Basic technique

Basic Tango position

Stand with your heels together and the front of your feet silghtly opened. Your weight is on tha ball (Ballen) of you foot. Your knees are together (gives you stability). Your weight is on one foot and there is a body tension from the ball of your foot to the top of your head. When you shift your weight to the other foot, the movement is larger at the top of your body.

Relax the free leg

Stand on your left leg in basic Tango position. Tilt your knee a little, so the leg is not toughing the ground. Keep your hips paralell to the ground (don’t lift one side). Now let the leg swing loosely by just moving the upper leg (keep the knee and lower leg relaxed).

See this video for balance exercises (and more).

Now partner up. One assumes the above position. Now allow your partner to make the leg swing like a swing, by pushing it back and forth. Keep the leg completely relaxed, so there is no muscular activity in it. Change.

Fee leg excersice

Dissociation

  • Stand on your left leg in basic Tango position and turn you upper body to the left as far as possible without turning your lower body. Bounce a little to improve flexibility.
  • Stand on your left leg in basic Tango position and turn you upper body to the right as far as possible without turning your lower body. Bounce a little to improve flexibility.
  • Stand on your right leg in basic Tango position and turn you upper body to the right as far as possible without turning your lower body. Bounce a little to improve flexibility.
  • Stand on your right leg in basic Tango position and turn you upper body to the left as far as possible without turning your lower body. Bounce a little to improve flexibility.

Pivot

  • Stand on your left leg in basic Tango position – make sure you have only weight in the front of your foot) and turn you upper body to the left as far as possible without turning your lower body. Hold position. Now increase the turn to the left, but now release the lower body (allow it to follow the pull of the upper body). You pivot to the left, until upper and lower are in sync again.
  • Stand on your left leg in basic Tango position – make sure you have only weight in the front of your foot) and turn you upper body to the right as far as possible without turning your lower body. Hold position. Now increase the turn to the right, but now release the lower body (allow it to follow the pull of the upper body). You pivot to the right, until upper and lower are in sync again.
  • Stand on your right leg in basic Tango position – make sure you have only weight in the front of your foot) and turn you upper body to the left as far as possible without turning your lower body. Hold position. Now increase the turn to the right, but now release the lower body (allow it to follow the pull of the upper body). You pivot to the right, until upper and lower are in sync again.
  • Stand on your right leg in basic Tango position – make sure you have only weight in the front of your foot) and turn you upper body to the left as far as possible without turning your lower body. Hold position. Now increase the turn to the left, but now release the lower body (allow it to follow the pull of the upper body). You pivot to the left, until upper and lower are in sync again.

Video with basic pivot instructions

Tango technique: Exercice to pivot smoothly and in balance

5 tips for balanced pivot

Small isolated movement of the shoulder

  • Stand on your left leg in basic Tango position and turn your left shoulder to the left in an isolated movement (the rest of the body is fixed).
  • Stand on your left leg in basic Tango position and turn your right shoulder to the right in an isolated movement (the rest of the body is fixed).
  • Stand on your right leg in basic Tango position and turn your right shoulder to the right in an isolated movement (the rest of the body is fixed).
  • Stand on your right leg in basic Tango position and turn your left shoulder to the left in an isolated movement (the rest of the body is fixed).

Feed the difference beween a turn of the upper body and a small isolated movement of the shoulder

Partner up and asume basic Tango positon.

The leader negociates weight so the weight for both in on his/her left side (right side for the leader). Both activate the axis. Now the leader turns slowly the upper body as a block to the left. The follower should pivot on the spot but make no step. Calibrate axis and movements until it works. Change roles.

Go back to basic Tango positon

The leader negociates weight so the weight for both in on his/her left side (right side for the leader). Both activate the axis. Now the leader slowly opens the left shoulder in a small isolated movement to the left. The follower should feel the urge (and make) a step with the left foot to the right side of the follower. Set the foot down and stop. Calibrate axis and movements until it works. Change roles.

Repeat both with same axis position, but to the right.

