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Tango Moves
Prerequisit - The Lead.
Last page update - March 7th 2008
This section is for leaders and so it’s written mostly for them alone. ~ Tango *moves* such as ‘Barrida’, ‘Gancho’, ‘Volcada’, etc., are some of the pretty things that can happen when a couple stops to party at various places around the floor. ~ These are what we’ll look at here. ~ How they’re done. ~ At least a few, as they’re basically all the same. ~ That’s true. ~ Each being just a single step, in one of those three possible ‘directions’ you know, in which the follower can go, but that are modified by the leader when they do.
We don’t consider any of the named sequences of steps here. ~ Those such as ‘Ocho’, ‘Grapevine’ and ‘Molinette’ that consist of more than a single step. ~ They are not part of learning how. ~ They are just workable patterns of steps that may or may not be known by the leader.., that’s all. ~ Descriptions of such patterns can be found in our Tango Talk on this site, as well as a few million other locations around the world. ;-) ~ Please scroll down.
Before we start, let me expand just a bit more on ‘patterns’ and why we do not include them at all.
Think about it. ~ Memorized routines mean nothing at all to the follower as she does this improvised dance.., so that’s all there is to it... ~ Patterns can not be lead as a whole. ~ They can only exist in the mind of the leader as part of his experience, knowledge and ability to produce variety in the dance. ~ They are memories of what is ‘possible* to do. ~ Maps of the paths he can lead for his partner to take, as part of their Tango stroll. ~ They are files of Tango dance design that have come to be pleasing to other leaders, so they thought to save them with a name. ~ They’re blueprints to the house the follower can live in. ~ But she’s not a builder, so she need not consider them.
Leaders of course should try to learn as many as they can find to learn. ~ Of those that are pleasing to their eye. ~ But not to make the ladies work to learn them too. ~ Followers do not need, nor should they even wish to know, what’s coming at them down the road. ~ Leaders only need to give the ladies confidence and guidance, with each and every step, for them to want to stay, and enjoy doing each and every one of those very single steps.
Tango Moves. ~ The giving of ‘secondary’ leads to modify the ‘primary’ leads.
We hope you find this an effective way to learn to lead the many Tango moves. ~ Those you may know, and those yet to come. ~ Use your imagination and improvise. ~ Go with the flow you know. ~ That which we’ll try to give you here. ~ Only you can get you there.., so you need to show your partner how to get there too. ~ These are the ways that many use to do that very thing. ~ Secondary leads. ~ Each one can apply to one or more of the three single steps that Tango is made of. ~ In each case you will find that they have the same basic cause and effect. ~ Each has a reason for being that can be used very often throughout the dance. ~ Each time perhaps in a slightly different ‘looking’ package.
Secondary leads come in different shapes and sizes. ~ One type being exactly the same as the primary leads. ~ Except that here they are used to ‘modify’ a step that has already been led somewhere in mid-step... ~ Another type calls on the laws of nature and physics. ~ ‘Forces’ if you will. ~ ‘Inertia’ and ‘centrifical’ to name two. ~ A third type happens using the leader’s legs and feet to pass the lead. ~ Lastly there are those that totally ignore the normal ‘rules’ of Tango. ~ They purposefully throw the follower off balance and some other terrible things. ;-) ~ These are the ones that come to mind right now. ~ If there are others, we’ll be sure to add them here as we become aware. ~ You might help us do that? ~ Please fill us in on the Feedback link.
So please bear with us. ~ We are specifically trying to generalize. ;o) ~ And perhaps may still find better words to use. ~ We want to give you this in ways that hold up in all situations, including those yet to be known. ~ What is normally called ‘experience’. ~ We are trying to give you a sense of ‘experience’ in how we write, so you need to read the right way too. ~ As we’ve said, for lack of a better description, we are trying to simulate ‘immersion in our writing. ~ We hope to make this writing as close as possible, without being there yourself, to where and how it all began. ~ So please read all of it and know you must. ~ You need to give in and ‘want’ to do it fully. ~ After all, true immersion would take *all* your time and we’re not asking for that. ~ In any case, we are being both totally accurate and purposely vague in much of what we say. ~ Don’t take anything as if carved in stone. ~ Tango is not rigid. ~ You need to let it grow on you. ~ Absorb it. ~ Remember the feeling of it. ~ So this isn’t just a work of fiction. ~ It isn’t to be skimmed or to try and guess the ending. ~ There is no ending. ~ This is in fact a Tango tome, to soak up and get your experience from.., just as if you were paid to sweat for it.
