Class video & notes – 03/12/2014 Improver/Intermediate class

Every week, you’ll find on our blog class notes and a summary video from our Wednesday Improver / Intermediate tango group class, our Thursday beginner tango group class and our weekend pre-milonga group classes.

These video and notes are meant to help our students remember what they’ve done in class.

Leaders

• To prepare for the arrastre, as you lead your partner to pivot, you need to pivot your hips to the left to be ready for the arrastre. To pivot, kick the heel of your supporting leg forward. If you’re leading the dip, you need to prepare for it during your side step.
• The lead the arrastre, you need to ground your partner to indicate to her that she should stop and wait a bit.
• The arrastre is a foot move, but you also need to lead it with a small movement from the torso. This will give you more precision in your lead.
• For the arrastre, you’ll need to hook your foot under your partner’s foot arch to make sure your foot doesn’t slip away during the move. Sweep gently and keep your foot in contact with the floor or the move will look a bit odd! Don’t try to push your partner’s foot too far or your torso will tend to go backwards and you might lose your balance.

Followers

• If your partner is dipping at the pivot, it’s a great opportunity to do the very feminine “trailing” adornment. In this adornment, knees should be aligned, one behind the other – either touching or not as you prefer. The back foot should be pointed with the big toe in contact with the floor, not the small toes! The leg should also stay at the back during the whole pivot and not come back to the side as you pivot.
• During the arrastre, you need to maintain some pressure with your foot against your partner’s foot or you’ll lose him during the arrastre. If you keep this gentle pressure, it means he can control the speed and length of the arrastre without you moving on your own.
• When stepping out of the little parada, make sure you dissociate and step around your partner, and not away from him.

Both partners

• During the arrastre, you’ll need to bend your leg and then straighten it to the max at the end of the move. If you don’t bend your knee, you might end up doing a “Frankenstein” arrastre! 🙂

Leaders

• After the arrastre, instead of leading your partner into a parada, sandwich her foot. You’ll then get into a corte with the right leg at the back.
• To lead your partner to cross-sandwich you, your torso needs to have a gentle circular motion as you step into the corte. The direction of the back leg (diagonal) should also help the follower to sandwich you with her left foot.
• To lead the exit, make sure you position your partner on her right leg by gently pushing her backwards. Then lift, so that she can lift her free leg and then pivot her to get her into a corte. From there, you can close as you please: return her to neutral, another traditional sandwich…

Followers

• When your partner goes backwards, you should feel that you’re being led to sandwich him by crossing your left leg at the back. Try and keep the cross tidy with both feet more or less aligned and both feet flat on the floor.
• To uncross, shift your weight to your right leg. Then, move first your foot to the other side of your supporting leg and then uncross with the knee. Avoid moving your knee first to uncross as you might kick him!

See you soon on the dancefloor,

Nati y Bruno