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: Changes of directions and height

In these classes, we played with two dimensions, directions and height to produce some lovely steps based on ochos and giros.

Summary video



 

Beginners/Improvers: Forward ocho and “dramatic” step

Top tips

  • Leaders: When you change height, make sure you remain with the torso forward so as not to pull your partner off axis.
  • Followers: At the dip, depending on where your partner is, you might be able to sandwich his foot or not. If his foot is too far, do not worry about sandwiching it.

 

Intermediates & up: Giro with change of height

Top tips

  • Leaders: To lead your partner to do the giro half beat, you’ll need to lift her gently. Maintain chest contact during the whole step and increase the pressure at the dip.
  • Followers: Quick giros are also small, so shorten your steps. The whole sequence should make you turn 360 degrees and not more.

 
(Step courtesy of Gisela Natoli and Gustavo Rosas)

Homework

Top tips

Being able to change height is not so easy. Normally the change of height happens during a transfer of weight (e.g. a step) or a pivot but not just on its own. Try and practice changes of height in different configurations and feel that you are not just dropping height, but are dropping height together with another movement of the body.