Not saying it’s the best way. ~ Nor that it’s for everyone. ~ But you’ll have to want it, if it is to work for you...
So here are some of the Tango ‘moves’ that everyone likes to make. ~ Rather than describe each and every one of them, we’ll take another route. ~ You need to understand ‘secondary’ leads and what each will bring about. ~ So you will know how most are done. ~ Then you can even make your own. ~ Some may think this backwards, but we know that just one such lead can show what causes many moves to happen. ~ We believe that once you know it may be done, you’ll know where and when it can be done.
We’ll outline the leads with some of the moves they bring on. ~ That which each partner needs to know, of what to do and where to go. ~ This is the conversation that they hold.
In this writing, we’re trying to group leads coherently, so they come together in every way. ~ It’s one thing to know, tougher to say, and tougher still to put it all down in black and white. ~ A mental problem I’m sure. :-) ~ Mostly as to why I even try... :-) But for you of course... And I hope for Tango too.
So in any case, what is here is good but more may be said, or said even better, in the future. ~ Consider it a draft until we delete this paragraph. ~ I’m sure you know where we’re going so that’s half the battle. ~ Just keep coming back until you stop seeing new writing. ~ We’ll try to tell you at the top of each page, the last date we’ve edited, added, or updated.
Here are the signals leaders use to have the followers produce the moves.
One of the dificulties we face at first, is to make up the way to present it all. ~ Two or more of these leads can be used at the same time, in various combinations, to bring about the desired effect. ~ So we want to show that very desireable feature too. ~ How to mix them for a combined response. ~ Don’t be afraid to tell me what you think about this method so far.. ~ Again, you can do that at the Feedback link. ~ Thanks.
So, in all the categories below, of which several are my own terms, you may see things changed as they are defined and refined.DIRECTION REVERSALS and CHANGES
Reversals and other modifications to a follower’s direction of travel within each step is central to Tango. ~ If a step is so modified, it becomes a ‘move’, and then often named. ~ They may be called a ‘fake’, ‘hook’, ‘rock’, ‘gancho’, etc. but they are nothing more than the moving leg and its accompanying body, stopping the direction in which they were initially led, to return to where they came from, or to some other place altogether, before truly and fully completing the ‘step’ and a weight change.
Direction changes are primarily caused by the frame and the four basic lead signals it constantly gives the follower. ~ Being centered, constant distance, parallel shoulders and extended arm ‘palm pressure’. ~ Changes to a step can be made by the same leads which started it in the first place. ~ Those four always rule.., and so, throughout the dance, if anything changes such as distance, say the leader stops, the follower must instantly follow suit if she’s to abide. ~ Then, in the same manner, to carry on with the leader’s next lead. ~ The four main leads are always there and they are always in command.
‘INERTIA’
Not a lead as such. ~ It’s more an ‘extra touch’. ~ One that can be caused to happen when the leader wants to add some flair to a particular move. ~ Each of those moves will have its own ‘self’ as such, involving different sections of anatomy, direction, leg action, and the rest. ~ But integrating nature into Tango is where we want to start.
Inertia is a force of nature. ~ It’s a property of matter that is called upon a lot in Tango. ~ It being that a body in motion tends to remain in motion. ~ There are other forces too. ~ Centrifugal force for instance. ~ And the least favorite of mine, ‘no two bodies can occupy the same space at the same time’. :-) ~ These and other rules of physics are all over the place in Tango. ~ Tango is a very scientifically ‘controlled’ improvisational dance, and a lot of its beauty is that it emphasizes these rules of nature as a visual part of itself.
It doesn’t take a lot of thought on how to create leads to react to and exaggerate inertia. ~ Just suddenly apply the opposite direction in a ‘snappy’ manner and you can get stupendous results. ~ As long as the follower knows she can accept them and not to fight them. ~ In fact, to try and enhance the effect. ~ In other words, that’s what followers should be doing at all times. ~ Helping the natural tendency of the body so that movements are more graceful and seen as a flow.
