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: Changes of lane
In this first class of our new term, we explored how to change lanes, which often involves dissociation and the use of forward, side and back steps. In the beginner class, we started with simple yet musical combinations and in the intermediate + class, looked at an enrosque and a beautiful sequence by the milonguero Portalea.
Summary video
Beginners/Improvers: “Two-One-Two”
Top tips
- Leaders: When you want to change lane, make sure you dissociate to keep your torso to your partner.
- Followers: Keep going backwards even if your partner moves to each side.
Beginners/Improvers: Little square
Top tips
- Leaders: For the whole square, you should stay on your partner’s right side. Come back to neutral and face her when you close the step.
- Followers: Make sure you pay attention to where your partner is going so that you don’t anticipate and you go with him.
Intermediates & up: Sequence from Portalea
Top tips
- Leaders: When leading the 1/4 turn, do not open the right shoulder, otherwise your partner might enter into a giro. Only activate the left side of your embrace, whilst at the same time extending your right arm to show your partner her new direction.
- Followers: Pay attention to the leader’s hand, which in all cases indicates where the follower should be positioned in the embrace.
Intermediates & up: Double enrosque
Top tips
- Leaders: Wait for the follower to complete her forward step to do the enrosque. Always remember that for enrosques, you need the follower to give you some energy, you shouldn’t try to turn on your own.
- Followers: Walk tightly around your partner in 3/4 of a giro.
Homework
Top tips
- Both: Practice the change of lane needed for the enrosque step, it is often needed and is actually much harder to lead and follow than it looks.
