The axis and its role in the walk
By Nicolás Bottega
I would like to discuss about the leaning position of the axis of the dancer in the walk. Tango is founded on the natural movements of the body, and certain conditions exist which effect this naturalness. Physical movement in everyday life is facilitated by the accommodation of the axis to the movement. Let’s analyze these changes, from a state of idleness up to the state of running. This will help us understand how the movement of tango works.
The axis in everyday life movement
The axis is an imaginary line that runs the vertical length of the human body that may vary in its degrees of inclination in relation to the floor. When we stand still, the axis is perpendicular to the floor. But to initiate forward movement, the first thing that happens is that the axis inclines forward in preparation for the movement. With such preparatory inclination, what the body does is to generate an imbalance of weight that will be used to generate a tendency to fall forward. To use the gravity force in order to fall is very important for movement, and jointly with the pushing force exerted by the base leg, constitute the engine of it. This falling force is recycled in each new step, and reutilized with the help of inertia. The use of this imbalance proposed by the axis makes possible a walk with less expense of energy, therefore more efficient.
But as the speed and size of the steps increases, a greater imbalance of the axis is required so that more directional momentum can be generated. This means that the axis begins to incline more and more, reaching its maximum inclination when we run at our full capacity.
On the other hand, to stop running, the first thing the body does is incline the axis backwards, in order to generate a new imbalance which can produce a force of falling back, this time to assist braking.
In addition, since the body is inclined in opposition to the direction to where the force is exerted, the feet can traction the effort of the legs in a more effective manner, either for beginning movement or for cutting inertia.
For example, when we walk uphill we lean forwards since we need a bigger effort than the usual. The forward leaning allow us to achieve a greater imbalance, and also helps us to traction the extra effort. The opposite occurs when we walk downhill, since we need to brake so we lean backwards, to control our walk.
The axis in Tango movement
Understanding how the axis works in everyday life is crucial in understanding the movement in tango. A body moving naturally moves logically. This helps us achieve a clear communication, since all bodies moves in such logical manner. As such, the inclination of the axis becomes crucial information in the communication with our partner.
When the leader walks forwards, therefore leaning forward, the follower walks backwards. It is here that we are confronted with a problem; because it turns out that the human body is not as adapted at walking backwards as it is at walking forwards, so it lacks logical clarity. But it is necessary to keep in mind that in the movement of tango there are rules which condition the natural movement of the body in order to be able to move as a couple, which is unnatural.
In tango, the most natural way to walk backwards is by leaning the axis forwards. This time it will not be for the use of gravity, but for the traction that the foot can provide. When the axis is leant forward it sits in line with the base of the toe, which means its weight is concentrated on the toes and in the ball of the foot. When the axis starts its backward movement, the base of the axis (and therefore the weight of the body) rolls from the toes to the metatarsal, along the arc of the foot and onto the heel. The longer the roll of the base of the axis along the base of the foot, the more traction the foot will have to the floor, meaning that the more force and control of the movement it will be able to exert in taking a longer step. So more leaning, means more traction, and the possibility of taking longer steps.
So, both roles, as they increase the size of their steps, have an increase of the need to inclining forwards equally, and so this inclination becomes a determining factor of communication. If the leader moves naturally and therefore logically, the follower has only to adapt their inclination to match the leader’s, and thus be equally prepared to take a step.
The different possibilities of inclination of the axes also produce changes in the contact points of the embrace. For instance, being the axes perpendicular to the floor, it is possible that contact exists through all the torso and abdomen. But as the leaning increases, the contact points necessarily will have to roll up to the upper torso and the bellies will stop touching. We can even consider a situation of extreme inclination, like a big volcada, in which the contact points have to be moved from the upper part of the torso towards the arms.
Finally, as I understand it, the axis in tango can also be inclined backwards. Generally when slowing down in the dance, it is a slow deceleration, and it is almost unnecessary to incline backwards to slow down, just like when walking we do not incline backwards to slow down. We just simply decelerate. Even in this situation there is an effort of the axis to readjust, but it consists mostly in returning to its perpendicular position.
But there are situations when a bigger effort in slowing down is required, which can happen during moments when the pace of the dance is particularly fast. This leads the dancers to make abrupt changes in the directions, and at this point it becomes essential the assistance of the axis in slowing down. And so, the axis inclines backwards to do it, in the same way as when we stop when we are running.
A good example of how the axis can lean backwards to assist slowing down, can be seen in the milonga. Musically, the pace of the milonga does not afford the dancers to take too long in taking a step. This is why the dancers perform mostly linear steps. In such linear steps, especially when the dancers move backwards and forwards, the displacement of the axis is minimal, but the legs can move rapidly. If we were to observe a couple from a profile position, we could see that the head of the dancers seem to stay in place, even if the legs where moving at great speed. This is because the movement of the couple functions in a similar manner as a pendulum, in which their upper parts are relatively fixed, and the lower parts oscillate back and forth. This is what enables a rapid leg movement with little axis displacement.
The axis leaning sideways?
What if we were to walk or run forward but in a circle, as if we were circling the chairs in the game of musical chairs? Anyone who has ridden a bicycle or a motorbike at least once in his life, knows that you have to turn using the inclination of the body to where you intend to turn, and no so much with the handlebars. The same happens when you walk or run on closed circle, especially if you tried to do it fast. The axis tilts to the side to generate an imbalance towards "inside" that circle to help the turn, by compensating the centrifugal force (which is merely a variation of inertia) generated by this circular motion.
In the dance, the same can happen when a circular walk describes sharp curves. I believe that is a very important tool to be able to use an inclination to the sides for this type of movements, proportional to the intensity of the curve and of the walk. And, what would happen in a giro? I leave the question posed to continue discussing about it at another time in greater depth.
Conclusions
The inclination of the axis plays an important role in the linear walk. This inclination can be forwards, as in most movements, or backwards, as a tool to assist braking.It can even be to the sides, like in the circular walk. For this reason it can be a great means of communication between a couple, since according to the leader’s predisposition of their axis, it can be easily interpreted what their intends to do and how.
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