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: Directions - Theme: Corte and changes of direction

The corte is a very versatile step that lends itself very well to changes of directions. In this class, we've used it as an entry to a parada, a grapevine, a lift and an arrastre. We're busy tango bees!

Summary video

 

Beginners & improvers: Corte

Top tips

  • Leaders: Start by leading a pivot and then with your torso, have a slight diagonal / down motion to lead the corte.
  • Followers: The corte is a basic step which is used as an entry point to many other steps. It starts with a pivot, at the end of which you should tuck your right knee behind the left knee. To “sit”, use your ankle (have a look at the video) and keep your knees together.

 

Improvers: Corte and parada with left leg

Top tips

  • Leaders: To make your partner step forward, you need to have a strong dissociation to the right to create space for her.
  • Followers: Always touch at the leader’s ankle before stepping over his leg.

 

Intermediates: Corte, lift and parada with left leg

Top tips

  • Leaders: You need to step on your right leg and pivot to create the lift. The lift is created by the pivot.
  • Followers: Use your ankle joint to move up and down gracefully.

 

Intermediates: Corte, lift and grapevine

Top tips

  • Leaders: For the grapevine, make sure you keep your torso towards your partner as you step around her.
  • Followers: After the corte, only move forward when you feel the leader has created space for you.

 

Intermediates: Corte, lift and arrastre

Top tips

  • Leaders: Use the momentum created by the lift to open your shoulder and create the arrastre.
  • Followers: At the arrastre, make sure you keep a slight pressure with your foot against the leader’s foot so that you move in synch.

 

Homework

Top tips

  • Leaders: Practise the move you need for the grapevine. Stand with your feet together, dissociate your torso only (until the bottom of the ribs, don’t move the hips) by 90 degrees. Then swing your hips 180 degrees without moving your torso. At the end of the pivot, you should be in an “X”, with your shoulders and your hips not aligned.
  • Followers: The corte is a bit deceitful, it is quite easy so it tends to be forgotten and end up looking at bit tacky. To practise the corte, “hide” one knee behind the other, with the heel of the back leg up. Then, using only your ankle joint, practise dropping into the corte and coming out of it, softly. Make sure your front leg stays straight and your back leg bent.

 

See you soon on the dancefloor,

Nati y Bruno