A private session with S. dealt with executing more professional-looking sweeps. One must form the mental habit of a) positioning the follow b) rotating the hips and c) moving cleanly across that midline without altering the embrace, sliding the hand across the back as necessary. As well, a practice walk to prepare for a session with the back sacada, and playing with variations on the parada: For practice, execute paradas on the forward, back, side steps of a molineta with both left and right, and with both large and step-overs by the lead. One can also simply pivot in some cases vs. stepping over. The mind boggles at the permutations when one considers also that molinetas (and ochos) can go either way. For even more variation, some situations allow a parada in which the blocking foot is pointed 180 degrees away from “normal”. A very organic figure for two is created with this and rotating the foot slightly to accomodate the follow’s foot as she pivots there. With paradas on the side step of a molineta, it is also possible to create an ocho pattern with a little imagination.
Archive for February, 2009
More refined barridas
Posted in Parada on February 24, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Country boy..
Posted in Music, Observations on February 11, 2009| Leave a Comment »
I am, at heart, a well-read and well-travelled hillbilly from a two-blinker town in rural Michigan. Thus it is no surprise to me that I should think it just a swell idea to tango milonga style to American country/western music. I’m not the only good-ole boy around who thinks this. The 2/4 rhythm of that musical form was designed for dancing.
Retrospect
Posted in Observations on February 11, 2009| Leave a Comment »
A physician I work with, a native porteńo from Buenos Aires, was discussing tango with me, as we sometimes do. I was pondering the wisdom, or not, of continuing to pursue this tango phantom. He told that should I continue that when I am an old man I will see, looking back, how it changed my life for the better.
Juice it up..
Posted in sacadas on February 6, 2009| Leave a Comment »
A private lesson with G. and S. two nights ago was one of those that was highly profitable yet hard to recall the specifics of; the mind was glazing over. One must hope that one is absorbing things at the intuitive level. However I will note this “low cost” addition to simple secadas: At the end of a basic figure, go into something like “la caida” with the right behind your left as your follow crosses; bring your follow out of the cross to your right, then do your first sacada forward with that right, etc. Low cost glamour.
Observations and Reactions 