Memories…

A chance find on youtube reveals this piece by tangophobia. It brings happy memories to the fore; of practicing ochos some 18 months ago as a struggling beginner trying to make the jump forward. To this very music. In Buenos Aires.

More milonga yet..

For slow milonga: Practice a left side x2, leading a back ocho on the second, stepping forward for a micro-sacada, backstepping to pivot the follow into a cross, and walking out. Also practice a left x 1 with a l – behind – r enrosque-type movement before a pair of sacadas on the back and side steps of a molineta.

Musicality weekend

It so happens I that I spent the weekend at a musicality workshop…very cerebral. More “art” than technique.

More Jedi mind tricks

Isaac’s “Jedi Mind Tricks” embrace-less exercise is actually very useful as a way to discipline yourself to greater presence and control of your axis; and a reminder of what the arms are for.

In yesterday’s private with S., some helpful pointers: In performing a milinga traspie (right foot) in close embrace, I need to make the motion more fluid and with less travel to the back; make it more an “interruption.” Also the embrace is more “down” than “up” – more “earthy”- this is perhaps as much a mental posture as a physical one. Also I should skip ochos in this form; while possible they are not organically such a part of it.

In step-over motions I should keep my knees pointed in the same direction, and extend my stepped-over leg to maximum, with the toe extended and rotated and on edge.

Tonight’s class, IV of VI (again, my thanks to class partner G.!):

Walking exercises with clean pivots to prepare for clean forward ochos. Lapis exercises for clean glacis performance – at the end of a lapis one should not have one knee bent; they should be equal as if nothing has happened at all.

To put into a figure: A clean lapis (to one’s left, say), using that left leg then to secada her, then resolving this into a “with” front boleo, then weight and stance shifting to cause a back boleo. Iterate. Walk out to a cross or resolve in some other way.

A cool resolution of this figure which surely has other applications is a forward travel with front ochos that over oversteered heavily as you secada them each in turn. Don’t do too many before you resolve into a walking embrace and step out of it. Also some cool dancing to Osvaldo Pugliese and making use of dramatic pauses — very emotionally intense. Definitely something to come back to.

Jedi mind tricks

(III of VI)

A series of small bits and pieces add up to the “bonus round” in this class with I. and S.:

Out of back ochos, do a sandwich-style movement, but overstepped, on her step to your right. As she passes over to your right, cleanly rotate the extended foot before putting your weight over it and pivoting, then bringing your left forward for a sacada; then extending your right for a barrida performed by the follow. again rotating that extended foot before collecting and pivoting as you cause a “with” boleo. As this boleo resolves, back step into a cross with your left over right, and then a pair of sacadas in turn can be performed as you resolve the entire figure.

An exercise to help you prep for clean resolutions of this figure is to walk to the cross, and bring her out as you radially step forward with your left, causing a very tiny natural boleo, and sidestep with her to cause the boleo to resolve; and walk out.

I and II of VI

I: In last week’s class with I and S (for G: спасибо!) a use for Isaac’s “man-tap” – going to the cross with the right leading forward, wind it around your back leg in a fashion similar to la caida before spring it forward for the first sacada.

II: In tonight’s class (again, спасибо) a figure in which you begin in close, relaxing the embrace as you cause your follow to side step to her right as you perform a sacada, pivoting, and causing her to perform a “with” boleo (not contra-rotating). Various resolutions include walking around her clockwise, leading with right; or causing her to cross and step out while you catch her forward traveling foot in a barrida.

Versions of “Tango to Evora”

I’ve heard more than one version of Lorena McKinnett’s Tango to Evora; both lyrical and instrumental. A little poking around helped me get a better handle on this lovely piece.

Here are the lyrics for the Greek version, which is often heard in non-traditional music venues. Here it is at youtube. Here, now, is the Turkish version, which I have heard referred to as “Turkish Tango” and can be found here.

Better volcadas

A session today dealt with ’sliding volcadas” as well as covering technique for cleaner and better looking figures.

In simple volcadas, taking a diagonal back step after the side step in which you make her rotate helps refinforce good form. I need to remember to make a weight shift from from front to rear while in that diagonal, and that it is a “push” rather than a “pull” that makes the step happen cleanly.

Play with walking forward to a cross, bring her out into a volcada which does not resolve into a cross but rather simply sets up up for a second volcada. One way is to backstep with your left into a calista, reversing direction as you go from the first to the second volcada.

For the “sliding” volcada, out of a cross backstep with your left, right, left again leading side step, all along holding her such that her following instinct causes her to pivot after a ’slide” during the side step which resolves into a cross; make this into the volcada.

As well, when practicing forward hook technique from a standstill, remember that you are rotating her about her axis vs. pulling her closer to you. It helps to be close to your follow and slightly to her left, and in a position to step radially around her as you turn her on her axis.

Here is a short 20 second clip good to watch – not from class, of course.

Fencing II

My fencing taste today included review of advance and retreat, and basic parries – a “4″ – a “slap” — and a “parry 6.” My observations are that footwork is essential; perhaps more so than the ability to control the blade. Also reinforced was proper lunging technique – point/lunge.

Elegant and simple

Check out this video of elegant and relatively simple milonga.