Absorbing a Marca

Absorbing a Marca

There are reasons why the woman in a dancing couple would not want to do what is marked by her partner, including safety (theirs and others) and preference (e.g. no leg wrap over this man). When she does not like an incoming marca, what can she do?

For a marca not to be followed, it can be absorbed or resisted, and absorption is better than resistance. A marca usually comes as pressure, and resisting a marca is to oppose the pressure, while absorbing it is to 1) temporarily disconnect the marca points and the other body parts so that the marca will not propagate beyond the area where the marca is applied and/or 2) subdue the effect of the marca along the way from the marca points to the target area.

For example, when a man marks a back pivot and a front pivot to produce a boleo, if the woman resists the rotation of her upper body to prevent the turn of her lower body, she is resisting the marcas. On the other hand, if she follows the marcas for the pivots just with her shoulders but disconnects the shoulders from the other parts of her body, the marcas are absorbed by the shoulders moving alone without affecting her lower body, thus preventing the boleo. Alternatively, she can also subdue the effect of the marcas gradually from her upper body to her free foot, so that a much subdued boleo is produced.

Resisting a marca denies the partner’s intention and can create a tug of war. Absorbing a marca accepts the partner’s intention but dissipates its effect in the woman’s body. In the sense of acceptance/denial and stopping/continuing the dance, absorption is a smarter choice.

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