有原因的。首先，探戈是行走的舞蹈。没有其他舞蹈象探戈那样使用这么多行走。其次，行走与跳舞有关。行走优美的人跳舞通常也美。跳舞不美的人，行走通常也难看。第三，行走是所有舞步中最简单的步子，但它又是其他更复杂的舞步赖以形成的基础。如果一个人连最简单的步子都走不象样，跳好复杂的舞步可能性不大，而问题也常常可以追溯到行走。最后，因为行走是最简单的步子，它可以有效地用来培训其他基本技能，如拥抱，姿势，连接和乐感等。初学者往往不能把注意力平均分配在许多元素上。他们需要在学复杂的舞步之前，而不是之后或同时，学习拥抱，姿势，连接，带领，跟随和听音乐。为了培养这些基本能力，练习得设计得非常简单，而行走是达到这个目的的最好方式之一。

北美的探戈功力不足，一个重要的原因就是缺乏行走训练。美国文化认为学习必须是轻松愉快的。我们的学校教育最富娱乐性，功课也最少。我们的老师不想用单调的练习来让学生烦闷。我们的学生尚未学会走路就想飞跑，他们认为自己早就会走路了。

没有比这更不符合事实的了。你只有在学习探戈之前才看上去正常。事实上，每个人的第一次探戈行走都是笨拙可笑的。这是因为在拥抱中走路不是人们常做的事。你觉得靠在陌生人身上不自在。你觉得向后倒着走忒别扭。你不能踩在节拍上。你的腿向后迈得不够远。你的屁股撅得太高。你的膝盖弯得太曲。你一耸一耸象只蹦哒的蚂蚱，或者左右摇摆象只黑猩猩。当你在舞伴两侧行走时，你的身体不能柔韧地侧转。你不能与舞伴保持身体的连接，或使舞伴失去平衡......直到你在拥抱中找到舒适区，你尚未准备好学习新步。这就是为什么行走是如此重要。它简单易行，让你能集中注意力。事实上它不只是走路，而是一切，包括拥抱，姿势，连接，乐感，平衡，沟通，柔韧，优美与和谐的基础。

Walk

The traditional tango pedagogy gives great emphasis on walk. In those days, tango masters spend a great length of time teaching walk before they start any figures. There are good reasons for that. First, tango is a walking dance. No other dance uses so many walking steps as tango does in the dance. Second, there is a relationship between walk and dance. Those who can walk well usually dance well. Those who do not dance well, their walk usually sucks. Third, walk is the simplest step of all steps, yet it is the foundation upon which other more complicated steps evolve. If one cannot do the simplest step well, it is less likely that he can do complicated steps well, and his problem usually can be traced back to walk. Finally, because walk is the simplest step, it can be effectively used in training other basic skills, such as embrace, posture, connection and musicality. People new to tango cannot distribute their attention equally well to too many elements while learning complicated figures. They need to develop good embrace, posture, connection and musicality before learning complicated stuffs, not after or at the same time. In order to train basic skills, the exercise needs to be kept simple, and walk is a perfect way to achieve that.

The lack of basic trainings in the tango scene of North America is due in many ways to a lack of sufficient walk training. American culture holds that learning must be fun and painless. Our schools have the most entertaining environment and least homework. Our teachers do not want to bore students with dull drills, and our pupils want to get fancy before they can walk, which they think they can already.

Nothing is farther from the truth. You look normal till people see you trying to learn tango. In fact, everyone looks clumsy and funny in his or her first tango walk. That is because walking in a close embrace is not something you often do. You are uncomfortable to lean on somebody you don’t know. You feel awkward to walk backward. You do not step on the beat. Your leg does not reach back far enough. Your behind sticks up and knees bend too much. You bounce up and down like a grasshopper, or wobble side to side like a chimpanzee. Your body is not flexible enough for the twist needed when walking on the side of your partner. You break the connection with your partner, or drag your partner out of his/her balance… Until you regain your comfortable zone in the embrace, you are not ready for the next step. That is why walk is so important. It is simple. It keeps you focused. In fact it is not just walk, it is about everything fundamental: posture, embrace, connection, musicality, balance, flexibility, communication, elegance, and harmony.