From the Spanish "Volcar", which is to lean, to drop, drop forward? Any Spanish speakers out there please correct me if this is in error. I know, anyone can look it up in the dictionary, but I am wondering which meaning applies to the tango move. I think this word is also used is sports.
I used to dislike volcadas, thinking them to be a hazard to health and safety the way it was being done. Also, being of milonguero style persuasion, it was out of bounds.
Of late though, I've noticed it was being led in the nicest modest way. Some of the big extravagant moves seen here by Homer and Christina Ladas can be done small as they would be anyway on a crowded floor. Seeing them big and swoopy just makes me weak in the knees, and having more strength now, and partners who know how to execute the move, I have been practicing them big and small. A big caution though, if the leader does not know what they are doing, it can be downright dangerous. Jaimes Friedgen taught a good workshop a while back that covered the non-negotiable basics. Wherever you are get some professional training before trying it. A YouTube video is probably not the way to learn it. But this one is inspiring.
12 comments:
Possibly the meaning is more "to lean" ? Or to swoon...
More like tip over or dump out.
More like tip over or dump out.
All I know is that it seems to be done to death :-(
Nancy, Thanks.
Johanna, Do you mean "done to death" in this video, (a demonstration of the move) or in general in performance or in the milongas?
I only see it here in milongas as a little bit of spice, and in the visiting performances, not much at all. I guess it is about using it with discretion, as in all seasoning.
A sweet, tiny, milonguero volcada, partaken of in moderation, can be an amazing thing...
Besides that, my favorite, although rarely pulled out of my hat, is a volcada on the close side from the cross...it's reserved for special followers....
I danced with a leader recently that executed a very small, very modest and sweet volcada that was divine. I had never had one lead so well and it was over before it even registered that it had happened, and it made me gooey it was so good!
I've also had people lead it that hurt me, and I have learned to just step forward when I feel it coming with those leaders. It scares me when they lead it.
In all honesty, I think it is something that should be lead with someone you dance often and well with, or for quite skilled dancers--both lead and follow. I don't appreciate it when it is dropped on me with no check-in to see if I can handle it. In most cases, the answer is no...I can't.
as a side note, E. will you be in Portland?
Mtnhigh:
Thanks for the thougtful comments. My teacher would also say to step forward when you don't feel good about the lead of the volcada.
Considering going to Portland, and will email you if we do. Probably just to a Saturday event.
E
Hi Elizabeth!
Nice topic. Volcadas can be also know as "back-breakers" and it usually happens when they are "led" by people that should be concentrating on learning the basics.
The other day, in a pratica, I saw someone teaching a volcada to a beginner that had been doing tango for 3 months. Now, imagine the back of the person that is going to dance with that person!
Volcadas are cool, they are fun and VERY dynamic. But they need to be taught with lot of attention.
Thanks for this post. Should be compulsive for "wanna be hot shots"...
Koolricky, Thanks for stopping by.
I agree that it is so crazy to teach this to beginners. What are people thinking?
E
I really enjoy them when they work, especially the little ones, which are dead easy and almost invisible and feel really floaty. But they work a lot better if I remember to do my push-ups!
It also really helps if the leader is taller than me - a lot less can go wrong, I think.
Hi Ms. Hedgehog,
Since I posted this, I have cooled off about the big volcada. It's O.K. when there is room. and truth to tell, there is only one guy, who is taller than me, and strong, who makes it feel natural, and like you say, almost invisible.
I have had a big ol' transformational experience here, with Detlef and Melina, which pretty much cancels out a lot of my "ideas" and "training". It is quite upsetting, in a good way, but it will take me some time to absorb. They are awesome, and I want to adopt them.
E
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