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: Energy - Theme: Changes of energy using the cross

The cross - such a classic step, the Argentinian call it the resolution step. To bring life and excitement back into the cross, we looked at how we could play with the energy (slower, faster) and use the cross to enter beautiful giros.

Summary video



 

Beginners/Improvers: Slow cross

Top tips

  • Leaders: To have a better control over the speed of the cross, make sure you stop with the weight in the middle of your two legs and then lead the cross from there. It doesn’t need to be a big pause, but the lead for the cross should start from the middle point.
  • Followers: Try and follow the lead and develop some sensibility to how quickly the leader would like you to cross. It is quite customary to cross either on the beat or on the half beat but the cross can also be led much slower.

 

Beginners/Improvers: Salida cruzada

Top tips

  • Leaders: After your side step, make sure you hold your partner upwards to make sure she doesn’t change her weight as you change yours.
  • Followers: The lead will be a bit more subtle as the leader will not change his weight with yours in this version of the salida.

 

Intermediates & up: Giro with planeo

Top tips

  • Leaders: You need to close the embrace tightly at the side step or you won’t be able to create the connection needed for the planeo.
  • Followers: Keep your leg straight and to the side during the planeo.

 

Homework

Top tips

  • Leader: The cross is famously difficult to lead. Although it is a fundamental step, it is by far not a basic step. Really try and feel the middle point where your weight is in between your two feet exactly and practice closing your dissociation as you close your feet.
  • Follower: Practice the cross on your own. Start from the middle point with your weight in between your feet, with your torso dissociated to the right. As you start transfering your weight to your back leg, first close your dissociation to neutral and then bring the free leg into the cross. At the cross, immediately transfer your weight onto the front leg.