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: Giro with enrosque and lapiz

We started with a very simple giro, a classic figure where the follower walks around the leader in 4 steps. Last week, we saw a version of the giro to the left, this week we focused on a giro to the right. For the intermediates, we looked at a half giro and then a full giro with enrosque. Two classics.

Summary video



 

Beginners/Improvers: Simple giro to the leader’s right side

Top tips

  • Leaders: Make sure you position your feet so that you can pivot comfortably on two feet. At the end of the giro, you should finish with your weight on your left leg, not the right.
  • Followers: Try and take steps of equal size around your partner, in the following sequence: Forward – Side – Backward – Side. Tray and draw a square on the floor.

 

Intermediates & up: Half giro with enrosque and exit with 2 sacadas

Top tips

  • Leaders: Remember: for the enrosque, you need to let your partner help you in the turn. YOu should aim at turning during the follower’s side step, not before. The first sacada is a “low” sacada with little or no contact, whilst the second one is a “high” sacada with contact from the thigh.
  • Followers: In the giro, always take steps of roughly equal size, always stepping to the other side of the leader, not in front of him. In other words, the leader should always stand in the middle of your step.

 

Intermediates & up: Full giro with enrosque and lapiz

Top tips

  • Leaders: The trick in this step is to lead both boleos whilst keeping your partner in her axis. If you step too far away from her, she’ll have to take a step and won’t be able to do the boleo.
  • Followers: In all giros where the leader doesn’t transfer his axis, followers need to mark the beat on their own, and step on the beat.

 

Homework

Top tips

  • Leader: Practice the half enrosque and half enrosque with lapiz on your own. If you struggle to do it on your own, you will also struggle with a partner.
  • Follower: Whatever your level, you can never practice the giro too much. Practice on your own, make sure you are in your axis and that you draw a square with your feet on the floor, whilst drawing a circle with your chest.