Argentine Tango lesson notes: 21/06/09

25th June 2009

This lesson covered the following topics:

Start Video

The main practice track played throughout the class was "Epoca", by Gotan Project, from the album "La Revancha del Tango".

Walking

We did some walking around the room, partnered up, in close embrace, using .

Tips for the leader:

  • Always keep contact, and ensure you have a "forwards intention" - don't lean back - if you do, your partner will feel off-balance as she'll have to lean forwards too much.
  • When walking forward, place your forward foot at the inside of the follower's forward foot - especially important with the left foot, as otherwise there's a tendency to place the foot on the outside of the follower's fowards foot.
  • Practice walking in a straight, narrow, line. Not as easy as it sounds!

Tips for the follower:

  • Always collect - or at least, travel through a "collection point".

More

More information about walking.

And more about walking.

Rock-step

The rock-step is a way to navigate around corners or to dance in place.

Like a normal step, it's done either forwards or backwards. And like a normal step, any rotation should only happen after taking the step - so don't step diagonally.

Ochos

Ochos - leading from practice hold (with the leader's hands behind his back), to ensure that the leader leads explicitly from the chest (centre), rather than using the arms to lead.

Preparation - "pre-leading" steps, to ensure that the follower is aware of what's coming next. This makes things so much smoother as a flow.

Homework - practice rotating upper body without rotating feet, as the lead for a pivot (ocho).

More

More information about ochos.

Giros

We spent some time working on giro technique, for follower and leader.

Leader: keep the rotation point (one of your feet) in one place - if you move the rotation point, the follower gets confused and may need to step further around.

Footwork-wise, leaders can do things like an Enrosque, but that's something for later.

Chair (bin) exercise for the follower

Walk around a stationary object on the floor (handbag / chair, for example), in the following four-step pattern going around the object clockwise:

  1. Forward onto right foot, pivot 90 degrees clockwise
  2. Sidestep onto left, then pivot 270 degrees clockwise (this is the tricky one)
  3. Step back onto right
  4. Sidestep onto left (back at the start position)

Repeat, anti-clockwise.

The trick, as always, is to separate the pivot from the step - pivot first, then step.

More

More information about giros.

End Video

Finished off with a video session - recording the results again.

- David Bailey, 25th June 2009

More information