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.

Theme: Sudden changes of direction

When the music changes, it's quite nice to be able to reflect this in your dancing. One way to do this is to change directions. In this class, we've seen a couple of 180-degree turns, some quite simple for beginners and other a bit more advanced from the Americana position. Elegant and sophisticated, a must in your repertoire of tango steps.

Summary video



 

Beginners: Turn to the leader’s right side

Leaders

  • This step starts with a rebound forward, out of which you’re leading the follower to step forward to your right. To make her step to your side, you need to slightly dissociate and create space to your side by bringing your right foot a little bit to the left as you do the rebound. If not, your partner might step in line, e.g. in front of you, which then makes it hard for both of you to complete the turn.
  • As she steps forward, lift her gently with the back hand and open your torso to the right until you have your back to the line of dance. To make your partner turn around you in only 2 steps, you will need to open your torso quite quickly. Your partner will be aiming at stepping on the beat in front of your torso. If you want her to go all the way around you, your torso should go all around in 1 beat.

Followers

  • You should feel that the leader is inviting you to step to his side. Don’t resist the lead to go forward!
  • After the forward step, you’ll need to keep a strong dissociation, and go around him with your free leg. Your aim is to complete a 180-degree turn in two steps so you’ll need to push with the right leg to be able to make it all the way around!
  • Make sure you keep your feet on the floor, otherwise you’ll find it quite hard to go all the way around your partner.

Both

  • Rebounds always have an energy towards yourself, never outwards. When doing a rebound, imagine the floor is hot and as soon as your foot touches the floor, you recoil and push away. There is no stomping in any rebound and the rebound is managed from the free leg. Forward, it’s easier to use the ball of the foot only and leave the heel off the floor. Backwards, it’s important not to let the heel collapse and to keep it high and off the floor.
  • Rebounds imply a partial transfer of weight and of axis. If you don’t transfer your weight at all, it is not a rebound and if you transfer your weight fully, then it simply is a step.
  • When the follower is to the leader’s side, both partners need to maintain the connection active by dissociating their torsos towards one another.

 

Beginners: Turn to the leader’s right side

The same technique applies, but this time, to the other side.

 

Improvers: Simultaneous turn of the leader and follower

Leaders

  • Lead your partner to your left as in the previous step, but as she transfers her weight forward, lead her to pivot in a forward ocho. As you dissociate to lead her pivot, use this energy to do your own pivots. Both pivots should happen at the same time. This is a backward ocho and you might need to practice backward ochos on your own before being able to lead this step.

Followers

  • After stepping to the side, the leader should lead you a forward ocho. For your forward ocho, be sure you reach your axis before pivoting and that you don’t use your partner too much to swing your hips around. He’s pivoting too so might not be able to offer too much support and balance.

 

Intermediates: Pivot from Americana with change of weight for the follower

Leaders

  • Dissociate to walk to your partners’ outside lane. As you pivot 180-degree, lead her to do a sharp 180-degree pivot too so that you end up in Americana. You are now facing against the line of dance.
  • To lead her to change her weight, you’ll need to gently tilt her outwards, so that she transfers her weight from her left leg to her right leg. You can do this by slightly extending your right arm.
  • Lead her to exit the americana, e.g a forward step and then a side step.

Followers

  • For your pivot, be sure you reach your axis before pivoting and that you don’t use your partner too much to swing your hips around. He’s pivoting too so might not be able to offer too much support and balance.
  • At the change of weight, make sure you keep your knees and heels together. If you press you inner thighs together as you change weight, you’ll be able to create more definition and do the change of weight more elegantly.

See you soon on the dancefloor,

Nati y Bruno