Change weight to the leaders right – repeat both in both directions.

Axis excercise

One partner goes to basic Tango positon. The other one puts one hand on the back of the shoulder and walks around him/her on the other side. The partner turns with him / her on the front of the foot – by dissociating & snapping or en bloc (try both).

Change shoulder and direction.

Change role.

Simple Turning Moves

360° simple walk around the leader to the left (starting with the left foot of the follower)

Go back to basic Tango positon

The leader negociates weight so the weight for both in on his/her left side (right side for the follower). Both activate the axis. Now the leader slowly opens the left shoulder in a small isolated movement to the left. The follower makes a step with the left foot to the right side (from her/his perspective) of the leader. The step is directed (turned) towards the leader, the upper body is turned towards the leader. The leader keeps opening the shoulder with the upper body now following, but the lower body dissociated as long as possible. Follower: Set the foot down and close (no weight change).

Now the leader keeps truning the left shoulder to the left as before. The follower walks on (now with the right foot), the foot and the upper body again turned towards the leader.

The leader: When dissociation can’t be maintained any more, the leader pivots on the ball of the left foot until upper and lower body are in sync – only to start dissociating again by opening the left shoulder.

Once the follower has done a full round (after approximately 4-6 steps by the follower), the leader may use a pivot-inducing full turn of the upper body to bring the follower back into the basic position. Here timing is important – time the turn to the moment, the foot sets down. Don’t turn too hard – it needs just a nudge.

360° simple walk around the leader to the right (starting with the right foot of the follower)

Go back to basic Tango positon

The leader negociates weight so the weight for both in on his/her right side (left side for the follower). Both activate the axis. Now the leader slowly opens the right shoulder in a small isolated movement to the right. The follower makes a step with the right foot to the left side (from her/his perspective) of the leader. And walks around the leader.

The leader keeps opening the shoulder further, the follower keeps walking until the shoulder doesn’t open any more (see above).

(Non-traditional) The follower turning the leader

This is strictly forbidden in the traditional Tango szene, but a cool variation if you dance with someone less traditional (like between us):

Once the leader opend the shoulder for the first step, the follower can just walk around the leader on his/her own, turning the leader with him / her. Then you make the leader pivot on the spot. It needs to be a calm, steady movement, otherwise you throw the leader off-balance.

Listen for the signal of the leader to stop walking.

The version of the giro were the follower walks forward every step is a simplified version, that helps us concentrate on the basics of the giro in leading (opening the shoulder, staying oriented towards the follower, dissociating and releasing, timing of stopping and leading out) and in following (feeling the shoulder opening, staying oriented towards the leader, feeling the pivot to stop). More common are giros with a mulinette – but a mulinette is more difficult to automatically do without thinking (and there is neither place nor time in Tango for thinking). Now we introduce the mulinette. But remember: Doing a giro with foreward steps is a fully legitimate way of reaction to being lead into a giro. Use it especially if you are not sure about the mulinette yet (it will take some time and practice).

The Mulinette

The mulinette is a potentially endless line of these steps:

…. forward step – sideward step – backward step – sideward step – forward step – sideward step – backward step – sideward step – forward step – sideward step – backward step – sideward step…

The sequence can be entered and exited with any of those steps. Between thoses steps, you close your feet (but don’t change weight) and pivot if neccessary.

The follower does this steps automatically once lead into the sequence and only stops if stopped by the leader (or if completely bored or dizzy by it).

Mulinette – Basic execise

We trained the mulinette moves with a chair.

See this video on how to do it on your own.

Mulinette – Partner excercise

Stand in front of each other, hold yourself by the arms / shoulders.

Start with a (small) side step to the right (both), close (but do not change weight) and do a forward step. Pivot (to the left) and do a sideward stept. Pivot and do a backward step. Do a sideward step. Now you are back at the begnnning. Continue forward, sideward, backward….

Try to do small steps to not move apart from your partner. Keep your balance yourself (do not lean on your partner). You may use a piece of paper to mark the center your are walking around.

