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.

Season: The embrace - Theme: Steps in Americana

This class is the first of a series providing in-depth insights about the dynamics of the embrace. We focused on the americana, this embrace where both partners face the same direction. It is a lovely step which adds a bit of fresh air to your dancing.

Summary video



 

Beginners & Improvers: Americana from a rebound

Leaders

  • Start the move with a rebound forward.
  • When stepping backwards, make sure you don’t go only with the free leg or your partner might trip over. Instead, push with the front leg, to ensure you move efficiently backwards with your whole body.
  • When leading your partner into the Americana, you need to dissociate strongly to the right. Avoid pushing with your left arm and instead use the movement of your torso. When leading the 180-degree pivot, slide your right arm along your partner’s back to create a more comfortable embrace.
  • When leading the exit, lead your partner to take a bigger step than yours by re-centring your embrace and giving her a little nudge from the back (gently!). Ideally, at the end of the step, your partner should be facing you and should not be on your side.

Followers

  • In the Americana posture, the leader should relax his embrace and slide his right hand on your back. It is the signal for you to do the same in order to build a comfortable embrace.
  • At the exit, don’t forget to slide out of his arm to come back to facing him and regain a normal embrace.

 

Beginners & Improvers: Ocho to the leader’s side

Leaders

  • Once the follower is to your side, you can lead forward ochos by using your dissociation.

Followers

  • These ochos might feel like you have less space than the normal ones – it’s normal, it’s because you do have less space! 🙂 Try and keep your torso with your partner at all times and use your dissociation nicely to keep a good connection with him.

 

Intermediates: Americana with change of lane

Leaders

  • To lead your partner to change lane, use your dissociation and open your torso to the left. Keep your axis in between your two feet as you send her to the side; if you are too much forward, she might feel she doesn’t have space and it might be difficult to lead her the side step.
  • Take a step forward, pivot and then close the movement with a side step. At the pivot, keep your torso still as you don’t want your partner to move. If you move your torso then, she might pivot with you – which would then create a different step.

Followers

  • When stepping to the side, as your partner is not coming with you, you’ll need to use your dissociation to make sure you keep the connection with him.
  • As he walks to the side, keep your torso dissociated to the left. The hands of the extended arms should be in between you, he shouldn’t have his hand closer to you, this would mean that your frame is too soft.

 

See you soon on the dancefloor,

Nati y Bruno