Class video & notes – 14/01/2015 – Beg / Imp / Int

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.

Leaders

• First lead an ocho, and when stepping to the left, lead your partner to take a smaller step than yours by dissociating slightly to the right. After you’ve collected, lead her to come back to a point slightly beyond neutral by having your torso go slightly beyond neutral.
• When stepping backwards, make sure you don’t go only with the free leg or your partner might trip over. Instead, push with the front leg, to ensure you move efficiently backwards with your whole body.
• When leading your partner into the Americana, you need to dissociate strongly to the right. Avoid pushing with your left arm and instead use the movement of your torso. When leading the big pivot, slide your right arm along your partner’s back to create a more comfortable embrace.
• When leading the exit, lead your partner to take a bigger step than yours by recentring your embrace and giving her a little nudge from the back (gently!). Ideally, at the end of the step, your partner should be facing you and should not be on your side.

Followers

• For this step, you’ll need to develop some precision in terms of feeling how much your partner wants you to pivot. He should dissociate more or less and therefore lead you different sizes of pivots. The first pivot is 90 degrees, then again 90 degrees, followed by two 180-degree pivots.
• In the Americana posture, the leader should relax his embrace and slide his right hand on your back. It is the signal for you to do the same in order to build a comfortable embrace.
• At the exit, don’t forget to slide out of his arm to come back to facing him and regain a normal embrace.

Leaders

• Change your weight but not your partner’s as you need to be in cross system to lead this sacada / boleo.
• To lead the sacada / boleo properly, you need to enter frankly and not stay with your weight at the back.
• Do not stop walking to wait for the boleo. You actually need to carry on walking if you want to create the boleo.

Followers

• There are 2 types of boleos, some with a pivot, others with no pivot. This boleo has no pivot or only a small one. At the sacada, both the lead and the energy from the sacada should help you create a sharp boleo on the floor.

Both

• To exit, you can borrow a step more often seen in milongas, but which can be adapted to tango, where you’re constantly walking with the inside leg, pivoting, changing weight, and repeating: stepping with the inside leg…

See you soon on the dancefloor,

Nati y Bruno