Tango Corazon: How to Dance the Argentine Tango

Style

You should now be practicing regularly. Start practice sessions with a style warmup, using the jungle-cat image as a core for the tango style elements. Take several deep breaths before you start moving. Do the agility exercises mentioned in Lesson Two: heel raises and cross-step marching in place. Walk forward, backward, and to the side. Walk in straight, curved, and sharply curved lines. Focus on only one element at a time and move as slowly as you can.

A third tango-style element is a smooth, flowing walk. To do this flex your legs slightly, lowering your height an inch or two. Straighten a leg and step forward, keeping your upper body at the same level throughout the step, with no bouncy up-and-down motion. This adds to your feline appearance. The flexing of your legs also compresses your leg muscles and makes them biological springs. This helps you "spring" into each step quicker and easier and change directions better.

It's harder to walk backward and keep the smooth flow. Try it now, keeping your weight on the front of your feet and your body directly over your supporting foot. Straighten your leg a little more than you normally would when walking backward and reach back a little more than you normally do.

Inside and Outside Position

So far you've been dancing in the Right Foot Inside position used in most partner dances -- your right foot between and in front of your partner's feet, your partner's body a few inches to your right and parallel with your body.

The Argentine tango is unusual in that often you'll be dancing in the Right Foot Outside position -- your partner's body further to your right and your right foot outside their feet. Your lower body will still be positioned to move along the line of dance, but you should twist your upper body slightly to the right to keep it parallel with your partner's upper body.

This twist is uncomfortable if kept for very long, so you'll usually go back to the RFI position within a few steps, or even to a Left Foot Inside or (more usually) Left Foot Outside position. (Working on the Left positions is better delayed till you become completely comfortable at dancing the right-side positions.)

From Inside to Outside and Back

There are several ways to go from the Right-Foot-Inside to the Outside position and back to the Inside position again. The easiest is on the first step of the Stroll.

If you're a man, step left forward at a slight diagonal to your left on the first step, just enough so that on your second step your right foot will be outside your partner's feet. Remember to twist your upper body slightly to the right. If you're a woman, simply walk straight back as you normally would, twisting your upper body slightly to your right in the middle of the first step.  You can get back into the Right-Foot-Inside position in a similar way. If you're a man, step left forward at a slight diagonal to your right on the first step of the Stroll, just enough so that on your second step your right foot is back inside your partner's feet.  If you're a woman, simply walk straight back as you normally would, untwisting your upper body in the middle of the first step.  Practice going outside and inside, first just as described above. Then add one or two Strolls between the "bookends" of the two Strolls where you go outside and back inside. Then practice walking in curved lines as you would on a dance floor.

Out on a Stroll In on a Stroll

Out on the Salida, In on the Cruzada

An often-used way to go to the Outside position is with the L-Shaped walk, usually when it's part of the Salida. There is also another way to go to the Inside position that you must learn, a variation of the Chase step.

If you're a man, take a slightly longer-than-normal step to your left on the first step of the L-Shaped Walk, twisting your upper body slightly to your right. The twist will hold your partner back so that her side step is slightly shorter than normal. If you're a woman, you should feel your partner hold you so that you take a slightly shorter-than-normal step to your right. Be sure to twist your upper body to keep it parallel with his. The man as well as the woman should read and do the following instructions on how the woman goes inside with the Chase. You must understand a step to lead it, and this is one of the harder patterns to learn.  Step straight back with your right foot. Cross your left foot in front of your right and place it beside your right foot, so that the outsides of your feet are close together. This is la Cruzada (the Cross). As your weight comes onto your left foot, the calf of your left leg will force the right foot back. Bring your right around so that you're standing in the neutral position, weight on your left foot.

Out with an L-Shaped Walk In with a Chase

It may help you if you count ONE AND TWO AND while doing the woman's Chase step. The ONE is where you change weight on Step One. The first AND is where you cross, the TWO is where you change weight on Step Two, the second AND is the return of your right foot to the neutral position.

If you're a man, all you have do with your feet is an ordinary Chase Step. But you also have to lead the woman's Cross Step properly. Count ONE AND TWO AND. The ONE is your first change of weight on Step One. On the first AND twist your upper body to the left, to the straight-ahead position it normally has in the RFI position. This is your partner's lead to do her cross step. On TWO do the second step of the Chase. On the second AND -- and this is very important -- wait for your partner to get fully into the neutral position.

Practice

Now you must practice what you've just learned about going outside on the L-Shaped walk and back in on the Chase. If you're a woman, you should practice the Chase with the Cruzada by doing several in a row. Try doing this slowly at first, making sure you're doing it correctly. Then try doing it faster as it becomes more automatic. Some of your partners may lead the Chase very fast and you need to be prepared for that.

