I want to add tango-y footwork to my MJ

1st December 2008

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"If at first you don't succeed, try a craftier way" - Winker Watson.

Introduction

Tango moves: they look cool, have great musicality and can usually be done in a fairly small space.

There's a fairly limited number of moves that will actually work on a partner who doesn't already know them. Unfortunately the distinction between these moves, and moves that require prior knowledge, isn't often clearly drawn in practice.

On the whole, the more "basic" the move is in tango (e.g. ochos, the cross), the harder it is to lead on an MJer. The more "advanced" it is in tango (e.g. volcadas, colgadas, or lunges), the easier it is to lead on an MJer.

Set yourself a reasonable amount of time to learn the move - at most 4 times as long as it would take you to learn a new MJ move. If after that it isn't working, I strongly recommend that you ditch it.

How to do it

Well the most important thing is this - It Can Be Done!

But as always there's a catch. The dynamics of leading walking changes depending on the music.

On the whole, MJ is much closer to milonga than salon tango. But most teachers only teach milonga here and there. In fact you're more likely to learn about boleos than milonga by going to most schools. Which is strange given that they can constitute a third of the dance at well, milonga. (Just in case this is getting totally confusing, those crazy Argentineans have helpfully named both "tango freestyle" and a rather un-tango-like version of tango, as the same word - "milonga").

The Rule of Threes

Make your own life easier. Either lead one step forward / back or three.

Don't play in traffic

While it seems like you should stand directly in front of her in say a manhatten / tango hold, it's a really bad idea if you want to lead more than one step.

Get slightly off-centre to your left so that your right foot is actually between her feet. This means lots of wonderful things happen.

Say you're leading her to take 3 steps backwards. The first one is kind of a given because she's going to step back on her right foot as part of a manhatten anyway. It's the next step that's the problem, specifically you crashing your right foot into her left. By being off-centre, you'll actually slip by her left foot (even if she doesn't move it) into a natural sacada, not to mention having an incredibly obvious "Step Back" lead at this point.

Likewise when led to take 3 steps forwards, a lot of women adopt a wide-legged stance and try to step outside your feet rather than risk stepping on them. Being off-set helps mitigate this a lot.

Sidesteps

Unless the follower already knows how to do a sidestep, I reckon your best hope for leading one is to be in close embrace. Circular sidesteps are a bit different - if you look at a rotating armjive, the woman's natural footwork bears a resemblance to that of a giro.

Columbians / Linear Giros

As I said earlier - It Can Be Done! (Without whispering "Columbian").

OK, firstly it's easier to lead Americanas instead; this is a good starting place to practice, and also to see how the follower responds.

Secondly bear in mind you're going to want some way to stop your Columbian at some point. As for the how - pay attention when you're taught ochos, particularly backwards ochos. It's really likely you'll learn a version that starts with a sidestep left. Then pay attention when you're learning a giro. Then change the amount of rotation so that instead of going round in a circle you just go in a straight line.

Having said that, if the follower isn't familiar with sidesteps you're probably going to end up with an Americana.

Lunges / poses

Lunges are your friend. They're probably one of the few times a MJ follower will actually remain still with her weight on one leg for as long as you want (or until she gets really tired). You can make them easier to lead by using a barrida to sweep her free foot where you want it to go. If she won't sidestep, you can still lead a lunge where you're both facing the same direction

Ochos

Forget it! Well ok, if you must, go to close embrace and do milonga style backwards ochos. Read this article for more info.

Who's regularly teaching milonga?

 - Christopher O'Shea, 1st December 2008