This gives you the class notes for both sets of workshops in the "Day of Tango" event.

The Day of Tango is being run as a joint event by LearningTango and Tango Victoria.

"Tango In A Day" workshops


Workshops taught by David and Ann (LearningTango).

Workshop 1a: Tango Basics

Overview: Posture, embrace, and key lead-and-follow concepts.

Key topics covered:

  • Walking to the music, and reversing roles (men leading, women following)
  • Posture and "forwards intention" whilst walking
  • The fundamental steps: forwards, back, side and change of weight
  • Pivots and forward ochos

Note: this was all in practice hold (hands on each others' shoulders).

Workshop 2a: Salon Tango

Overview: "Salon" style of tango, in close embrace, and using core Salon steps to navigate and dance.

Key topics covered:

  • Close embrace - a "hug" embrace, with connection and contact from the abdomen up to the chest.
  • Dancing to traditional music, in the line of dance (anti-clockwise round the room)
  • Doing all the steps we introduced previously, in close embrace
  • Backwards ochos - keeping the steps nice and small
  • Rocksteps for navigation around corners
  • Example sequence - back ochos into a linear sacada

Workshop 3a: Tango Nuevo

Overview: Using pivot-based movements in an open embrace; mainly focussing on ochos and giros.

Key topics covered:

  • Dancing to non-traditional music
  • Practicing ochos (pivot-and-step combinations) by ourselves
  • Giros: the woman walks around the man in a grapevine (forward -> side -> back -> side) pattern (can start or stop at any point)
  • Calecitas (carousels): the man walks around the woman for a change
  • Decorating the ochos: hook steps (amagues) and lapiz / rulo movements
  • Decorating the sidestep - sidestep "lunge" (the lunge bit is an illusion)

Workshop 4a: Tango Musicality

Overview: How to add style and musicality to your tango dancing, in both salon and nuevo styles.

Key topics covered:

  • Putting pauses and changes of tempo into your dancing
  • Giros - quick-quick-slow patterns
  • Decorating the pauses
  • Different music types - lots of dancing to different styles
  • Overview of social dancing etiquette: three-dance rule, "eye contact" to ask, "thank you" to finish dancing.

Improvers / Intermediates workshops notes


Workshops taught by Krissy and Nick (Tango Victoria).

Workshop 1b: Cadenas

Overview: Linking a selection of simple rotational figures - particularly useful for Tango Vals.

Key topics covered:

  • Exercises in capturing your follower's step to arrest further movement
  • Using subtle changes in relative body positions to facilitate easy flow around your partner
  • Making sure the leaders remained as the axis for the followers by correct positioning of the feet
  • Strong rotation of the chest to enable the followers to step around the leaders axis
  • Repeating the figure in a smooth and fluid manner.

Workshop 2b: Giro con Sacada

Overview: A sequence of steps in a circular path around the leader interupted by the displacement of the follower's leg.

Key topics covered:

  • In Cross Basic, we practised the 'rebound' in our check step.
  • Getting in deep enough in the check step to facilitate an effortless Sacada
  • Followers retaining ownership of the standing leg whilst the free leg belongs to the leader.
  • Consolidation of the Giro steps (back-side-forward-side)
  • Seamless flow from Giro to Left into Giro to Right.

Workshop 3b: Milonga Traspie

Overview: Splitting the beat in Milonga - and leading these quick steps clearly and effectively.

Key topics covered:

  • We examined the difference between Milonga and Milonga Traspie
  • Exercise using the basic six step 'box' figure, including a Traspie step on 5 and 6, then on all steps.
  • We used a 'corkscrew' action to arrest motion with strong contra-body movement to lead Traspie checking steps.
  • We developed the movement further to include a sideways crab like motion 'Cangrejo' and a 'down stairs' action.
  • Leaders used an upward impulse whilst reversing the contra-body positioning to signal the end of, and lead clearly out of the Traspie steps.

Workshop 4b: Soltada con Enganche

Overview: A playful figure moving from close embrace to open for a beautiful soltada, finishing with a flirty hooking flourish.

Key topics covered:

  • We started by using an impulse motion to lead a half Giro to Left
  • Pivoting on our own axis to rotate 180 degrees
  • From a Back Ocho, leading our followers to Giro to Right, our leaders opened the embrace to step and pivot independently under their left arm.
  • Stepping through the middle our leaders invited the followers to dance either a hooking or wrapping motion according to the followers' whim
  • Followers were reminded not to forget about their ankles and feet during the dance and how to keep our steps looking elegant

More information

For more information about these workshops, or about upcoming workshops and classes, please contact either: