How long did it take for the posture to become part of your dance? Something, that you don’t really think about, instead of a workout?
Or are you still wondering why it feels so stiff, so robotic, so unnatural?
Why does our posture feel unnatural?
Well, the answer is a lot simpler than you might think…
Because you are NOT natural when you dance!

Yes, yes you read that right! This is not a typo.
You are NOT natural when you dance, and I will prove it to you in one second…
As you are reading this do you look like this:
Photo credit NatBat via Foter.com CC/ BY-NCSA
Or maybe like this:
Photo credit mrbootle via Foter.com CC/ BY-NC
hahaha
Right!

Before you say: “But Chrisa, this is sitting down…”

Think again:
Photo credit gamsiz via Foter.com CC/ BY
The truth is we all have bad posture in our everyday lives so what our bodies, know as “natural” is NOT good posture and it certainly is NOT good Tango posture..!

Step#1, therefore, is to fix your posture in general.

• Realign the neck that is usually being pulled forward, bring it to an almost vertical position
• Open up the chest by bring the collarbone up until your sternum has opened up and your shoulders feel relaxed
• And realign your hips to your shoulders, following the line of the spine, avoiding overarching or over-curving the lower spine

Jeff Cavaliere of Athlean X has a great video hitting all these pointers and more, so here you go:

But this is not ALL…One more important reason, your posture feels unnatural
You are trying so hard to copy idol’s posture or follow your teacher’s cues that you are creating more strain than gain in your body.

Let’s put it to the test…
So, stand up and follow all these commonly used cues:

• Squeeze your shoulder blades together and take the chest forward
• Pull your shoulders back and down
• Bring bellybutton to spine
• Take the hips back while reaching towards your partner
• Hold everything together AND DANCE!

Oh! That must feel wonderful…NOT!

So inevitably…this is Step#2: Delete all preset images and cues of Tango posture
LET IT GO!

And then Step#3: Reconstruct! Following the line of your spine and through understanding the different options in movement your spine has.

Because if your posture in “GOOD” by all Tango rules BUT you are dancing like a robot, it is not goo enough.

Give yourselves the chance to discover how YOU want to dance, make the posture YOUR personal dance, a small victory, something you feel AMAZING about.
Turn the rules into goals instead of burdens!

So in the video that follows, DON’T copy me!

Instead follow the video like a series of action steps, but let yourself carve the path from one step to the next.
And forget to enjoy the journey!

Here is your video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYLzEoMc9-4

Story posted by: Chrisa Assis

About the author: Professional Dancer, Teacher, Writer from Toronto

Published: 18 Apr 2017 @ 18:05

Last modified: 25 Mar 2019 @ 10:39