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.

Dimension: Interactions - Theme: Sacada

Sacadas are very traditional tango steps where one of the dancers steps in between the feet of the other. We started with the simplest sacada from a forward ocho, before discovering two linear sacadas, e.g. sacadas produced when both dancers are walking in a straight line.

Summary video



 

Beginners & improvers: Sacada from forward ocho

Top tips

  • Leaders: The sacada is just a normal step: don’t delay your transfer of weight or reach our only with the free leg. Although sacadas feel scary at first, try and just walk forward as normally as possible.
  • Followers: Take a large step in your forward ocho or the leader won’t have enough time and space to do the sacada.

 

Intermediates: Walking sacada into back cross

Top tips

  • Leaders: Don’t try and create the sacada by pushing your partner with the knee. Instead, try and step as close to her foot as possible. As you transfer your weight to your front leg, this will create the sacada.
  • Followers: This sacada can have quite a lot of energy so try and control your free leg (so that it doesn’t become a “wild leg”, eg. keep your foot pointed and aim to bring your foot back in contact with the floor as soon as possible.

 

Intermediates: Walking sacada into boleo

Top tips

  • Leaders: You need to carry on walking to create the boleo.
  • Followers: In this boleo, there is not a lot of pivot. Try and keep your knees together during the boleo to create nice lines.

 

Homework

Top tips

  • Leaders: Practise the sacada sequences on your own. Sacadas are hard to master so it’s always better to practise it on your own, it increases the chance of success with your partner.
  • Followers: Practice what we call “dry boleos”, e.g. boleos on the floor with no pivot. This is the foundation of all boleos and will help you encounter the whip effect. Keep your knees together and with your free leg, draw a half circle on the floor. At the end of the move, the knee of the free leg should be tucked behind the knee of the supporting leg, and your foot should be pointed..

 

See you soon on the dancefloor,

Nati y Bruno