….

Mulinette to the left – starting forward

Go into basic Tango positon.

The leader negociates weight so the weight for both in on his/her left side (right side for the follower). Both activate the axis. Now the leader slowly opens the left shoulder in a small isolated movement to the left. The follower makes a step with the left foot to the right side (from her/his perspective) of the leader. The step is directed (turned) towards the leader, the upper body is turned towards the leader. The leader keeps opening the shoulder with the upper body now following, but the lower body dissociated as long as possible. Follower: Set the foot down and close (no weight change).

Now the leader keeps truning the left shoulder to the left as before.

The follower makes a side step (now with the right foot) – the foot and the upper body again turned towards the leader. Set the foot down and close (no weight change) and pivot to the left so a backward step can now follow. Do the backward step, set the foot down and close (no weight change), pivot to the left, do a side step.

The leader keep opening left the shoulder. When dissociation can’t be maintained any more, the leader pivots on the ball of the left foot until upper and lower body are in sync – only to start dissociating again by opening the left shoulder.

Once the follower has done a full round (after approximately 4-5 steps by the follower), the leader may use a pivot-inducing full turn of the upper body to bring the follower back into the basic position. Here timing is important – time the turn to the moment, the foot sets down. Don’t turn too hard – it need s just a nudge.

In the videos its shown a little different, but thats just variants that are also possible.

Giro-foreward to the left

The Giro: A 360° Counterclockwise Turn

Mulinette to the right – starting forward (repeat)

Go into basic Tango positon.

The leader negociates weight so the weight for both in on his/her right side (left side for the follower). Both activate the axis. Now the leader slowly opens the right shoulder in a small isolated movement to the right. The follower makes a step with the right foot to the left side (from her/his perspective) of the leader. And walks around the leader first with a forward step, then a side step (pivot), the a back step (pivot) then a side step (same as described above).

The follower makes sure, that his/her upper body and the free foot is allways turned towards the leader.

The leader keeps opening the shoulder further, the follower keeps walking until the shoulder doesn’t open any more (see above).

Mulinette to the right from backward ocho

Review backward ochos:

If the leader wants to lead a giro from the backward ocho, the pivot is done best with an even larger degree then 180 so that the following back step allready leads around the leader – as it can be seen here: Back Ocho With Pivoting More Than 180°

Once the back step is finished, the leader doesn’t lead another pivot, but opens the right shoulder to break the ocho movement and create space for a side step.

Having understood that the ocho was aborted, the follower does the side step, then a foreward step, a pivot into another side step and so on to walk the mulinette until stopped by the leader. Remember to keep torso and steping foot always directed towards the leader.

The leader keeps opening the shoulder to create space for the follower. The feet either step in place (weight changes) or the leader dissociates the torso and then lets the lower body follow with a pivot (see above).

Mulinette nach Rückwärtsochos

The Giro: A 360° Clockwise Turn

Mulinette to the left from backward ocho

Same as to the right, just that it is led from the back step of the ocho towards the left (of the leader) and then the left shoulder opens.

Not shown in class, but equaly possible: The mulinette after a foreward ocho

Works the same to the right.

Solo-Mulinette to the right from backward ocho

The ultimate test, if a follower actually does the mulinette automatically is if the leader forces a solo mulinette. We start (as an example) like with the mulintte after backward ocho from above. But after breaking the ocho and opening for the side step, the leader drops the embrace and stays were he / she is, while the follower finishes the side step and continues the mulinette into the forward step.

During the foreward step, the leader simply does a small stept to the right (to create space for the followers side step on his / her left) and turns a little to the left. Once the follower has finished the side step, he / she should be in front of the leader again and the leader can resume the embrace and continues the dance (e.g. with a foreward step).

[Can also be done to the left and to both directions after a foreward ocho.]

We will continue this topic by showing the similarities and differences between a giro (repeating the essentials from above) and the media luna.

More Videos:

Milonguero style = Close embrace.