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: Embrace - Theme: Lifting technique & sacada
We think lifting in the embrace can send versatile signals to create a wide range of movements. In this class, we focused on a little square and parada for the beginners and then a rather original side cross followed by a sacada by the follower. Pure tango salon with a little twist.
Summary video
Beginners/Improvers: Little square and parada
Top tips
- Leaders: To indicate the pivot at the parada, you need to dissociate sharply to the right. In tango, the more you dissociate, the more your partner should pivot. Lift your partner gently with your chest and your back hand to indicate when you want her to go over the parada.
- Follower: Try and pivot using dissociation, e.g. by turning first your torso and then your hips & feet together. At the lift, avoid lifting your shoulders or going on to your point on the supporting leg – simply lift the free leg.
Intermediates & up: Side cross from forward ocho
Top tips
- Leaders: To lead the side cross, you need to gently lift your partner with your chest and draw a circular motion using your axis. Stepping with her and away in a little diagonal also helps.
- Followers: This step is not technically complicated, it’s more about being open-minded. The lifting from the leader should make you free (even more) your free leg and make it move in a pendulum motion.
Intermediates & up: Follower’s sacada
Top tips
- Leaders: In this version, you need to lead the side cross using only the pendulum movement from your chest as you can’t step in a diagonal any more. Use lifting.
- Followers: Don’t be afraid to follow the lead and establish contact with the leader’s leg for the sacada.
Homework
Top tips
- Beginners & improvers: Practice the lead and following of the little square and parada in practice embrace (or even better what we call “tango wings” to make sure you have correctly understood the movement and how to lift from the chest.
- Intermediates & up: Practice the lead and following of the side cross – the ability to move your axis forward and backward as needed is very important, as is the lifting technique.
