Club 19 Class Notes, March 2012

These are the class notes for March 2012 Tango classes in Club 19, Southgate.

5th March: Giros and Barridas

Beginner class: Introducing the giro

A "Giro" (pronounced "Hero") is a turn. Typically, the leader stands in place, and the follower is led to walk in a circular path around the leader (either clockwise or anticlockwise).

A standard "giro pattern" is a grapevine, as follows:

  1. Step Forward -> pivot
  2. Step Side -> pivot
  3. Step Back
  4. Step Side
  5. Repeat

Key points:

  • Giros can be done in either direction - simply by rotating in that direction. Typically, clockwise might feel more difficult than anti-clockwise because of the nature of the embrace.
  • Giros don't have to be full 360-degree, 4-step patterns - it's perfectly OK to just lead a few steps.
  • You can reverse a giro from a pivot step - turning that pivot into an ocho movement, then reversing the rotation direction.
  • Followers, please don't anticipate that the next step will be part of the giro pattern - it may not be.

More

A Barrida movement within a Giro

We then did a barrida ("sweep") as part of a giro movement, sweeping the sidestep after the backstep of a giro.

Key points:

  • Leaders, don't force the move - no pushing of feet please. The feet simply happen to be in contact when you lead a step - as normal - with the body.
  • Followers, similarly, move your feet as normal when led to do so - ignore the fact that the feet are touching; don't react differently based on this.

Note: barridas are not essential parts of Tango dancing, so don't panic if you don't get the hang of them immediately. Also, this step is simply an example of a class of steps; it's not something vital to memorize.

Examnple video of barridas and giros:

More

12th March: Tempo changes and ocho cortado

Beginner class: Changing tempo

Musicality is simply "dancing to the music". Leaders, you should aim to do this all the time, when dancing. Don't try to do "figures" and musicality. Get the musicality right first, then you can worry about the steps.

We started off by walking, in "practice hold" (hands on each others' shoulders), around the room to the music.

We then reversed-roles, with the women leading and the men following, for another couple of tracks.

Double-timing

We practiced walking in single-time and double-time, and varying between single and double time stepping.

Key points:

  • Your average "speed" should stay pretty much constant - double-time steps should be half-size.
  • So don't lead a double-time movement simply by rushing forwards.
  • Whenever you change tempo - going into and out of double-time, for example - you need to clearly lead that change of tempo. Don't yank your partner around.

Learning Tango Syllabus: F2: Basic Tempo Changes

Improver class: Rocksteps and Ocho Cortado

We looked at a couple of examples of "turning around a corner" movements using changes of tempo: firstly a rockstep movement, and then an ocho cortado movement.

Rockstep

For the leader, we practiced a simple sequence to use in corners:

  1. Rockstep forward on left, then back on right, with rotation towards the left
  2. Sidestep on left

The tempo of this is Quick-Quick-Slow (Rocksteps are Quick-Quick, Sidestep is Slow).

Ocho Cortado

We finished off by looking at this sequence - literally, a "Cut ocho".

This sequence goes as follows (from the leader's point-of-view):

  1. Sidestep left (larger sidestep for leader, as for leading a cross)
  2. Forward step on right
  3. (Double-time) forward rockstep on left
  4. Backstep on left
  5. Turn (open out) to right
  6. (Double-time) lead follower into a side rockstep / pulse sidestep
  7. Lead follower back from rockstep into a cross, transferring weight to the right foot and pivoting to your left as you do so.

Example video

Here's an example of this pattern, in close embrace, and with the instructions in Spanish for added authenticity (subtitled)

Key points

  • When leading the follower into the cross, give her space to cross by moving backwards.
  • Both rocksteps / pulsesteps are double-time, and are not full steps - so don't transfer the whole weight
  • Followers need to keep their shoulders (chest) facing the leader during the cross step.
  • This is a nice way of doing a quarter-turn anti-clockwise - for example, in corners.
  • This is useful in close embrace, and in situations where there's not much space.

19th March: Decorations and pauses

Beginner class: Pausing with style

We looked at pausing, to fit in with the musicality - dancing with our partner, then stopping with the music.

We looked at a few decorations for the leaders, based on the amague (hook), and Golpecito (tap).

Key points:

  • Keep the movements small and balanced - movement is mainly below the knees.
  • Don't spend too long on them.
  • Followers, do nothing whilst the leader does his decoration.

Improver class: ocho adornos

We looked at example decorations for the follower, to adorn ocho movements.

A decoration for the followers: Hook step ("Amague" / "Saludo") - similar motion to the leader-based step we learnt.

For any forward or back step, followers can "hook" their feet into a back or forward cross position, before taking the step.

We worked on this with forwards and back ochos - hooking behind in forward ochos, hooking in front with back ochos.

Here's an example of an Amague as used on a back ocho:

26th March: Embrace, pulses, Media Luna

Beginner class: Embrace and pulse

We spent some time working on the close embrace, ensuring that we could establish a good, clear and close connection with our partner.

The connection is the most fundamental aspect of the dance; the closeness of the embrace is not something to avoid, it's something to, well, embrace...

Key points:

  • Don't hold back, but wrap yourselves into the embrace. Don't "pull" your partner in to the embrace, but "push" against them
  • Walk smoothly - don't stop and start
  • Keep level - don't bob up and down
  • When you stop / start keep the feet together
  • Weight is always on one foot or the other - not both
  • Close embrace dancing is all about variations of simple steps, not about complex movements
  • Leaders: provide a stable and secure embrace for your follower. Don't rush off too early

We then did some variations on a basic sidestep: a "pulse" and a "lunge" movement.

Firstly, to lead "pulse"-type motions: leaders, keeping the feet stable, led the followers to take sideways motions with their free legs; to either side. This is a nice way to "stand in place" during social dancing, marking time to the music.

Key points:

  • Leaders: don't step before the follower - leading with the foot. Don't do this. Lead from the chest - project first with your chest, and wait for the follower to move her feet back before you start to step forward.
  • Followers: don't follow the leader's feet, follow his leader's chest. As soon as you feel the lead, move your free leg. Don't fight it, let the leg move freely.

Secondly, to lead a "lunge" sideways, take a large side step (to the leader's right), then stop the sidestep before the collection point, lowering the left arm to create a line.

More information:

Improver class: Media Luna and rockstep

We looked at a "Media Luna" sequence (basically, a half-giro):

  1. Leader sidestep left, follower sidestep right (leader takes a slightly larger sidestep to end up offset)
  2. Leader steps forward onto the right foot, to the outside of the follower - the follower simultaneously steps back left and collects
  3. leader starts to pivot anti-clockwise - follower sidesteps to (her) right and collects
  4. Leader continues to pivot - follower steps forward and collects, continuing walking around the leader.

This gives us a 180-degree anti-clockwise turn.

We then added on a Rockstep sequence:

  1. Rockstep forward on left, then back on right, with rotation towards the left
  2. Sidestep on left

The rockstep section can be added either before or after the media luna sequence.

The whole thing gives us a full 360-degree turn which we can use instead of a giro, which works well in close embrace, and which fits a Q-Q-S-Q-Q-S tempo.