Soltadas are not my bread & butter. I love the embrace too much. Yet I admire acclaimed dancers who use soltadas to good effect. For example, I find this waltz by Murat Erdemsel & Sigrid van Tilbeurgh mesmerizing, and the soltadas seem to fit perfectly.
Over the years I've taken several soltada workshops and gradually refined one version that I used occasionally to add variety to my dance. I tended to reserve it for tandas with alternative/nuevoish music, and for situations where the pista was not crowded. What follows is a cautionary tale of a soltada sorrow. Leaders be warned... Many years before Covid I was at a milonga and noticed an out-of-town follower across the room. I knew her reputation as an extremely talented dancer and experienced tanguera. She was actively scanning the room for a cabeceo. I cabeceoed. She nodded and smiled. We embraced and danced. The first song was a warmup, just basic getting-to-know-you vocabulary. Things went well until 1/2 way through the second song. The floor was almost empty and something triggered me to lead my signature soltada. I'd like to think it was to express a special moment in the music, but more likely it was curiosity to explore what she was capable of. Almost immediately she stopped in her tracks, looked at me and said "Please don't ever lead that again". I was stunned. That had never happened in years of milongas. I simply nodded and we resumed the tanda without further incident. I didn't know if the soltada caused a physical discomfort, or if she simply didn't like to break the embrace. It was during the peak of the "no means no" era, so etiquette prevented me from inquiring about her reasons. The next time she visited I attempted to cabeceo her for 3-4 different tandas, but she seemed to be avoiding me. Okay. The next time she visited I attempted to cabeceo her again, for 2-3 tandas, but she seemed to be avoiding me. Okay. The next time she visited I attempted to cabeceo her for 1-2 tandas, but she seemed to be avoiding me. Okay. There seemed to be a pattern. She clearly understood and participated in cabeceo so her repeated rejection of my cabeceo suggested that I had lost her trust and been put on her blacklist. I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable so at the next milonga I didn't try to cabeceo her at all. And to my regret we have never danced again. Leaders beware ... some followers detest soltadas. This blog gives you a sample of how some tangueras feel. My advice to leaders ... Soltadas are probably safe to lead if you're dancing with beginner/intermediates. They will tend to be happy to follow anything that is led. But if you're dancing with an experienced follower for the first time, it might be wise to gain prior consent before leading soltadas. I'm curious to hear what other leaders and followers have experienced.
8 Comments
Rafael
7/31/2022 06:01:26 pm
If by soltadas you mean the moves where she does turns towards the end of the video, yes they're nice to see when well executed. They're very common in other dances like Salsa, merengue, etc.
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Jerry
7/31/2022 06:42:00 pm
Yes, the soltadas occurred near the end of the video when the embrace was broken.
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Trini
8/2/2022 08:27:12 pm
Rafael, I only recall taking one workshop on soltadas, dancing the woman's part, at 7+ years ago, and I think I came to the same conclusion as you in that they were showy moves, but "meh". I have to say that when I am led into them, though, I can't help but laugh. And I think that's the best thing about them - making her smile or laugh. When we were working on soltadas at the practica and I was dancing the man's part, I found that not taking it seriously was the trick to enjoying them. If someone tried to invite me to soltada during DiSarli or Pugliese, I'd think "What the ....!" I believe we were practicing to Donato. Also, when the man does the soltada, but the woman just does her molinete, it's an easy move you can do with an intermediate partner as it doesn't require anything different from her so it would be safe to spring on her.
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Trini
7/31/2022 06:39:15 pm
I'm a woman and I'm not a big fan of soltadas, but she was rude,. Milongas are social, and should be treated as such. The cabaceo is used to avoid embarrassment, so her displeasure should have been expressed in different ways. She could have just ignored your invitation to soltada or responded differently. She could have just smiled and acted dumb. She could have said just said with a smile, "I'm not a fan of soltadas" instead of imposing a condition on your dance. Personally, I don't like backward linear boleos (forward ones are fine since I know what's in front of me), so when someone leads me into one, I stop my free leg short. The men figure out not to lead it (and whether they think I don't like them or don't know how to do them doesn't matter to me)
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Jerry
7/31/2022 06:51:57 pm
I would agree with you that the follower does most of the work in some versions of soltadas. Somewhat similar to the situation with ochos.with big pivots.
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Jerry
7/31/2022 07:20:23 pm
Trini, you said " She could have said just said with a smile, "I'm not a fan of soltadas" instead of imposing a condition on your dance." Yes, I agree that would have definitely softened the impact.
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Jennifer
8/1/2022 12:42:48 pm
It's really impossible to know why someone behaves a certain way unless you know them well enough to be able to ask. Perhaps a former partner led soltadas routinely with her and so yours was an emotional trigger. Or perhaps she twisted her ankle the last time she tried one. There are any number of possibilities. But I agree with Trini that her reaction was rude and undeserved.
Jennifer
8/1/2022 12:41:30 pm
I have experienced dancing with many leaders who lead something that I do not know or is not yet comfortable for me. Usually I improvise and sometimes I am confused but recover with the next beat and we move on. Sometimes I will later ask about it to understand their intention. My only complaint is when leaders repeatedly lead a sequence during a milonga when it's clear that it's not working. That can feel like torture and makes me less likely to want to dance another tanda. But that's not what you did. You respectfully continued on in the dance and refrained from repeating it. I don't see how you could have handled yourself differently.
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AuthorThis blog is devoted to Argentine tango. It reflects my experiences during my tango journey. I hope you will enrich this blog by adding your experiences and insights into tango. Archives
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