‘Intertia’ of course is always there with every step and pivot. ~ Remember that while pivots are not moves as such, they are still movement and can be affected very much. ~ The kinds of leads for these (re)actions are given as needed, as required by the particular move to be affected. ~ They include shoulder ‘twitches’, sudden stops, direction reversals. and a few more. ~ Both leader and follower are able to play this ‘voleo’ way, but only the follower needs to be led. ~ The leader already knows what’s in his head. ~ He may or may not ‘mirror’ the led follower. ~ Or he may do one himself, without her.
For most if not all moves affected, the moving or non weight-bearing foot is considered loose beneath the dancers hip. ~ Moving but not under any rigid power. ~ It is more as if they are being ‘swung’ around to the various places they are to be set down. ~ Just picture holding a length of rope. ~ It’s hanging from your grip to the ground. ~ Move your arm and hand around and see what happens to the low end of the rope. ~ Now move left to right and reverse with vigor. Voila! Voleo. :-)
You’ve just cracked a whip. ~ The one hanging from your partner’s hip.
Example Illustration: Voleo ~ Forward - pivot reversal. Backward pivot reversal.
The moving leg flys on, or whips up, upon any stop or reversal that it encounters in its travels.
The lead on ‘pivot’ Voleos is a pretty standard ‘stop and reverse’ to the partners rotation. ~ The leader’s shoulders and hand pressure conveys the message. ~ The more ‘urgency’ the leader applies, the higher the follower’s leg will rise.
Just so we’re clear now. ~ We are not talking a single Tango style. ~ You may find yourself among those, or be one yourself, who like the more traditional ‘feet never leave the floor’ idea. ~ That’s fine too. ~ You just won’t need to read this extra instruction then. :-) ~ Please note that some still call a shoe-at-the-floor reversal a voleo too, but to me it is not. ~ I go with word derivations here. ~ It is very likely that Voleo is related to Volare which means “It will fly”. ~ There is additional substantiation in the paragraphs below.
The lead for a Voleo, while the follower is doing a straight back-step and not a pivot, is similarly done with the shoulders. ~ The leader will normally be walking outside the follower, with the follower’s free leg being the one nearest him when it is to be done. ~ The free leg is of course the leg that does the flying and that leg always goes to the ‘other’ side. ~ So in this way the leader insures his not being there. <g>
In this straight back outside walk, the leader gives his shoulders a slight rotary jog. ~ As though the leader threw something forward hard. ~ This is very logical in fact. ‘V’ and ‘B’ being essentially the same letter in Spanish, so that (V)oleo is (B)oleo’, which is derived from ‘bolear’, which means to throw. ~ Not to mention ‘bola’ which is something thrown. ~ Leaders will understand the idea of this throwing jog-like motion if they stand in a Tango frame posture, and free either arm from that frame, to simulate throwing something forward. ~ They should look for the effect this has on the frame and especially the shoulders. ~ You will instantly see and feel the ‘jog’. ~ A short but noticeable rotary ‘twitch’ if you will? ~ At least a small ‘turn and return’ circular motion which should be felt and mirrored by the follower. ~ With her knowing what it was meant to convey, she would apply that same rotation to her lower body in a forceful way.
As it is throughtout the dance, the leader knows which way to go, depending on the side of the follower he is on at the time. ~ So he will either give a C.W. or C.C.W. jog for the lead. ~ If on her right, and she has started to step back with her leg, the lead will be a C.C.W. jog. ~ As she feels the lead and follows through, her body will seem to be thrown in a circular motion to her left, with her moving leg crossing to that side too. ~ The upper body frame stops her from continuing on, but her leg is allowed its ‘inertia’, to travel to it’s furthest length, and to then whip up as it runs out of distance.
UNBALANCE
Leaders, this is where you’ll learn that you have the power to do it all. ~ Here we’ll tell you how to make the follower fall. ~ Of course you’ll be there to catch her too. ~ But that’s the good part, isn’t it?
Followers, this is just another validation that you must fully trust and never doubt the leader. ~ It’s only a three minute date after all. ~ You can do it. ~ Just be ready and willing to ‘fall’ for the leader you’re dancing with. ~ He’s your ideal. ~ He can do no wrong. ~ Believe in him and you’ll dance as never before.
