As we prepare to dance with other people again, now that we are getting vaccinated—let’s start thinking about how this year of personal tango technique can improve your dance with a partner! It is sooo easy to just go back to the poor technique choices from before, but just a little awareness will make your dance much more enjoyable. Here are some tips to help that process.
Finish each step!
The question I am asked THE MOST recently is about how to move from step to step. “You say finish each step, but when I watch videos, I don’t see what you are teaching….” is the way most of these discussions start. “So, do I put my foot down in between steps, or don’t I??” The methods that I teach are the deep technique details that hold your dance together. You don’t see all of it in the actual dance: it’s the internal gears that run your body. I want you to listen for these moments inside of your own technique, so that you can dance better.
Finish each step 100%. That means that you finish articulating through the now-ex-support-leg’s foot and ankle so that the balance transfer is in control the entire time. As you finish the step, your new “free” leg can fall under your body, completely on balance in the new place. Hopefully, your legs “collect” from correct alignment, not from gripping or pulling them in. At that moment, you are ready to move any direction and/or recover from whatever your partner has done. Focus on finishing, on the process of arriving at a new place in space.
Fix balance on the fly
Most of us who have danced a long time look smooth because we know how to adjust and fix problems as they begin; not because we dance perfectly. Each step I take, I adjust whatever is necessary to finish my step and be 100% ready for the next step. Maybe that means adjusting where I land a little. Maybe that means re-stacking my body over the new spot. Maybe that means reengaging my core muscles. Maybe that means doing an adorno that covers the fact that I need to move three inches to the right :-)
Assume that there are tiny errors in communication all the time in tango, and just fix them. Don’t waste time decided who is wrong; just fix. Regaining optimal balance constantly makes you notice how often mistakes happen, but also notice that most of them are unimportant in the large scale of the dance. Relax and fix, rather than stress out and tighten and fall over.
Find playful ways to maintain balance
I teach adornos from the first day of tango. Why? Because a dancer who is moving slightly will continue to breathe, adjust their balance, and stay relaxed. A dancer who tightens all their muscles to “pause” will not be relaxed enough to enjoy their dance. The leader needs to feel where the follower stands, and if that channel is open because the follower is still moving (adorning) it’s easier to sense what the follower needs next. As a follower, playing at pauses gives the leader time to think AND sometimes provides a suggestion of where to go next, taking some of the burden of decision-making off the leader.
For my ballroom folks who are new to tango, playing with the free foot also facilitates that “changing the chip” to tango. If you adorn when you land, you won’t cheat back to your favorite free foot! This also helps you to remember you don’t need a “frame” and that this is tango.
For those of you who think adornos are wrong or busy, remember that the follower needs their say in the dance as well, and letting them find that as beginners makes stronger advanced dancers faster. Unless you like monologues, this makes tango a dialogue and more enjoyable.
Yoga poses to help with balance
Most of you know by now that I am training to be a yoga instructor as well as a dance teacher. I suggest you Google each one, as there are hundreds of videos out there describing how to do them. I really like Do Yoga With Me’s videos and teachers. Here are some basic yoga poses to try for increased balance that also help your tango:
Eagle pose: This is a great pose to help with any tango move that ends in a cross, as it helps you find your core and inner thigh muscles that you for these moves.
Tree pose: Again, your pelvic floor and deep core kick in here. At the same time, you can feel how your leg and hip can move against each other to stabilize—I find this helpful in any one-legged tango moment.
Chair pose: Most of us sit too much and have not worked our gluteal muscles enough. Chair pose insists your gluts turn on, and it will help everyone’s yoga, despite being on two feet.
Warrior 3: Lifting high on your support leg to create a stable, open hip—that’s a challenge for everyone, and Warrior 3 addresses that. Mine is still wobbly!
Class this week
Tuesday 6:30 PM Zoom class will focus on balance, using adornos and musicality this week. Friday noon class will build on those balance points and work on how to connect better from step to step while still finishing each step. Sign up for class and I’ll see you there!