Five Social Figures – Tango Topics

You’ve been dancing a while, and as you’ve become more and more proficient with the dance, something begins to dawn on you. And this ‘something’ happens for both roles but it’s not immediate. It only happens after you’ve gotten over the learning hump that happens for us all. And then started the refinement hump. It’s near the end of that second phase of the learning curve that this realization occurs. As a side note, not everyone comes to this realization. Some people in fact, never come to it. They’re still stuck in the perpetual cycle of “More IS Better”. Meaning more vocabulary is better. It’s not by the way, but no matter how often you share this stuff with them, no matter how many times you tell them “Less is more”, they can not and will not see that. Uuuuuugh. Assuming that they start the third phase of their development, understanding the music…not learning it, but understanding it, it is generally about this point in time where the realization occurs.

In case you’re not clear on the Four Phases of Tango Development:

Phase 1 is Learning the Vocabulary and the Codigos of the Dance for the Milonga Environment.

Phase 2 is the Refinements of Phase 1, meaning that you’re in a state of constant refinement of the abilities and techniques of the Vocabulary employed.

Phase 3 is the Musical Understanding of the Dance. This is not learning the music of the dance. That happens in Phases 1 & 2 to a limited degree. And in that case it’s more becoming familiar with the music because it’s played so often, but not really paying a whole lot of attention to it. Phase 3 is where we start to get serious about the orchestras, the structure of the music, the origins of the music, and start to hear the nuances of the music. That last part will go on a long, long, long time even after we’ve passed into the next and last Phase of our development.

Phase 4 is the Social Dancer is Born.

To be honest, some people…ok, MOST people skip Phase 3 entirely and graduate to being a Social Dancer without ever having done their musical homework. At the same time Phase 2 (Refinement) and Phase 3 (Musical Understanding) is not necessarily predicated on each other. They can, and sometimes do, happen concurrently with each other, and very rarely does Phase 3 happen in Phase 1. Just as a side note, with our Intensive Study program this actually does happen and quite frequently. They’re not mutually inclusive.

Today’s Tango Topic is that realization that occurs at near about the end of Phase 2 and/or somewhere in Phase 3. It’s one that we have referenced sporadically in our writings that we’ve sometimes called “Four Common Figures” or “Four Social Dancing Tools” or something very similar. When we stopped and thought about it, it was no longer 4 but in fact 5. It’s really 6, but the 6th is implied and not really a figure, but it’s always there and has a distinct bearing on the other 5!

So what on earth is this mysterious ‘thing’ that we’ve referenced so sporadically and we haven’t mentioned until this sentence ? Today’s Tango Topic is the title of the video: Five Social Figures.

What are the Five Social Figures ? In its really basic form, it’s the 5 things that we do all night long with every dance partner. We do these things so often and with such ubiquity that we don’t even consider that we’re doing them or the implications they have for what we’re doing with them, musically or from a floorcraft perspective. The five are detailed below but they are in order of precedence: 1.) Walking. 2.) Ochos. 3.) Turns. 4.) Crosses. & 5.) The Cortado. You can stop reading here, but we can tell you that the vocabulary we just mentioned is kinda barebones and just scratches the surface. And there’s a sort of a gotcha that’s waiting for you near the end of all of this. So you can skip to the end now and read the gotcha, or read on through.

