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.

Theme: Surprising stops!

A lot of dancers keep on going, step after step after step. It can be intimidating to sometimes pause - a bit like when a conversation suddenly goes quiet. However, it can very musical (and fun) to add sudden stops to your dancing. After all, tango music inspires many pauses. In this class, we worked to the music of D'Arienzo.

Summary video



 

Beginners: Basic ochos

We quickly reviewed the basic 8 figure in this class as it was needed for the following step, but if you want more information about the ocho, have a look at this post, where it was the main focus of the class.

 

Improvers: Dramatic step

Leaders

  • In this step, you want to interrupt the follower in her forward pivot, and get her to sandwich your foot.
  • To lead this step, it is important to keep your weight on your forward leg, or you’ll pull your partner out of her axis. Tuck the right knee behind the other, keeping them close together, and keep the right foot half pointed. Do not allow your heel to touch the floor, as this means that your axis has gone backwards too much.
  • To lead the “dramatic step”, you need to dissociate quickly and then suddenly stop. The feeling is almost that you are completely wrapping around your partner

Followers

  • For followers, this is basically an ocho with a strong interruption. Main focus: do not anticipate the forward step, as you’ll trip over his foot! Remember, an ocho is composed of a step and a pivot and each are led independently. A pivot doesn’t necessarily imply a step!
  • At the sandwich, as always, keep your heels and your knees glued together and point your foot as you go over his.

 

Intermediate: Mordida 1

Leaders

  • Leading this step is a bit tricky, the lead is short and quick and it is all a matter of timing.
  • To lead this step, it is important to dissociate your hips to the left and come to a sharp stop. It helps to speed the step and instead of walking on the beat, have the right leg land before the half beat and the second leg, on the half beat. This step’s beauty comes in the fat that both partners stay standing still for a split second before moving again.
  • Your own change of weight will help you lead the follower’s change of weight.

Followers

  • For followers, this is basically a sharp change of weight, so we should feel a sharp (yet gentle) tilting. As you feel your partner is lifting on his toes (if he is), this is an encouragement to do the same.

 

Intermediate: Mordida 2

Leaders

  • To lead this step, you need to close your feet quicker than you normally would. The right leg’s timing is the same as normal (e.g your heel should touch the floor on the beat), the left leg is the one that closes more quickly than normal.

Followers

  • This step is only possible if we transfer our weight properly when stepping backward, e.g our toes should touch the floor on the beat and on the half beat only should our feet have collected. If you normally collect faster than this, this step will be impossible to lead.

See you soon on the dancefloor,

Nati y Bruno