探戈中的平衡

由身体位置和姿势的变化而引起的感觉被称为平衡感。内耳中的半规管和前庭器官是产生平衡感的器官。因疾病，药物或酗酒而造成平衡器官功能失调的人不能很好地保持平衡。平衡感可以通过训练来提高。有些经过训练的人比其他人有更好的平衡感。例如，女子体操运动员可以在平衡木上做高难度的动作，杂技演员能凭良好的平衡感走钢丝。有经验的舞者也有很好的平衡感，他们能够在复杂的运动中保持平衡。

跳舞就象骑自行车。骑自行车是用车轮来保持平衡。跳舞是用步子来保持平衡。所有的舞者都需要有良好的平衡感，而女人尤其如此，因为女人在跳舞时是由男人驾驶的。男人把女人的身体往他想要她移动的方向略微倾斜。女人移动多远则取决于她的平衡感。如果她不准确地踩在为保持平衡而必须踩在的位置，她就可能站不稳。站不稳的女人得依赖于男人的帮助，从而变得沉重。男人可能喜欢女人偶尔依赖他的感觉，但如果她总是挂在他身上并抓着他来做每一个旋转和扭动，那对他也会是相当的负担。女人需要知道，保持自身的平衡是她在舞蹈时显得轻盈的关键。有些女人习惯性地依靠男人来做维持平衡，结果，她们自己的平衡感未得到发展。

探戈因两个舞伴在舞蹈中亲密地靠在一起形成一个A字形框架而有自己独特的平衡问题。A字形框架是个互相支持的稳定框架。无经验的女人往往没有意识到，她对男人的支持同男人对她的支持一样重要。如果她向后仰，就会使他失去平衡。有时女人斜靠在男人身上多一点，这并无太大妨碍，因为男人强壮而女人轻盈。但是，如果她斜靠得太多，也可能变得沉重。用倾斜的姿势跳舞需要背部强健。背部无力的女人不能维持这种姿势，尤其是当男人搂她搂得比较低时。有经验的女人会向两个方向跟男人保持对称的抗衡力量：他的胸把她向后顶，而他的胳膊把她向前搂。有些女人在对抗时用力过猛，从而变得沉重。女人需要知道，与男人保持平衡是与他保持一种静止的匀速直线运动或匀速旋转运动，而不是与他摔跤角力。她应该小心地使用适当的抗衡，以避免变得沉重。

另一方面，男人应避免搂女人的腰，因为那可能限制她的行动，并在她软弱的部位增添压力。个子高大的男人应该用肚子而不是胸脯来带领身材矮小的女人。他应该避免前倾过多或弯腰撅腚，因为如果她的背部力量不足的话，那会导致她向后仰。随着她背部力量和平衡能力的增强，她或许能承受更大的压力，能更多地斜靠在男人身上以扩大运动的可能性，甚至想要男人搂着她的腰。男人经常看到有经验的舞者这样跳舞或那样跳舞。有些男人可能会在舞伴还没有这些能力之前就试着模仿他们。请记住，探戈可以以许多方式跳。每个人都应该选择适合自己舞伴能力的方式来跳舞。

Balance

The sense induced by the change of the body’s location and position is called the sense of equilibrium. The semicircular canal and vestibule in the inner ear are organs related to this sense. Those whose equilibrium organs are dysfunctional due to disease, drug or alcoholism cannot keep their balance well. Balance can be improved through training. Some people have developed better balance than others as a result. Woman gymnasts, for example, can do difficult movements on a balance beam. Acrobats depend on their good sense of equilibrium to do high-wire walking. Experienced dancers also have a good sense of equilibrium so they can stay balanced in complicated movements.

Dancing is like riding a bicycle. In bicycling one uses the wheel to keep balance. In dancing one uses the steps to keep balance. All dancers need to have a good sense of equilibrium, but a woman particularly needs so because she is the one being driven by the man in the dance. The man leads the woman by tilting her body in the direction that he wants her to move. How far she moves, however, is decided by her sense of equilibrium. If she steps not exactly where she should to keep her balance, she could fall. A falling woman relies on the man for her stability, thus becomes heavy. The man may like the feeling that the woman occasionally depends on him, but if she hangs on him all the time, and holds on to him in every turns and twists, it could be quite a burden for him. A woman needs to know that keeping her own balance is the key for her to be weightless in the dance. Some women habitually rely on men for their movement and stability; as a result, their sense of equilibrium fails to develop.

Tango has a unique balance problem because the two partners intimately lean on each other to form an A-shape frame in the dance. The A-shape frame is a stable frame in which the two partners support each other. An inexperienced woman often doesn't realize that her support for the man is equally important as his for her. If she leans backward, she could pull him off his balance. Sometimes the woman leans slightly more on the man than the man on the woman, which is okay because he is strong and she is light. However, if she leans too much on him, it could be heavy. Dancing in a leaning position demands strength on her back. A woman with a weak back cannot sustain in that position, especially when the man holds her low. An experienced woman maintains certain resistance in symmetry to the forces that the man applies on her in both directions—his chest pushes her out, and his arm pulls her in. Some women counteract men with too much force, thus become heavy. The woman needs to know that to balance the man is to maintain a state of stillness, uniform-speed rectilinear motion, or uniform-speed winding motion, not to do wrestling. She has to be careful about how much resistance she applies to counteract the man, and avoid being heavy.

The man, on the other hand, should avoid holding the woman on her waist, as this may restrict her movement and add pressure on her weak spot. A tall man should use his stomach rather than chest to lead a short woman. He should avoid leaning forward too much or bending his torso against the woman, as this may cause her to bend backward if she does not have a strong back. As her strength and balance improve, she may sustain more pressure, lean more on the man to expand her movement possibilities, or even want the man to hold her on her waist. Men often see experienced dancers dance this or that way, and some may try to imitate them before their partner is ready. Keep in mind that tango can be danced in many ways. One should choose a way that suits the ability of one's partner.