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: Media luna & giro with lapiz

In this class, we worked on smooth giros where the leader pivots on one or two legs whilst the follower walks around him in a giro sequence.

Summary video

 

Beginners & Improvers: The media luna

Leaders

  • First lead a pivot backward, as if to enter in a backward ocho. To lead the beginning of the giro, you need to continue dissociate to the right whilst stepping forward at the same time. The combination of both actions will send the lady backwards into the first step of the giro.
  • To lead the other steps of the media luna, continue to dissociate to the right to invite your partner to carry on walking in the giro sequence. In terms of footwork, you need to pivot on your two legs, with the weight mainly on the right leg. Do not move your feet from where they are, simply pivot on both legs, this will help you keep your balance.
  • To close, lead a forward ocho.

Followers

  • For all giros, you need to work on your technique. Your feet should draw a square around your partner. In this particular giro, we go backward- side – forward and then close in a forward ocho. The torso however should draw a circle, which means you need to constantly face your partner and not move your torso away from him as you pivot.
  • Try and work on the precision of the footwork so that the giro looks more or less like a square. Try and complete your pivots otherwise you’ll end up walking away from your partner and maybe even pull him out of axis.
  • Try and do steps that are long enough: your partner needs to be positioned in the middle of your step. If at the end of your step, you are next to him, it means your step is too small. Also, try and do steps that are all of equal size.
  • Try and not merge the steps and the pivots, they are both independent steps. For this, you need to be in your axis when you are doing the pivots, otherwise you might lose your balance.
  • For all giros, the idea is that once you understand the figure is a giro, you need to carry on with your sequence without the leader having to push you to indicate every step. The leader will indicate the beginning and the end of the giro. In between, you need to carry on with your sequence of steps.

 

Intermediates: Giro with lapiz

Leaders

  • Change your weight but not your partner’s as you need to be in cross system to lead this giro.
  • To lead the entry to the giro, you need to dissociate to the left, to make your partner make a step slightly bigger than yours.
  • You are drawing the lapiz figure as your partner does the giro sequence around you. Your leg needs to precede her steps to not get in her way.

Followers

  • For followers, this is still a giro, but this time, we have the leader on our left. The sequence is side – forward – side – backward – side and then close with a little forward ocho.
  • Make sure you are not using your partner to turn as he is on one leg and can’t help you with balance.

See you soon on the dancefloor,

Nati y Bruno