Practice this sequence.

• Salida going to the outside position, Chase Step with a Cruzada to go back to the inside, Tango Close

Some teachers use this eight-step sequence as their basic "step." Unfortunately this leads beginning tango dancers to mechanically do this sequence over and over, without any regard for the music or the obstacles on the dance floor. To keep from developing this bad habit, vary this sequence by adding one or more Two-Step Walks before and after the Chase, as in the following sequence.

• Salida going to outside position, a Stroll, Chase Step with a Cruzada to go back to the inside, a Stroll, Tango Close

Adornos: Toe Taps

In Lesson Two you learned how to spice up your dancing by varying the SLOW SLOW rhythm with even slower steps and dramatic pauses. You also learned to add spice with an Adorno (Adornment) called the Zarandeo. It  is only one of several kinds of Adornos. All are done between steps, when your feet are in or near the neutral position.

One kind is Golpes (Toe Taps). Normally when you take a step your foot glides along just above the floor as it moves through the neutral position. But you can also do a Golpe as your foot nears the neutral position on a forward step or when standing still. Tilt your foot and tap the floor with the toe of your shoe. You can vary the force of your tap. You can also vary the height your lower leg bounces after the tap, but be sure you keep your knees together and let only the lower leg bounce. If you're dancing on a nearly empty floor or performing in a show you can do a bounce that kicks your leg as far back and high as your physique allows.

On a crowded floor you should avoid doing Golpes. Instead do Golpecitos (Little Toe Taps). These are done with a level, not a tilted foot, so that the tap is done with the ball of your foot or the underside of your toes. The tap can be hard enough to make a click or so soft it barely kisses the floor. And, unlike Golpes, you can do Golpecitos walking backward as well as forward.

Be sparing with Adornos. Too much spice is as bad as too little.

Practicing Adornos: When Stopped

Now you should practice toe taps in all their variety. Also, experiment with different ways of using them. Here are some for when you're not moving; this is easier than when moving because you only have to focus on the Adornos.

If you're a man, lead your partner to a stop. After a Single-Step or a Two-Step Walk your left foot will be free. After a Tango Close you can adjust your weight so that either of your feet are free, but it's usually better to free up your right foot. Straighten your legs and lift the shoulder over your free foot. This tells your partner that the two of you are not going anywhere immediately, and that she can do Adornos with her free foot.

What Adornos she does and how she does them is totally up to her, so you should make sure she has room behind her if she decides to do any kind of backward kick.  Give her time to do Adornos, then drop your lifted shoulder back to its normal position and flex your legs slightly. This tells her to prepare to move again.

If you're a woman and you feel your partner lead you to a stop, straighten his legs, and lift the shoulder over your free foot, you know that he's giving you the chance to do Adornos with that foot. He should wait for you to do at least one, then when you feel him drop his lifted shoulder back to its normal position and flex his legs again you know you must be ready to move.

What Adornos you do and how you do them is totally up to you. However, it's a good idea to glance over your shoulder and make sure you have room if you want to do any kind of extravagant backward kicks. The leader should have made sure you have this room but not all leaders will or will do it properly. Here are a few ideas: two very quick Golpes followed by a high rebound from the last Golpe, three slow Golpecitos, one Golpe straight behind followed by one behind your supporting foot.

Both men and women man can do Adornos. And there are several kinds beside toe taps which you'll learn about later. These include Rondes (making circles on the floor with the toe of your shoe), and shoe shines and leg caresses (where you use your shoe or leg to rub your partner's shoe or leg).

Practicing Adornos: While Moving

You can also do Adornos while moving. Normally you should do only a few during a dance, the way you would limit any kind of spice. However, you can use Adornos frequently during certain kinds of very rhythmic music, such as that done by the famous band of Juan D'Arienzo. He was called "el rey del compas" -- the king of the beat. There are two excellent CDs of his music which you can get for practice and dancing. You'll also find him on most collections of music by famous bands.

With such rhythmic music you can do a Golpecito between every step. You can also break the stylistic rule taught at the beginning of this lesson, of smoothly flowing motion. To emphasize the between-step beats of the music you can give a little bounce of your entire body, or do a side-to-side tilting of your upper body, or exaggerate the normal contrabody motion of your arms and shoulders to make a sailor-like swagger. Try this now. Focus on the first method of emphasis, then the second, then the third.

Dancing

By now you should appreciate that in tango there's no such thing as simply walking. When you're dancing -- and this lesson is over so it's time for you to do that -- if you remember any of the stylistic tips learned so far, do them and play with them. But remember that you're not supposed to be studying or practicing now. You're supposed to be listening to the music and your partner's "body language" and having fun.

Lesson 2   Lesson 4