Ghost Guide To Tango: Walking

Introduction

This article is the first of a series, exploring various aspects of dancing tango. Once these articles have all been created, we will collate them, revise them, and organise them into a general guide.

This article discusses the topic of "walking".

Leading steps

To let your partner know when you're about to start before taking the first step, inhale and lift, then you can both step with the lead's exhale (follow will match breathing). This is a very useful signal to start moving, and it feels more natural.

Project from your chest.

Rotate chest slightly as you take forward steps to the side of the leg the leader is stepping with - the lead is kind of putting his leading knee under his opposite elbow - the follow should also rotate her chest to try and stay in front of you. You end up doing somewhat of a snake pattern rather than walking robot style in a a straight line.

If leading three consecutive steps forwards, it's one continuous lead, not three sequential leads.

In collect, leader's trailing leg stays slightly trailing. Slight curve on trailing foot when doing 90 degree shifts allows more fluid continuous movement. Trailing leg ends up toes in front legs' instep and trailing knee in back / side of front knee.

General Technique

The power in the step comes from the trailing foot pushing off - it is similar to the pushing off action in skating.

Make steps "definite" rather than "shufflely".

You can add foot taps on steps - adornments. Also useful to show when to do stealth weight changes / or moves when you need to get slightly ahead - for example, sacadas

At the "collect" point, raise heels off floor slightly to prevent up and down "bobbing" motion.

At the point where you've stepped off your trailing foot as much as possible - this is your "tallest" moment - more or an energy / charisma thing

"Make love to the floor" - keep caressing it with your feet. Useful to try and feel the slats of the floor through the soles of your shoes. You can also practice dancing on two pieces of kitchen roll.

Keep your thighs together as much as possible and brushing past each other. Can bring thighs together at beginning of sidestep. Can also think of it as collecting at the knees.

Avoid the "wet knickers look" by straightening out your legs.

Foot movement is like "striking a match" along the floor

Weight forward on toes especially when taking smaller steps

There may be some up and down motion, but it's smooth like a sine wave ~~~~~~~~ and not jerky bobbing \/\/\/, or a sudden dip into a gentle incline up \___----. Also a feeling of projecting "Up" from / through the chest as you step rather than "down and then up".

Dance heart to heart

Make "S" shape with walks, but feet stay on either side of an imaginary line - they don't cross it.

Both make "s" shape around each other. Movement comes from the shoulders

The slower the music, the longer the steps and the more technique you use

At end of step add a tiny loop to redirect movement into next step. IF stationary do a tiny loop in the opposite way you want to go first. The woman is providing a certain degree of resistance through her frame and that's what's powers the initial beginning of the lead. It's almost like you let her lead you into the step.

Stepping sideways

Keep inside edge of foot along floor. Trying to get arch of foot parallel with floor (impossible but hey). "Walking around a boulder" results in the leader angling his body slightly in the direction he's just come

Foot moves to side and heart is moved back over it.

Stepping forwards

Start with inside edge of foot on floor shifting to outside as you step forwards. Rotate leg out. Means that the soft part makes contact in sacadas etc.

Foot stays under heart as you step forwards.

Knee leads step onto a straight leg. Concentrate on this leg supporting UP. Rear leg straightens. As trailing leg comes into collect, trailing leg goes into the hip slightly (hip abductor) both legs soften. Front leg ankle flexes to offset loss of height. Rear leg is brought in by twisting hips rather than moving foot cf enrosque / ochos action of the head then shoulders turning to face side of forward foot. Also allows for really smooth pivots.

Stepping backwards

Start with outside edge of foot on floor shifting to inside as you step backwards

Foot moves behind and Centre Of Gravity is moved back over it.

Keep weight forwards

Don't "sickle" foot

At end of step can scoot foot a bit further

Change of direction


Entrance
From back ochos, reverse and rock around. Sets up both stepping forward on same foot. This is very useful as an alternative to simple rock-stepping, when there's no forwards space to move into, and can set you up to move in a different direction (where there may be more space).

Technique
Need to be close. Lead's right hand on follow's right rib - uses it to gently pull her around.

The embrace changes. Effectively put her right hand in towards her right rib so that she has to turn more to re-form the embrace on her right side. Leader's right hand is also on the back of her right ribs adding an impulse. The position of the leader's right elbow changes. His upper right arm opens out more (pretty much as far as possible) so his elbow is now further back.

Sidestep right. Lead steps backwards on left, follow forwards on her right. She takes a sidestep (like second half of a w Manhattan). Lead brings his right foot to cross in front of his left. Chest leads her to take a step back as he pivots 180 cw and his right foot follows her right foot to cross system. NB done properly there's a "sucking" / "magnetic" quality from the follow on the turn and last step. The lead has effectively done one step less than her allowing the shift to cross system.

The same move can be done from a sidestep left followed by leading the follow to take a backstep, her left, lead's right. There are 3 options from this point.
1. Go straight to the second sidestep part of the above
2. Follow takes another step back. Now begin from after the sidestep above
3. Lead takes two steps back and then goes to the second sidestep above

Rebounds

Half giro
Sidestep left, follow steps back then left then forwards.

The first sidestep left is purely to help get into the move of back - side - forwards

Technique - Rebound vs Linear boleo
In a rebound the embrace stays at a constant distance rather than a linear boleo where the embrace expands as she goes out and then retracts as she reverses direction. The up - down feeling like a cradle rocking is the same for both

Notes Builds up speed / momentum for successive moves e.g. linear boleos

Salon / Vals / Milonga

Salon - allows pauses. Steps naturally follow steps. Pivots naturally follow steps. Pivots naturally follow pivots. However steps won't necessarily naturally follow pivots, so the leader needs to take more care in judging the follower’s ability and be more careful when changing from pivots to steps. It can help for the Lead to take the step with her or at least be off-set in the direction he wants her to go.

Vals - Vals is continuous and very circular. 3/4. Include lots of crosses where the cross is on the split beat. Do not do sandwiches and barridas in vals. It kills all the momentum and circular movement to the music.

Milonga - hesitations can be more naturally swapped for steps. Take smaller steps. It's much easier if the leader is offset to the left of the follower. Milonga is 2/4 time you generally do not stop. If cannot progress you rock or balanceo out steps.

Pivots

Bend knees. Come up onto toes to prevent losing height. Keep both feet touching the ground for balance. Sequence is usually head, shoulders, chest, waist, hips. knees. Keep knees together. Use the inside - outside part of trailing foot as if walking

Generally keep knees and ankles together unless doing some kind of ronde.

Only use the actual energy you need so you don't have to kill it at the end of the pivot

Stealth weight changes

Basically taking two steps per beat to her one.

1. Can take them near the end after she's committed to her step.

2. Can take them at the beginning by collecting into a 90 degree pivot and stepping out on the other foot.

3. Can hook my trailing foot behind my front foot as I collect and step out with front foot

4. When her legs are apart

Leading steps vs leading weight changes

You can differentiate between leading a weight change, and leading a step. And the good news is that it works on side, forward and back steps. The trick is to use the "Up over and down" version for a change of weight, and the inverse ("down, under and up") version for a step.

Note: bear in mind that this is a tiny motion, the smaller the better, as long as you can clearly differentiate the two movements.

 - Christopher O'Shea