The ‘Dip’ is a very common form and expressive move used in most social dances. Argentine Tango has it’s own version of a ‘Dip’, however this version of the Dip looks nothing like what you’ve seen before. It’s almost not worth calling it a ‘Dip’ to begin with but it is in truth of fact, the Argentine version does classify as a ‘Dip’.
Let’s back up a moment and address the possibility that you have no idea what a ‘Dip’ is. A ’Dip’ refers to what is called a Dancing Dip. And it is what it sounds like, a physiological dip in the movement of the couple. Where one partner, the Lead, stops the dance for a moment to express some aspect in the music. Usually that moment is characterized by a long, languid note. At that point the other partner (the Follower in this case) is led into a controlled, but partial, fall within the embrace of the first partner (the Lead). This is a ‘Dip’ in technical terms. Usually this kind of move is very, very dramatic, and done in the extreme to maximize it’s effect. And the effect is very visual, generating lots and lots visual lines, postures, and poses for the couple. One such idea is the ‘Death Drop Dip’ (which Tango does use in Performance Tango) where the Follower is led to almost touching the ground with their back, and one arm stretched out towards their partner The Argentine Social Dance version of this idea is the polar opposite of this extreme idea. The Argentine Dip is more felt than it is dip. That said, let’s talk about the Argentine Dip.
What is an Argentine ‘Dip’ ? Every dance has a form of a ‘dip’ where the Follower is being led to, quite literally, dip their body either forwards or most commonly backward. You’ll see this idea represented in dancing movies from the 1930’s and 40’s, look at the clip below which starts at 01:29, and then wait for it at 01:35! That is a classic dip, more a drop than a dip. But this is the classic dip.
Tango has its version of this idea, only it’s not so dramatic, not even close. As a matter of fact you’ve been doing them all along and haven’t even realized it! That’s because the dip is embedded in a very specific piece of tango vocabulary: The Argentine Cross.
Let’s not make a mountain out of a Mole hill here, after the Follower is led (this part is very important > ‘the follower is led‘, not implied, which frequently happens) to cross their feet in a Normal Cross (See > 256 Argentine Cross Variations) the Argentine Dip can occur at this juncture because it’s an elongated forward step out of the Argentine Cross! There is, however, a catch with this thing. There’s always a catch. And the devil in this case is in the details. And the detail is what specifically is generating the impulse to ‘dip’.
Aside from the devil in the detail, there’s something else you should know. This isn’t a ‘dip’ per se, not in the traditional sense. Truthfully, it’s a misnomer in terms. It’s more of a ‘hang’ for a long moment more than anything else. It’s not a ‘dip’ as in the sense of the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers dip above. It’s not that by any stretch of the imagination. It is however a very, very, very long hang. And even that’s a misnomer, but it’s the closest thing that we can reference that makes any sort of sense.
The Free Tip. The Argentine Dip does require both parties to aware of what’s going on at all times. This isn’t a situation where you lead and they follow. No. It’s a situational awareness and needs to be trained into the dancer to show exactly what this feels like. The video above is a good start. And the reason is that very few teachers actually show this stuff, let alone talk about it.
About The Video. This video is 13:14 in length in 5 Sections. Both Lead and Follow technique is co-combined.
Introduction/Overview – 03:04
Engaging Over-Rotation – 03:06
Close Embrace Details – 01:06
The ‘Hang’ – 02:45
Follower Adornments & Embellishments – 01:18