Followers can become ‘unbalanced’ in different ways throughout the dance. ~ Regarding their physical ‘axis’ that is. :-) ~ Where the leader makes them feel they’re about to fall over? ~ We’ll describe one or two of the ways they do this, to show how it can be done elsewhere too. ~ Then you the leader will be on your own, to find and work out more of them. ~ If you like the effect, that is.
Making her tipsy. ~ One way to go.
For a start, just take your lady for a walk. ~ A nice, ‘in line’, line of dance walk. ~ When you’re ready to give her this little distraction, do a quick half-step weight change at any mid-point you feel is right. ~ Where the ankles pass, you know? ~ This would normally be more to enable a walk outside, but here we’ll be doing something ‘different’. ~ And please remember the lead-in to this point. ~ It will be used in the second example too. ~ But right now, instead of walking outside, you take a step to her other side. ~ Hmmm. ~ There go the rules, right? ~ Nahh. ~ There are no rules. ~ Just remember.., if you look like you’re doing Tango, you will be doing Tango. ~ It’s the ‘attitude’ you know? ~ The only rule. ~ Just look like you have it.
So “Oops..?” she says. ~ As she sees two distinct and normally contradictory primary leads coming at her at once. ~ The leader coming forward, and at the same time his center moving to the side. ~ So now for her to follow both and keep within the frame.., as she knows she must.., she will let her upper body go backward and fall sideways too, in the direction and extent she knows her leader has gone. ~ Her moving foot will have to hurry now, rushing around the back of the other leg. ~ But fear not, she will quickly and automatically regain her balance when her foot gets to the exact spot on the floor that her brain told it to go. ~ She’ll be balanced on her axis again, directly in front of the leader’s new center.
Now the leader, if he so wishes, keeps moving toward the follower with those combined forward/alternating-side, diagonal steps, and the follower will need to keep moving backward, and become unbalanced on each step, tipping to the opposite side and then catching herself. ~ Hey look. ~ These look like little back ochos in a row. ~ Not that they are of course, but does it give you a bit of a picture?
One more thing. ~ The leader can mix the amount of forward and sideward directions into these combination leads. ~ We were thinking 50-50 diagonal above, but any leader can do as they wish. ~ More side step can be helped by more shoulder lead in that direction too. ~ Many things are possible and beautiful to do. ~ Don’t be afraid to dance Tango. ~ Improvise!
Making her tipsy another way. Including a description of the ‘rock’.
To be sure that leaders have the idea, here’s another nice way to take your partner off her feet. ~ It’s a pretty move, and can be made to be anything from simple to sensual. ~ Unfortunately the description text becomes lengthy in trying to make it completely clear to the reader. ~ We hope we succeed. ~ The intent is to make you able to visualize the move as you read how it’s done. ~ In addition, there is the ‘rock’ move and a few other things thrown in. ~ So I think, all in all, that you’ll find it worth the length.
Please do as described in the move above, and walk to where the leader does the half-step weight change. ~ This time you *will* take the more normal step to continue with an outside walk. ~ Now offset from the follower by a single leg (line). ~ There are three lines in the walk now, instead of two.
First things first. ~ Since the side taken is the leader’s choice, we’ll not refer to left or right. ~ Instead we’ll talk about ‘lines’ as being where to go.
Also, to be a little clearer for the newbie’s sake. ~ At this point the couple will commence walking (depending on the side/midpoint chosen) with both right legs.., or both left legs.., on a single ‘central’ in-tandem line. ~ The outside lines will be used by their ‘non-tandem’ feet, each on its respective side. ~ The partner’s hips are each torqued just a touch, to accomodate this offset walk.
So here we start the second half of this on-going move. ~ The now ‘tandem’ feet move forward in the l.o.d. walk. ~ Several continuous steps can be made in this manner if the leader’s in no hurry. ~ Or he may want to unbalance his partner right away.
But when and where it is to happen, moving along this offset walk, the leader will need to start a rock. ~ Because it begins to happen on a leader’s backward step.
Now, for the newbie’s sake, here is the ‘rock’, from the leader’s point of view. ~ The follower of course follows, using the frame as her constant and only quide. ~ We’ll start from a midpoint. ~ The leader’s foot steps forward, touches the floor and takes on the weight. ~ His trailing foot then comes to the (new) midpoint, where the ankles touch, but hesitates and then returns to its starting point. ~ Here to retake the weight. ~ Rock! ~ The forward foot, again being free, comes to the (new) midpoint, hesitates and then steps forward, touches the floor and takes on the weight.., again. ~ This can become repititious, you know?
