Argentine Tango lesson notes: 14th June 2009

16th 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")

Partnering up, we did some walking, to music, around the room.

Walking technique

We spent some time working on technique for walking.

Tips for the leader:

  • Ensure you walk in a straight line - no diagonal steps - and keep your forward foot on the inside of the follower's back foot.
  • Project first with your chest, and wait for the follower to move her feet back before you start to step.
  • Take your time with walking, you don't need to step on each beat - it's more important to get it right.

Tips for the follower:

  • With the back step, ensure you stretch out your back foot fully, and are grounded, before transferring weight back.
  • Don't anticipate.
  • Follow with confidence.

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Posture

Think "Eiffel Tower" shape:

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Pauses

It's worth using these, to acknowledge a pause in the music, or simply to ensure you have the right connection.

Rock-step

You can use the rock-step to navigate around corners, to pause in the dance, and to decorate / vary the steps.

The forwards-and-back rock-step is similar to the side-to-side transfer of weight used to establish connection at the start of the dance (the "balanaceo").

Tips:

  • Still walking forwards and back, just smaller
  • Rotate at the end points, not whilst walking
  • Keep rotation angles small.

Side step

You can use the side step to navigate around obstacles, and to launch into other steps such as ochos and giros.

Tips:

  • Preparation - "pre-leading" steps, to ensure that the follower is aware (even subconsciously) of what's coming next.
  • Difference between leading a change of weight and a side step.
  • Keep the feet together - leaders and followers

Ochos

We covered the following topics:
  • Getting into an ocho - side step > change-weight > pivot.
  • Forward / backward ochos
  • Getting out of an ocho

Practicing ochos with walks

Using them within a normal dance - getting used to the concept of getting into an ocho, and getting out of it, as a natural part of dancing.

Tips

  • Following: Keep your upper body facing your partner (dissociation). Balance.
  • Leading: Leaders must pivot their upper bodies; not the arms. Pivot, don't push.

Switching from forwards to back ochos and vice versa - by simply not rotating the follower.

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Giros

We did some "Linear giro" (grapevine) walking, facing the mirror, to get used to the basic movements.

We then spent some time leading giro patterns with simple rotations - if the lead simply turns, that's a good indication (for now) to the follower to do a giro pattern.

Lead footwork is not really relevant at the moment, so just shuffle round...

Follower exercise: 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)

(can also be done anti-clockwise, of course).

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Ganchos

Using the same sequence (getting into an ocho) as before, but on the second forward ocho, leader places his right foot in between the follower's feet, then leads a gancho with the backstep.

Tips:

  • Needs dissociation to make the twist work
  • Leader needs to get his leg right in between the follower leg.
  • Bending the knee also helps.

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End Video

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

- David Bailey, 16th June 2009

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