Reading The Tea

I think a lot of dancers forget that the head is a part of the body, especially in partner dance. I see people at milongas, and even in performances with their heads held stiffly, heavy spheres tacked onto the beautifully moving body. Often amazing (even “famous”) leaders make my neck hurt just looking at their necks craning forward. The skull is heavy, but should seem to float above, like a helium balloon. Your neck (the string) is the only thing that keeps it attached. To me one of the most interesting things about the helium balloon imagery is that a balloon is never stiff. (Tango dancers!) The head can “float” high, without collecting tension. At the same time, it is a continuation of the spine, the vertebra. If doing a stomach contraction (using the spine) or body ripples, consider continuing the line through your skull (Blues dancers!).
Thinking about how the head relates to the rest of the body is interesting when watching these robots dancing. A lot of early non-human dance looked so “robotic” precisely because the body parts performed in isolation from each other. This one is pretty amazing.