Every week, you’ll find on our blog class notes and a summary video from our Wednesday and Sunday tango group classes.

These video and notes are meant to help our students remember what they’ve done in class.

This month, we are looking at steps inspired by old school milongueros, these couples who danced during the Golden Age of tango and who paved the way. We are encouraging you strongly to watch videos of each of these couples on Youtube. The steps we are showing in class are inspired by these old school milongueros, but if you want to have a better idea of their own individual style, musicality, elegance, you’ll need to watch their videos. We’ll be posting quite a few videos on our blog too, so come back often!

Dimension: Immersion - Theme: Steps inspired by Osvaldo and Coca

In this class, we focused on our favourite old school milongueros, Osvaldo and Coca, which musicality and playfulness we simply can't get enough of. There are loads of videos of them on Youtube, just look for Osvaldo Coca Tango.

Summary video

 

Beginners & improvers: Changes of weight going sideways

Top tips

  • Both: In the changes of weight, make sure you keep your feet neatly together.

 

Intermediates & up: Leader’s adornment and sacada

Top tips

  • Leaders: When you do the adornment, you need to be quick to stay on the beat. You also need to try and “muffle” the movements from your chest so that your partner doesn’t start moving with you.
  • Followers: In the sacada, make sure you don’t allow your free leg to cross over the natural alignment of your hips. If you start crossing, it will make the leader’s next step quite difficult.

 

Intermediates & up: Reverse walk from Osvaldo

Top tips

  • Leaders: To lead the cross, you need to “associate”, e.g. move the same shoulder as the leg that goes forward.
  • Followers: This step requires you to be a bit open minded, it’s not very complicated, but it’s true that we don’t often cross from both legs.

 

Intermediates & up: Asynchronous walk backwards

Top tips

  • Leaders: In this step as well, you need to “muffle” your moves so that your partner continues walking on the beat.
  • Followers: In this step, you only need to walk forward with confidence. In tango, it’s often easier said than done but give it a try!

 

Homework

Top tips

  • Beginners: Practice the changes of weight.
  • Intermediates: Leaders – Practice the footwork for the sacada. Followers – practice not allowing the free leg to cross over its natural alignment.