Tango Class VII Notes

We discussed alternatives for what to do in August.  My original plan, as outlined in last week's notes, was to do a three week stint in waltz the last two Mondays in August and first Monday in September.  Jane and I will be in Europe September 13 and 20.  I feel I need at least a couple more tango classes, i.e. August 2 and 16, to have gotten you to a point with tango where you'll have accumulated enough "critical mass" (with tango) to continue and not have everything we've done thus far be for naught. To do waltz justice, I'd like to do four consecutive classes.  Doing just three was going to push it.  If there are only two weeks we could do waltz, I think we'd all be better off postponing, and doing it at a later time when we could string together three or four weeks; I just don't think doing an isolated two weeks would get the job done.  Given the above, and the fact that the majority (it was not unanimous; some of you were disappointed about not doing waltz right away, but we will, as soon as I can get it to fit into the schedule) also voted to continue thru August with four more weeks of tango, that is what we're going to do.  The basic plan of alternating doing tango with other couple dances is still intact; that's still the plan.  But for August, excepting August 9 when they will be refinishing the floor, we will continue with Argentine tango.  This will end up giving us a base of eleven weeks of tango.  I feel good about that, as long as there are enough of you to continue.  The class, I feel, is a good size now. I see lots of improvement, and feel we are seeing some results and are getting to a point where we can really start to dance and begin doing some things that are a little more exciting and advanced. Had we four weeks where we could do waltz, or even three weeks, I'd have said let's go for it.  But given things as they are, I'm glad we have an extra couple weeks to polish off tango.  It'll be fun.

Carol McGinn, who will be partnered by Alexia Shultz, will teach "triple count" swing, a variant of east coast swing, the remaining four weeks in September, i.e. September 6, 13, 20, and 27. I'd thought maybe because there were some people who said they could not make the 6th, being that it's labor day, we'd just start the 13th, but Carol and Alexia both felt it'd be good to have the extra week even if everyone couldn't make the first class.  They said they'd make sure to thoroughly review everything the second class on the 13th.  Starting in October I kind of deliberately don't have definite plans yet.  I want to talk to you and see what you want, and also think about it myself, see how things go, and then decide. Options include doing an intermediate tango class for a month or so (my inclination), or doing a month of waltz (fine also).  I've talked with a couple who are excellent in both doing and teaching West Coast swing. I won't say yet who they are, but you'll be impressed.  Also I saw and talked to some really good salsa dancers and teachers at a recent Son Como Son, Salsa Under the Stars, dance recently.  I'd love to have Son Como Son play a party here sometime; I should find out if they know any tangos! 

I know many of you have had in some cases years of swing dance experience already, but I hope you'll consider coming to Carol and Alexia's teaching.  Carol and Alexia are both neat and fun people.  Carol is a superb teacher, very friendly and extremely competent.  By coming you could be a big help in partnering people who are beginners, like several experienced tango dancers have been doing in the tango classes.  And you could then stay and dance afterwards per usual when we'll still be playing mostly tango, but, by that time, some swing also.  You could also take advantage of the fact that I'll be making up some very good swing CD compilations and giving those away ($2 requested but not required).   My main reason for doing all this is to eventually build up a really fine dance group that is a joy to dance with. That is already happening, fact.  Any help you contribute will be immensely appreciated.

During Class:

We did a shoulder isometric wherein you stand straight and attempt to "broaden" your shoulders.  You use both upper chest and back muscle to try to "stretch" you shoulders, pushing them apart from each other.  Keep your shoulders down and slightly back while you do this. All the conventions remain the same for this isometric as they've been in previous ones we've done. It's a good idea to precede this isometric exercise with the ones for the lower and upper back described in previous notes. 

