This is a collection of ways to play with music and your partner while walking by initiating walking steps and then interupting them at different stages.
To fully understand how to do the following, you will need to understand the single elements of walking in Tango. Review them here:
- Anfänger – Das Gehen – Tango München (x)
- Comprehensive and detailed breakdown of how to do your standard walking – by Dave (23min)
- 5 tips for a beautiful tango walk (leaders & followers) Tango Space (x)
- Übung: Gehen im Paar (Caminada, caminar) – Köln Tango
- Tango technique secrets: the leader’s back step & the follower’s forward step
- Common Mistakes while walking. (Tango Walk – Technique)
- Gehen – auseinander genommen (Übung)
- Tango Technik – Rückwärts gehen
The names of the moves presented here are not generally established and are only used to structure the idea that there are different ways to interupt a step – to take it back or to continue it after the interuption. Don’t get hung up, if a teacher uses a different name or a name differently: Its not important how its called.
All variants can be done in a forward step, a backward step and a side step. I only describe it here for the foreward step.
You might notice, that for you doing it on one side is easier then on the other. Don’t give in to the temptation to only use the easier side while dancing (as I did). You will later regret being limited that way. Consiously train the other side as well.
Proyección cortado (cut projection, Finte)
You can interupt the step right after you initiated it by moving your chest a little foreward (and a little down). Now your free leg should be stretched out, but have no weight on it (zero). The followers free leg should also be stretched out with no weight (projection – see above below). You stop for a mini-moment. Now you can pick up the foreward movement again (by further pushing forwrad with your chest) or return to the initial position (by moving your upper body back and up). You can repeat a few times if the music invites you to.
More about the projection in general [I haven’t found any videos so far that show the proyección cortado]:
- Projektion – Tango-Elemente
- The secrets for proficient projections and collections
- Caminata 1 – Versión Español – Empuje, Traslación y Proyección – Tango Tutorial Cristián Petitto (spanisch)
- Proyectar desde el pie – Alejandra Gutty Tango
You can do a cut projection to go back into the inital closed position and do something different (e.g. weight change, or side step) or do the cut projection stop and then finish the walking step you interupted with it.
Traspié
You can interupt the step before you shift weight onto the free foot. The free leg should be stretched out, you tap the ground and create minimal stop (or even rebound) energy – this can be done either with the verse or the heel. Doing this, the foot will make contact with the ground but have no or very little weight on it (max 10%).
To the leader: The follower doesn’t see what your foot is doing. While you may tap with your foot, you still need to stop the movement with you chest and afterwards indicate with it, which direction to go on (onwards or back).
To the follwer: Be aware that the leader might interupt any step also at this stage. „Listen“ attentively.
The followers free leg should also be stretched out and tap the ground with no to very little weight.
No pause here: You now pick up the movement right away again (or use the tap energy to return to the initial position).
The Traspié is usually introduced as a milonge technique, were you need to be able to make quick steps with the beat. But there is not reason not to use it in a tango to accentuate the beat.
More about the traspié:
- TRASPIE… What is it??? (explanation & useful examples)
- TRASPIE: Technique and combination.
- 3 Easy Milonga Traspie Steps
- Playing with Stops and Traspie | Tango Inside Out Vienna
- Traspie – Milongakurs
You can do a traspie to go back into the inital position and do something different (e.g. weight change, or side step) [semantics: some would say, it’s not a traspie then] or do the traspie and then repeat and finish the walking step you interupted with the traspie [thats how its usually taught].
A Traspie is often used to double the speed of your dance (making two steps for one beat). But you can also do it on the beat.
Rebote (aka cunita, rebound, rock step, Wiegeschritt)
While the traspie is done without real weight on the free foot, the rebote is done by pushing back from the leg that you just (started to) shift(ed) weight onto. A rebote is done from having the weight evenly distributed between both feet – or even more weight on the forward foot (50-100%).
- Tango Elements: Rebote – TangoForge Argentine
- Rebotes (Argentine Tango for Beginners)
- Changing directions in tango dancing (using the rebound/rebote)
You can do a rebote to go back into the inital position and do something different (e.g. weight change, or side step) or do the rebote and then repeat and finish the walking step you interupted with the rebote.
Corte
A corte is a stop that you dance into the ground – and back.
To the leader: The step is led smaller (about half of the size of a normal step) and downwards, so its the leg that stops the motion (then transfering it through your body tention up to the chest). To do it with the right energy you put (nearly) all you weight to the front leg (pushing into the ground) and then immediately pushing back from that leg.
To the follwer: Be aware that the leader might interupt any step also at this stage. „Listen“ attentively. Feel the downwards movement as a sign for a stop. Don’t shift your weigth to the outstreched foot. Wait for the next impulse.
Compared to the cunita, the corte is sharp emphasis into the groud while the cunita is softer, more flowing. Compared to the traspie, the corte emphasises the beat, while the traspie rather embellishes the beat, is light (more like the dot on the „i“).
- [so far I havn’t found any videos for this – videos that can be found are either showing a mor complex movements the include a corte or are from ballroom dance and shoudn’t be considered]
You can do a corte to go back into the inital position and do something different (e.g. weight change, or side step) or do the corte and then repeat and finish the walking step you interupted with the corte.
A Corte is often used to double the speed of your dance (making two steps for one beat). But you can also do it on the beat.
Musicality
Extensions
Repeating: All variants can be done in a forward step, a backward step and a side step.
They can also be done in the 3rd line (passing) on both sides or even in turns (giros). You can actually interrupt and/or take back most – if not all – movements in Tango. And many will allow you to do so at different points during that move – just like during the walking. But this requires more skills, great stability and attention from both dancers. Don’t try it as long as you can’t master a figure 100% and you don’t have a great axis.
Fluid open role approach: By giving the right amount and timing of counter-pressure it is also possible for the follower to initiate all this variations of walking and stopping (and beyond), if the leader is attentive and flexible enough. [Don’t try this with a leader only trained in the traditional tango roles and thinking].
Mehr:
Sammlung Tango-Unterrichts-Videos und Tango Tanz-Videos.