Nobody is born with skills to play piano. Playing an instrument even just to a satisfactory extent takes a lot of practice. I mean, practice of "basics", in order for you to play and others can enjoy the "music", not noise.
"Basics" for an art are a set of physical movements that you use for the particular art. "Practice basics" means that you practice them so that you can use the moves with ease, fluently, and even beautifully or gracefully, eventually to communicate the art to others.
Let's get back to the piano example. Imagine a keyboard of piano. Place your right thumb on C, pointing finger on D, and ring finger on F. Then you hit E with middle finger and G with pinky finger in an alternative manner. Repeat it 20 times.
Can you do it? Can you do it smoothly?
How about, changing the finger combination? Say, place thumb, middle, and pinky on C, E, and G, and move only pointing finger and ring finger, hitting D and F?
Personally, at first I couldn't even lift ring finger. It took finger stretching, warm-up and practice, only to be able to barely hit the keys.
I picked up this exercise from a blog by a professional pianist. These exercises are "basics" for pianists.
Now, Argentine Tango has basics.
If you try to break Tango moves down, they can be simplified, like I attempted in my "Beginning Argentine Tango" book.
Walking is a directional move, shifting your weight-carrying axis leg from one to another. Pivoting on a leg is a rotational move, when, generally, you stay at the place. If you are a lead, you'd "lift her" to signal your intention for her to stay there on her axis. Giro/molinette is combination of walking and rotational move, side-back-side-front, ....etc.etc.
However, there are aesthetically-pleasing ways (and not-so-pleasing ways) to do them.
Do the following beautifully in front of the mirror.
Stand on a leg/an axis.
Have defined alignment in the body (like T-position while she is standing).
Collect ankles.
Pivot on a leg.
Take cross-legged T position and stay in balance.
....there are many "basics" and countless drills to reinforce beauty of them.
If you center "your feelings" for learning the dance, you may miss or neglect these technical aspects.
And these technical aspects of "basics" are the source of aesthetically-pleasing, good-looking dance that can appeal to others.
Winter break is over. I'm back to work and to my sedentary "Professor's" life style. But I also started to practice Tango "basics" on occasion. The cross-legged t-position for Tango lifts (as in my 12/18/2017 entry) is not as hurting as before. That is good. Body is honest. What you build is what you show. It is as simple as that.
