What makes a good follower? What does it take to be kept busy dancing all night? Discover our last tips. If you have any other tip, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
5. Adornos, or adornments in English.
Followers who can embellish their part in the dance by adding a bit more to basic steps are usually recognised for knowing their stuff. Realising when is appropriate and when isn’t, is a crucial balance to get the hang of. As impressive as your boleos are, it may just become a bit annoying after number five… So get to know what your body’s strengths are, which adornments make you look good. Find out and use it! It’s not cheating; it’s working what you’ve got!
One last tip about adornments… What I think matters above anything when doing adornments: they have to be musical. Adornments are our way to express ourselves so we need to have something to say. Just flicking the leg for the sake of it won’t look that good… When doing adornments, we need to ‘mean’ them and really put our heart into them. It will show and make us shine on the dancefloor.
Bonus: a great follower… follows!
The Argentines call it ‘entregar’: to give in, to surrender. A great follower is someone who truly surrenders to the lead, who switches off her brain and lets her heart talk. She enjoys the moment, the embrace, the beat, the tango dialogue. This is tango at its best.
To conclude, a good follower will have their own strength and balance, focus on developing a personal style and work on precision. She’ll also… follow! Get these right and you’ll stand out above the rest.
Already published: core strength and style and balance and precision
Abrazo, Nathalie & Emma
If you want more tips about being a good follower, you can have a look at our Argentine tango classes.