So let’s start the move. ~ Everyone’s feet are at a midpoint of a walk, with each partner’s weight on the center line in-tandem feet, and the leader is about to start a backward rock. ~ But when he does, his outside foot does not now go straight back at all. ~ He shifts it across behind himself, to land on the tandem line too.., or further over.., to the follower’s outside line. ~ So let’s do that. ~ Go all the way to that outside line and apply your weight.
What happens here, with the leader’s backward and diagonal step, is that the couple returns from walking outside to being straight inline again. ~ The leader makes a minor shift in the frame to un-torque their hips during the backward step, so the follower will understand where to go. ~ Nowhere special. ~ As they have remained centered, the follower will simply step forward, and not move sideways at all.
She steps straight forward with her moving foot, to match the leader’s backstepping distance. ~ Each of their traveling feet end up on one of the two lines and facing each other. ~ And each assume their weights. ~ The partners are now in-line, on two lines, with the leader’s feet more or less ‘reversed’ under him. ~ But that is certainly according to plan.
For here comes the ‘unbalancing’. ~ The leader wants to travel still *further* in that sideways direction. ~ That is something neither could normally do from where they are and how their feet are set. ~ But he starts that sideways lead anyway, so the follower gets the clue. ~ Because he knows what *he* wants to do. ~ Down deep her mind goes on red alert, even though her conciousness doesn’t care at all. ~ This will happen because a true Tangueras has three very basic instincts. ~ They drive her equally and forcefully to ‘reproduce’, to ‘survive’, and to ‘dance the perfect Tango’. ~ So her mind simply forces her to stay at the leader’s center no matter what the cost. ~ Even though there is no forward, or backward, nor pivot, or midpoint... ~ Just a ‘fall over sideways’ kind of lead.
Just fall then, is what her mind tells her. ~ So she does. ~ She knows that her leader is taking care of her and he knows what’s possible to do. ~ She now allows Zen to show the way. ~ Her subconscious intuitive mentality.
Her brain then moves her foot in special ways. ~ It has to. ~ Forget the rules. ~ There are no rules. ~ Tango’s ‘neat feet’ can’t help at all if you’re about to fall flat on your face, can it? ~ So what is there to think about.
Her id takes over. ~ It causes her foot to move quickly, and exactly, with the same angle, intensity and distance the leader’s foot is going. ~ In fact, her reactions are so much in tune with his lead, that her foot moves almost instantly with his. ~ They being the starting ‘tandem’ pair, they maintain this quality while moving two lines to the side. His wrapping behind her forward, weight bearing leg, which is in the way, and on to it’s other side. ~ Her’s keeping pace to set down in the same line as he, directly in front of his and at the distance apart they had at the start. ~ She is the follower and so she follows.
Her sub-conscious mind snapped to action to make that happen. ~ It took on the job of calculating the foot’s force, travel and positioning, using the signals she felt directly from the frame above. ~ It moved her foot along that path and made it drop at the exact spot it needed to be placed. ~ Lucky for her she has this unconscious computing power built into her head, right? ~ Because if she tried to think about it, she’d be dead. ~ Figuratively speaking that is. ~ There just would not be any time and she’d have tripped for sure. ~ As it is she’s still smiling in a dreamlike state.., floating along in the arms of her leader. ~ Perhaps even half asleep.
Listen followers, if you’re reading, and you still think looking at your feet is what you need to do, we’re telling you that you must loosen up and let your sub-conscious do that job. ~ Try the same when you play Tennins and you’ll quickly see it doesn’t work. ~ You’re missing most of the fun if you think you have to do all that work. ~ It’s not so. ~ Just go with the leader’s flow. ~ Feel and follow his leads and you won’t go wrong. ~ Get your mind off the ground and up to about shoulder height. ~ If you force yourself to think like this a bit, you’ll see that your feet do know where to go.
Now we’re doing one last step in this move. ~ Here the follower gets to make it look how she feels. ~ This is where she puts in the simple to sensual.
