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: Turns - How to manage corners elegantly

We worked on a couple of elegant options to turn. Turning is one of the basis skills needed to join a milonga - most rooms having 4 corners! Turns can also be led in the line of dance, as long as the couple returns into the line of dance when exiting the turn. In this class, we saw some very cute and usable little steps. Que siga la milonga!

Summary video



 

Beginners & Improvers: The cross “in a box”

Leaders

  • By cross in a box, we mean a cross that is led directly from neutral, with no prior forward step. To lead the cross, leaders, you’ll need to dissociate as you go, e.g. during the transfer of weight. If you dissociate as you reach neutral position and after completing your step, the follower is very likely to respond by pivoting. The timing is the same as for a normal cross, when you are closing the dissociation halfway through the second step forward.
  • Try and not invade your partner’s space. Keep your shoulders down and horizontal when dissociating.

Followers

  • Followers, you’ll need to develop some sensitivity as to when the lead is for a pivot, and when it is for a cross. For a pivot, typically, you are in your axis and not in the middle of a transfer of weight – as you can only pivot on one leg. For a cross, typically you are traveling and changing weight from one leg to the other and the lead catches you before you collect your feet.
  • This cross is quite wide, so don’t try and keep your feet together as for the “linear” version of the cross.
  • Use the cross to generate the pivot.

 

Intermediates: Little square sequence with cortes

Leaders

  • The square where you go backwards is easier to lead than the one where you go forwards.
  • If you want to do the adornment and tap at the follower’s ankle, first: please tap gently! Second, point your foot and keep it pointed until your foot lands on the floor again.

Followers

Going forwards

  • When you find the leader’s foot, make sure you sandwich it properly, with your feet and knees together.
  • For the adonrment, tap gently and keep your foot pointed the whole time.

Going backwards

  • Try and separate each move: pivots, extend the leg for the corte, transfer the weight. The more you are capable of doing one move and then the other, the more elegant the step will look.
  • Keep the knees close together during the sequence, it looks cuter.
  • Don’t forget to point the left foot and to keep your foot on the floor.

See you soon on the dancefloor,

Nati y Bruno