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.

Steps we like! 🙂

For the last class of the year, we just wanted to have fun, so we decided to go over some of the steps we really like. Funny enough, you'll see that a few of them involve the follower going forward for a change!

Summary video



 

Beginners & improvers: The anti ocho

Top tips

  • Leaders: This is a bit of an unusual step. The reason we call it the anti ocho is that the lead is similar to the ocho, e.g. you lead a pivot, then a step, etc etc, however the follower is on the “wrong” leg for an ocho. Therefore the lead creates an “anti ocho”.
  • Followers: It is important that as you develop as a dancer, you learn to be open minded to new variations, so resist the temptation to change weight to get into a traditional ocho! 🙂

 

Beginners & improvers: Promenade

Top tips

  • Leaders: Simply start opening and closing your feet like the hands of a clock to lead the promenade. Make sure you keep your arms in front of you and don’t let the embrace slip to the right. Your partner should be walking in front of you and not to your side.
  • Followers: In this step, why not have some fun! For once, you’re walking forward and on top of it, we have a lot of space in front of you. You can do a little piqué or a chacha as you step.

 

Intermediates: Leader’s corte with follower’s adornments

Top tips

  • Leaders: As you get into your corte, extend your leg forward with your foot pointed so that the follower can feel where it is.
  • Followers: Do not hesitate to go forward with confidence. Do not wait until the leader need to pull you for you to go forward.

 

Intermediates: Cross / uncross with no transfer of weight

Top tips

  • Leaders: As you lead the cross, gently lift your partner to indicate that you do not want her to change her weight. You need to be quick or she will commit her weight on her front leg and you won’t be able to make her uncross.
  • Followers: This is a mini volcada, so engage your cores so that you don’t collapse on your partner!

 

Homework

Top tips

  • Leaders: These steps used a mix of energies, so as a homework, try and see how you can fit them musically. Try and make the moves match the style of the music (rhythmical, melodic) and the intention. Also pay attention to the musical phrasing so that when the phrases close, you also close a step.
  • Followers: These steps focus on us walking forward (in tango!), which is a bit unusual, so try and practice your forward walking: you should go with confidence, without bobbing. To keep your caminata natural, try and step with your heel first.

 
See you soon on the dancefloor,

Nati y Bruno