As the two partners apply their weights onto the just finished moving feet, they will find they can simply commence another walk. ~ Or they can stay a bit and play, depending on the time allowed by the leader. ~ All the follower needs to do is unhook her forward leg and put it where the leader wants it to be. ~ She can do this skimming the floor, going outside and around the leaders weighted foot. ~ Or she can raise it high, up along his thigh, before going where he says to go. ~ Get to this point and you can see all that is possible with the lead from here.
After all, the main purpose of the above was to show that the leader can go wherever he wants to go. ~ Any new or unusual move is equally acceptable in Tango. ~ Followers must go with it to the best of their ability. ~ It’s not possible to stop, to explain to them, so a follower should never question. ~ That is the best part of her part. ~ She learns to enjoy the adrenalin flow. :-)
ILLUSION
* The Barrida...
Aka ‘Drag’, Llevada, or Sweep. ~ A sliding motion across the floor where the leader’s foot stays in cantact with the follower’s foot. ~ So it appears that the leader’s foot is either pushing or dragging the follower’s foot with his own.
It is in fact that he is only moving his foot along the same path he’s led the partner’s foot to go. ~ Of course the follower would have moved her foot in that same path with or without the leader’s foot coming along. ~ But since the leader knows where the follower’s foot is going, he can slide his along ahead or behind. ~ I have heard that a leader questioned a follower about ‘her not knowing how to do a barrida’. ~ ??? ~ There is absolutely *nothing* for the partner to know.., you know? ~ The follower is a follower.., and the lead is the lead. ~ With or without the leader’s participation.
It is the leader who needs to perfect his own balance and timing to be able to da barridas or displacements of any kind. ~ Not to rely on the follower to help him pull it off. ~ Except of course that they follow the leads as given.
One particular time a barrida might be done, by the leader, is when the follower is led to move her left foot in a back step, to the leaders left, and her next step is to be a side step of the right foot to the leaders left. ~ It is here that the leader can place his own foot ahead or behind the follower’s right foot and then move his in tandem with hers. ~ Voila, it is a leader’s embellishment, and does not concern the follower. ~ The leader must not affect her trance.
* Displacements...
All displacements are basically the *look* that a leader’s foot has ‘replaced’ or in many cases ‘pushed’ the follower’s foot out of the place it was in. ~ It can be done to look forcible or soft. ~ But it is still only an illusion. ~ In all cases, it is something the leader does to make his own dancing look better. ~ Displacements are not to affect the follower either. ~ Again, nothing must affect the trance.
Of course if the follower is into the speed, energy, and look of the dance at the time, she may certainly add to the overall effect of displacement on her own. ~ To appear to be extremely affected by the displacement. ~ Throwing her leg and foot way out of place and into a large curving ‘next’ step.., as if it were smacked and displaced by a speeding lumber-jack’s boot. ~ Or anything in between.
Displacements are similar to the Barrida in that the leader knows where the follower’s foot is, and where he will be leading it to go. ~ The leader wants to appear to make contact with the follower’s foot, and may do so. ~ But not to the extent it will affect her in any way.
One particular time a displacement may be done by the leader is when the follower has been led to make a side step, immediately following a forward step with her inside foot. ~ As she sets her foot down to take on the weight of the forward step, the leader may then quickly move his free foot to the spot her outside foot is about to leave to do its step.
In this sense, it is exactly like any other step of Tango where the leader puts his foot where the follower’s was. ~ As in a simple back step where the leader leads it, the follower responds, and then the leader takes his step. ~ As in ‘the leader follows’. ~ In the case of a ‘displacement’ however, the leader does not wait for the follower to have the time to move her foot before moving himself. ~ He steps at basically the same time as the lead, wanting to be there already as she starts her step.
But not too early so as to step on her toes. ~ To prevent this, displacements are usually done, while keeping the foot in contact with the floor.
It is also possible that a follower may be led into displacing the leader. This is also totally up to the leader to lead and then to follow-through himself. ~ This is where the followers need to not question the lead. ~ As it may appear to them they will walk right into his feet or whatever. ~ As you have or will read elsewhere here, the lead is the lead is the lead is the lead, and so on. The followers have an equal responsibility to not affect their trance. ~ They must not second guess the lead.
WEIGHT SHIFT
* The Chase.
