Proprioception and tango BY STEVE MORRALL
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Proprioception means, literally, our sense of self. The word refers to the sensory information coming from sensors in the body telling us where it is and what it is doing.

In tango we need to extend our sense of self to encompass our partner. Each dancer needs to be proprioceptive about the other. To be one dancer with four legs we need to know where the other person is and what they are doing.

Experts in any movement have acquired and use this skill without much thought. It comes naturally to them. A carpenter extends his sense of self to include a hammer and calculate through sensory information how to use the tool as an extension of self to drive a nail into wood.

A blind person extends their sense of self to the tip of their cane, a musician becomes part of their instrument. To all of us, a knife and fork become more than utensils, they are extensions of our fingers.

In dance, especially in tango, to become experts in shared movement, we need to learn how to extend ourselves through our partner's body - an extension that is continually changing shape, balance, axis and position.

Consider what would happen if the hammer , for instance, had a hollow rubber handle.

The Argentinians say that the embrace tells them everything they need to know about a partner. They are commenting on shared proprioception - the ability for both dancers to present themselves to be part of the other person and extend themselves through the other person.

Only when both dancers can continuously feel each other's contact with the floor through the embrace will they be able to dance like one body with four legs. They have both extended their sense of self to encompass the other person.

Check out the BBC's website for more information on proprioception.