We reviewed the figure that begins (the first four step of it) like the media vuelta that we taught the previous class and that is notated in previous notes.  This is a great exercise to (a) focus on "twisting", at the waist for the woman as she directs the lower half of her body to face in whatever direction she's being led in, and for the man who leads from the chest (and not from the arms and shoulders); and (b) to try to empathize with your partner, mentally doing what she/he is doing, as you simultaneously do what you do.  You can also focus on brushing thru, on "bending and extending", on keeping the connection (especially during the cross pattern "droh" step, described in previous notes), on foot placement, on improvisation and being creative, like some neat qqsqq patterns, etc.  It's good, when practicing, to focus intently on just one thing at a time, getting it as much as possible into your "muscle memory" before moving on to something else.

We did a grapevine/ocho exercise wherein the follower always dances slow on an ocho that reverses her direction, and quick on any step (ocho or side step) that doesn't.  The overall tempo of this exercise should be slow, should emphasize her brushing thru and being aware of her own axis while waiting for the lead.  If the beat in the music is fairly up, do the exercise half time; keep it slow and deliberate.  Again, as in the previous paragraph, you can focus on various aspects one at a time.  Something, we haven't mentioned for a while that the follower could focus on is keeping the supporting knee slightly flexed.  This is especially true and especially important when she is going into a back ocho.  Otherwise she "falls" into it, pulling her leader off balance who in turn pushes her off balance, and it is rather literally downhill from there.  One variation of this exercise is to add calesitas fairly often, on either foot. 

I showed you a couple "fun" things you can do, "words" or "phrases"in the tango vocabulary that will add some expressiveness and variety to the dance.  First is the "up down" movement wherein the follower goes down (or "dips"), either with or without the leader accompanying her, bending one leg while extending the other.  We haven't yet had much time to discuss musicality, but both of these elements fit well at a climax or to commemorate some dramatic interlude in the music.  This is usually, but not necessarily led.  If the follower can get away with doing it on her own hook, more power to her.  But part of "getting away with it", or not, has to do with making it fit with the music.  You have the music, you, and your partner to coordinate; two of three is essential. This first figure the man leads by initially giving a slight upward pressure in the frame, primarily with his right arm and hand, as she is taking weight on the step preceding her "dip".  Then he "throws" her slightly, using a not too vigorous downward thrust.  He is only giving a lead, not forcing her.

The second very short figure we practiced was the man dramatically leading her in a forward ocho, almost a lunge, out of a calesita onto his right side.  He accompanies her movement with a step (lunge) back onto his left foot. He then executes a gancho with his right foot.  In doing ganchos, the same guidelines apply to both men and women (we'll do some women's ganchos, probably next Monday).   These include: pointing your (gancho-ing) foot; speedy or whip-like action; ganchoing from the hip as opposed to ganchoing (merely) from the knee--we went over this in class, but please ask questions if you don't know what I'm referring to; and usually make a semicircular motion with the gancho-ing leg and foot, as opposed to merely going straight back, so that the "kick" is somewhat to the side and "out".  This figure requires the leader keeping his follower close such that when you both "lunge" you are moving pretty much as one.  Then you'll (the leader) know where she is in order to do an authoritative, strong, non-tentative gancho with no fear of whacking her.

Note: In doing a "tango close", possibly coming out of a cruzada, the close conventionally, at least at the beginning/intermediate level, happens with the follower taking weight on her right (closing) foot, leaving her left free to take the next step. If the leader does desire her merely to brush thru at that point, instead of taking weight onto her closing right foot, he can easily lead her to do so.  But it is not so easy to do the other way around (trying to lead her to close and take weight if she were trying to brush thru)--hence the convention, the default, one an experienced leader can override.  Likewise consider it a default that when the follower is led in a sidestep to her right onto her right foot she then does not close taking weight on her left foot, but instead brushes thru anticipating (several possibilities of ) a lead. If all this seems like a word jumble to you, you're probably not alone.  I'll be happy to explain--just ask. 

I did promise some nutritional advice, but because I'm a little short of time, getting ready to leave tomorrow morning for three days of non-stop dancing in Boulder, I'll have to postpone that pleasure until the next installment. So. . .

This will do it for this week. Have a great weekend.  Hope to see you Monday!

Gary Diggs