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: Sanguchito and cross variations


The sanguchito (sandwich) is a step where partners sandwich one another's foot with their own feet. Whilst not suitable as a nibble, the tango sandwich is a lovely step and a great classic on the dancefloor too. For intermediates, we mixed it with front and back crosses for creative variations that are suitable for the dancefloor.

Summary video



 

Beginners & Improvers: Corte and sandwich

Leaders

  • To lead the corte, the follower’s first move, you need to “invade” your partner’s space, by going slightly forward diagonally after leading the pivot.
  • At the sandwich, try and close your heels to create a nice-looking, tidy sandwich.
  • At the quebrada, make sure you tuck one knee behind the other. Hold your heel up, and then lower your heel to make the follower move forward and sandwich your foot. When going down, make sure your knees stay together and don’t come apart.
  • Pivot with your partner to close the sandwich.

Followers

  • When doing the corte, first get your knees one behind the other, with your heel up, and gradually transfer your weight by using your ankle joint. Try not to collapse suddenly. In the corte, your weight should be completely on your back leg and the front leg should be straight and free.
  • After the leader sandwiches your foot, don’t move until you feel he’s “calling you forward”. Then, make sure you sandwich his foot too, before going over. Your heels and knees should be together, weight should be on the left leg.
  • When going over his foot, first point your foot, and lift your leg keeping your knee away from him (for modesty, style and safety!). When stepping, make sure you step close to him.

 

Intermediate: Sandwich and front cross combination

Leaders

  • After leading the backward ocho, you need to reach out to the follower’s back leg. Place your foot next to hers.
  • From this position, lift her to maintain her in her axis and walk around her as close as possible to her feet. This should make her cross forward, so that you end up in a sandwich where both of your feet are around her crossed feet.

Followers

  • In this step, as you feel that the leader is invading your space, try and cross your feet as closely as possible.
  • Pay attention with your transfer of axis, it should be gradual and in synch with the leader’s, or you might pull him off axis. You start the step on the right leg, then gradually transfer on to the front leg. Only at the sandwich, do you transfer your axis in between your right and left leg.

 

Intermediates: Sanguchito and back cross

Leaders

  • At the sandwich, when you go back with your right leg, try and step a bit in a diagonal / back direction to lead the follower to sandwich you with her left leg, hence doing a back cross.
  • To make the follower uncross, you’ll need to first make sure she completely transfers her weight to her right leg. Lift her, which should free her front leg, and let her uncross.

Followers

  • You should feel a diagonal lead, which makes you sandwich the leader’s foot with your left leg, in a back cross. Try and back cross as tidily as possible, with his foot in between yours.
  • To uncross, take your time! It’s quite a precarious position to be in! 🙂 Transfer your axis gradually onto your left leg, and move your foot out of the way first, then your knee. Point your foot. Try and keep your knee away from your partner.

 
See you soon on the dancefloor,

Nati y Bruno