We all know that in Tango the follower does not change her weight when her ankles come together. ~ Well, not unless they’re led to do it. ~ The cross being one place where it happens. ~ The Chase being another. ~ The Chase is quicker and easier. ~ One simply hesitates long enough to change their weight when the ankles come together, and then moves on again. ~ This can be done at any step, in any direction. ~ The ‘minor’ lead beings a slight hesitation at that midpoint, with the leader giving a slight rise to the frame at that same instant. ~ A rise given by the leaders arms and his hand at the back of the follower. ~ The follower then shifts her weight and continues on the ‘other’ foot.
As at any midpoint, after the weight change, any of the three directional steps may be led. ~ This lead may also be held up constantly to signal that the weight shift is to be repeated on every step. ~ When the arms and hand are lowered again the Chase repetitions stop.
TILT
* Volcada
This is one of the steps I consider to be thee most beautiful in Tango. ~ A sweepting circle, an exagerated forward tilt to the follower, and a graceful and expansive overall movement that shows the follower has complete control of her body and total trust in her leader.
It is a move where the leader ‘winds up’ the follower with a back (c.c.w.) pivot, which goes nowhere.., as it is to be reversed.., with gusto. ~ The leader steps back with his right foot, while ‘unwinding’ the pivot with his shoulders and frame. ~ The follower is tilted forward and the simultaneous c.w. rotation of the frame causes her leg to be swung out in a large ‘pencil’ as she tilts. ~ At the point of extreme lean, the leader takes a slight step to his left and then steps forward again... ~ This allows the follower’s foot to come full circle as the follower is returned to her upright stance. ~ At the end of the circle, the traveling foot, and follower will end up ‘at the cross’.
The volcada is in fact nothing more than a very pretty step to the cross. ~ You see..., there is really nothing complicated in Tango. ~ It’s all the same basic walk, and the follower never needs to over-think what is expected of her. ~ Everything possible has been done to pamper the follower and all she needs to do is know that, and *expect* it. :-)
If you remember back to the simple side step with a c.w. nudge to the follower as her ankles were coming to a close. ~ That this movement swung her left foot over her right foot to the cross. You will see the similarity here with the volcada.
A volcada can be done in close or open embrace. ~ The open taking a little more arm strength by the leader to support the follower in her forward tilt. ~ The follower needs to focus on keeping her head to heel axis straight as always, but especially as she is being tilted forward.., again as always. ~ Not swayback nor butt in the air.
The followers leg is kept totally straight as it circles out and around to the front. ~ The straighter the leg, and the lower the lean will produce the largest circle and greatest look. ~ As the leader returns the follower back to vertical, she may keep her leg straight out ahead of her, allowing it to return in a natural way to the cross, as she is straightened. Or she may to rush it, bending her knee so the foot slides in on the floor under her, and it reaches the cross before she is even half way to the vertical.
But of course it can be anything you want to make of it. ~ It’s just a single step, you know?
’STICKY FOOT’
This uses the ‘secondary’ lead of the leader placing his foot against the follower’s weight bearing foot during the dance. ~ To set up the ‘Sandwich’ move for instance. ~ As described below.
‘Sticky foot’ is my term, but it seems very apropos to describe what should ‘appear’ to happen when this particular lead is applied. ~ That the follower’s foot stays on the floor in the spot it was.., and cannot be moved. ~ It happens as follows:
The leader’s foot is pressed against the follower’s ‘weight bearing’ foot in a significant way. ~ Tight enough so that it is felt by the follower. ~ It can be done to whichever foot has her weight at the time, and is used to stop her from moving when she reaches mid-’move’. ~ This is not mid-’step’ where the ankles would pass, but immediately upon her weight being transferred to the next foot. ~ This is generally when her feet are apart during an on-going step. ~ At the point where the now free, touched foot, would otherwise start to move. ~ But this is now where it cannot move. ~ Because it is stuck to the floor. ~ Until the leader says it is not any more.
The lead is to actually or symbolically ‘block’ that foot from moving again. ~ Where ‘hopefully’ the follower will know to finish the movement she is doing, as much as she can of it, including changing her weight and coming to balance on the new axis, if that’s what she was to do. ~ But only to the point where the ‘stuck’ or blocked foot would otherwise move. ~ Because now it should not. ~ That’s what the lead was meant to do. ~ The follower goes to the point where she finds her foot ‘stuck’ to the floor by the leader’s ‘block’.
