"Smooth Tango" Workshop Notes, Saturday 21st May 2011, 1pm - 4pm

Section 1: Introduction, weight changes, sidesteps

Technique

  • Leading from the chest
  • Posture
  • Open embrace

Steps

  • Sidesteps: lower chest to lead, woman moves free leg, tben man moves free leg, then both transfer weight.
  • Transfers of weight: raise chest to lead, then transfer woman's weight; settling into the weight-bearing leg.
  • Lunge (right or left): simply a long, slow sidestep, held in the middle

Exercises

  • "Magic leading" - leading with no physical contact; both weight changes and sidesteps
  • Mix and match: sidesteps and weight changes

Routine

  1. Man leads the lady to take a sidestep to the left, and takes a sidestep also.
    Note: the lady follows this lead, sidesteps and (attempts to) bring her leg together to collect. She must not pay attention to what the man is doing with his legs.
  2. After the lady transfers weight to her right leg, but before she collects, man places his right leg through the lady's legs (close to her right leg).
    Technique Note: The man must dissociate here: his chest does not really move, but his hips and legs should rotate anti-clockwise.
  3. The lady, when she tries to collect to finish off the sidestep, will now automatically hook her left leg behind the man's right leg.
    Technique Note:Ladies don't anticipate this movement. All you're doing is a sidestep. Ignore what the man does with his legs; follow his chest.

Section 2: Giros

This section covers the "giro" (grapevine) motion.

At the end of the section, you should be able to dance many of the standard Tango steps and movements within an Argentine Tango venue.

Technique

  • Dissociation
  • Pivotting
  • Balance

Steps

  • Linear Giros
  • Giros
  • Media Giros

Exercises

  • Linear Giro (grapevine): - walking in a straight line, for both leaders and followers:
    Forward -> pivot -> Side -> pivot -> Back -> pivot -> Forward -> etc.
  • Shoulder holding - for the linear giro movement.
  • Walk around chair: practice doing the grapevine movements in a circular pattern.
    Forward -> pivot (180 degrees) -> Side -> pivot (180 degrees) -> Back -> Side -> Forward -> etc.

Key points:

  • Step then pivot - as with ochos, these are two distinct movements. Don't try to do both at the same time.
  • Dissociation - keep shoulders facing the same direction. Facing the mirror helps :)
  • Collect at each step - always collect at the end of every step.
  • Don't change weight during collection.

Routine

  1. Flick out: at the end of the "wrap" part of the routine done earlier, the man can now pivot the lady anti-clockwise.
    Technique Note: ladies, keep your leg hooked around the man.
  2. The lady's left leg, as she pivots, can come free with the pivot.
    Technique Note: the man can give this movement extra energy, by straightening his outstretched leg.
  3. The man leads the lady to take a back step. This goes into the "Back -> Side -> Forward" part of the giro movement.
    Technique Note: Take your time about this until you get it right.
  4. Return to face.

Section 3: Ochos and decorations

Technique

  • Decorating your dancing
  • Dancing to the music

Steps

  • Forwards ochos
  • Backwards ochos
  • Adornos (rulos and amagues)
  • Pasadas

Exercises

  • Decorate the collection
  • Decorate the pivot
  • Elongate the pivot

Routine

(Starting with the "forward" step at the end of the previous routine)

  1. Forward ocho: pivotting on her left foot and elongate the pivot
  2. Forward ocho: pivotting on her right foot, hooking the collection (optional pasada also)
  3. Forward ocho: pivotting on her left foot and lowering into a rulo (sweeping the right leg around)

Section 4: Putting it all together: the whole routine

  1. Sidestep to wrap
    Man sidesteps left, woman sidesteps right but man's right leg in between woman's, so she "hooks" her left leg around his right leg
  2. Giro anti-clockwise
    Man flicks the woman's left leg out, then the leader rotates his chest anti-clockwise and she pivots anti-clockwise and steps back -> side -> forward around the man
  3. Forward ochos (rulo and amague)
    As she steps forward (end of previous move) onto her left foot, man pivots her into a forward ocho; then another forward ocho on her right, then a third ocho on her left, decorating the third ocho with a "rulo" (sweeping movement of right leg around )
  4. Planeo
    Keeping the leg sweeping around, the man walks backwards (anti-clockwise) around the lady; she can "sit on her hips" at this point if she wants to make it dramatic. Man brings the lady back up to face.