Looking back on Tango

This post is a long time coming: Review of our Tango lesson on Jan 27.

If your interested in learning more Tango, you should mark your calendar for our Argentine Tango Workshop on Feb. 24 in the Ramsey Center from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.

On to the review.

The beginners lesson we learned:

• The Basic - Slow slow quick quick slow (Aka T-A-N-G-O)
• Outside of partner- This occurs when the lead gently pulls the follow's shoulder so that their frames are side by side each other rather than in front of one another.
• The Lunge - In class we learned the Tango lunge to side, where the lead's left leg is bent and the the right leg is extended to the side. Lunges can also be done in forward movements as they as are in the Leg Crawl.
  
• Cameo or Leg crawl - In both the beginning and advanced lesson we covered the basic leg crawl. This is time for drama and to show off your passion. However, its o.k. your not "passionate" with every partner. Here is a great example of a passionate leg crawl.
• Tango Rocks - A move that is best used when trying to get around and blocked up dance floor. The lead pulls gently on the follow to rock minimally forward and backwards during the first two slows of the basic.
  

In the advanced lesson:

To begin we discussed the two different faces of Tango. The face of anger and machoness, as displayed Tango Roxanne from Moulin Rouge and the face of passion, as displayed in the True Lies Tango.

The moves we dicussed were:

• Ochos - or figure eights are executed by the woman twisting her frame and feet so that they appear to float over a very tiny figure eight pattern.
  
• Beat alterations - This is simply something to play around with. All moves can be expanded to include more moves or moves of different beat structures as long as they eventually fall back in basic time.
  
• Drunken Sailor- This move had many different parts to it and I am going to try to summarize them as best I can. If you have questions please comment and we will try to clarify this description or come and visit us on Sunday night.
  The counts (in 4/4 time where slow equals one beat and quick equals half of a beat) are divided thusly
  
• In promenade position to the lead's left for - Slow quick
  
• Forward steps into Ronds de jambe in which the outside leg moves forward and then back; quick and slow
  
• closing up; quick quick slow
• Into Twistes; quick quick slow
  
• Back brake into and full leg crawl; quick quick slow