At this point the follower must stop moving totally. :-) ~ She must not move either foot further until the leader says to do so. ~ When she comes to the point of wanting to move the sticky foot and can’t, she is stymied. ~ She has nowhere to go. ~ Nothing to do. ~ She must go still in that position, and await the leader’s will. :-) ~ I said ‘hopefully’ above, because, as you may not know, followers don’t always stop. ~ But now they/you do knowk that they/you should be stopping! ~ Whenever you feel the leader’s foot against yours in something more than passing.., you know to not move it again, until the leader says you can. ~ When he’s done with his plan he will simply move his foot away and you will carry on as you were, looking for the next move to make.
This is a rule. ~ It should be applied universally, as it was meant to be.
To take it ‘one step further’. ~ When the follower’s in that ‘still’ position, on the new leg, with the now ‘free’ leg extending out. ~ No weight on it.., but kept against the floor, without moving from that spot. ~ It is the leader’s turn to do as he had intended. ~ To do a ‘sandwich’, ‘drag’, voleo ‘flip’, or anything else he knows and is able to invite the follower to do. ~ To join into and play.
Another version of this may at first appear to be going against the rule of ‘sticky foot’ universality. ~ That’s when the follower is at the cross. ~ There the sticky foot can be made to happen with the feet together and not apart. ~ ?? ~ But this too can be seen to follow the general rule with just a bit of additional knowledge. ~ Actually one should be able to see three separate ways to retain the logic to the rule, as first outlined above, especially considering the specifics of the cross itself. ~ But we’ll just go with the easy one. ~ That ‘sticky’ is contageous. :-) ~ And because the follower’s feet are now ‘together, touching each other side by side, the ‘sticky foot application from the leader passes right through and affects the second shoe too. :-) ~ Now neither can move. ~ So that was pretty easy to see, wasn’t it? :-)
Here I’d like to digress a bit. To problems from a leader’s point of view. ~ This sticky foot cross seems to set up scary possibilities in the followers mind. ~ She’s trapped and she cannot run. ~ She can’t even catch her balance if she had to. ~ And sure enough she’ll decide she has to when the leader takes her over to 45 degrees. ~ She’ll panic. ~ What’s happening she says. ~ This can’t be right. ~ The leader’s a loser so I’m standing upright. ~ But that’s not a good thing for the follower to think, because she will lose her status as a follower right away. ~ With that leader at least. ~ Better they should control their fear than to make them both look bad? ~ Listen dear followers. ~ When you are to stop, don’t argue, just stop. ~ And stay that way. ~ When you foot is touched, just smile a bit, and take a break. ~ Trust your leader.
Another ‘follower’ problem is their *immence* weight. :-) ~ A little sarcasm on my part, but really.., they don’t seem to understand that the leader can see them and knows what they can do together, and how far he can go. ~ But whenever they’re about to be laid over, or some other kind of unbalance, every one of them stops and admits in so many words, that she’s entirely over-weight. Ha! ~ What is WRONG with these people? ~ Listen, we’re not liftin’. ~ We’re just leanin’. ~ It’s very easy to do and there’s no strain. ~ So please just Tango on and let us enjoy your being there.
Of course you know that once the follower has been stopped. ~ The only way she is to move again is when she gets a lead to do so. ~ So there is absolutely no reason the foot against her foot needs to remain against her foot. ~ In addition, at the cross, her one foot is against her second foot, so she is effectively sticking her free foot to the floor anyway. ~ She is keeping herself from moving it. ~ Ha! ~ Try and out logic me, will you.
The leader may, from this ‘sticky foot’ cross, simply walk the lady around her own axis, to the timing of the music of course. ~ Or tilt her down to more horizontal, then do the walk around again, but traversing in a much bigger circle.
Thpse names I mentioned above are Tango moves. ~ I do understand we’ve not gotten to do or describe many, if any. ~ But please cut us some slack and we’ll be back. ~ We’re moving along quite well in fact. ~ As we continue to go forward, things will become clearer in many ways. ~ Illustrations and video demo’s are coming. ~ Everything takes a little time. :-/
More to come.
EMBELLISHMENTS.
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