Why Do You Need This Stuff ? Several reasons. First and foremost, your foundation! Honestly, this should come as a no surprise to you, but if you’re studying with anyone, you’ll notice that they continually take you ‘back’ to 4 simple things: Forward Steps, Side Steps, Back Steps, and your embrace. Because these four things are the foundation of the dance. Embedded in those four things are a host of other things that you are more than likely lacking or you have forgotten about. And it’s those 4 things that are continually screwing up your ability to dance the way you want to dance. So it’s not rocket science what we’re on about here. It’s simple foundational stuff. Which, the deeper you go, you realize isn’t so simple and is in fact far more complex than you thought or you understood. The simpler things appear, the more difficult they are in certain situations, this is one of them. Secondly, this is about understanding your vocabulary and not just from a Leading perspective, but also how it’s received by the Follower, thereby the Follower’s perspective. How it’s understood and why things happen or progress as they do. The issue here is assumptions and lots of them. We want to eradicate those assumptions and make absolutely clear why things happen. And the only way to do that is to remove the assumptions completely. Still, another reason why this stuff is important has everything to do with something that we vehemently and passionately believe in: Facility. Facility, in this case, means the ability to do X, Y, or Z. The Five Social Figures affects your underlying Facility to execute whatever you want to dance, in whatever way or to whatever style or genre of music from a Leading OR Following perspective. It effects Every. Single. Part of the dance! Everything. Facility also means the ability to execute what you desire and WHEN you desire it. Tango vocabulary (Ochos, Crosses, Sacadas, Volcadas, etc) is great, but if you can’t execute that stuff in time to the music, it kinda falls flat. So…ummm yeah, FACILITY! Want one more ? Variations! Let’s roll back the article a bit. Remember we reminded you that you dance the same things over and over and over again ? Dancing Symmetrically opens up loads of options and opportunities for you that more than likely didn’t see. For example: Playing with a Mirror Cross opens up the possibility of leading the Follower to a forward step to the Open Side of the Embrace, which only happens … ummm … NEVER! Gosh, have you thought of what do after that ? Well, here’s an opportunity to do precisely that. Discover the possibilities! And that’s all based on taking that one extra step and resolving differently. There are LOADS more of these things. All of your preconceived notions of what you think the dance is about all changes. And change, whether you believe it or not, is a very good thing. So yeah, you need this stuff.

Hey!!!!! Isn’t there more to this post ???? Where’s the Lead’s Perspective, the Follower’s Perspective, and the Dancing Perspective parts of the Post … ??? These very helpful, extremely descriptive, and FREE parts are still here, and you can see them too, just scroll to the bottom of the page, and register. Registration is a hassle! We know. But it is also free, and who doesn’t like free stuff!!! You get a whole bunch of other stuff that can help you with your dance, and the rest of this post. So go register, then login to your Tango Topics Library page and then select Articles, and you’ll see this article with all that good stuff in there. Just scroll, register, and then read! Easy. No ? 🙂

The Reality of WHY You Need This: There are many moves, steps, patterns, and figures to Argentine Tango that are really cool. What you may not realize is that most of that stuff is ‘fluff’, they’re nice to have, they’re nice to know, but honestly, you’re not going to use them that often! Mind you this is one side of the argument. This ain’t that! This piece is one of the more venerable selections of Argentine Tango that you will use frequently like Walking, Milonguero Ochos/Milonguero Turns, The Follower’s Molinete/Traveling Ochos, or The Argentine Cross. Tango Topics take this stuff very seriously, and we say that because we use this stuff ALL – THE – TIME! Our case is that you need this stuff because > This is all about foundation, or one of the Seven Foundation Steps that we use all the time to create the dance that we know as Argentine Tango. That’s why! 🙂 That said, you do actually need to watch this stuff. You can learn what you need from this video and then apply it. No lie. No gimmick. As always YMMV and to remember that the video itself is only a stepping stone! You will need some private lessons to go along with it to get the ‘feel’ of things. That is the reality of WHY you need this stuff. So subscribing for a few months to TangoTopics to get what we’re on about wouldn’t kill you. Further, it would probably help to hear another person saying what your current tango teacher has been saying all along. Think of this stuff as one more reminder that you absolutely need to hear.

The Missing Information. Dearest Reader. TangoTopics is glad that you want to read this Topic, so that you can dig a little deeper into your foundation, into the music, into the codigos of the dance. However, you’re missing three important parts to this Article: The Follower’s Perspective, The Lead’s Perspective, and The Dancing Perspective. Which can change your thinking by informing of some important pieces of information that you may not necessarily be aware of. Watching a 5 minute video will not help you to change. Change is a concerted effort and requires a little thinking on your part: Becoming a Freeium User! As the name implies, it’s FREE. Register. You get to see everything above, and a whole lot more! 😉 Have a nice day.

Why should you subscribe instead ? Several reasons. 1.) Probably the biggest reason is to save a boatload of money. Buying these things outright isn’t cheap. Besides when you buy you only have access to the one video. Subscribing, on the other hand, gives you access to everything else so you can see the foundational material that goes with this stuff. 2.) Even if you’re a Free User, you’ll get access to free tips that aren’t available to anyone just reading the post like this one. 3.) Sometimes there are slightly different versions of the videos, that add a bit more content for the free user vs. an unregistered user. 4.) Because the Dancing Perspectives (Lead, Follow, and Dancing) are hidden to the open user. And that’s where all the information is at, unless you actually subscribe. Until you do, those very important textual descriptions of what’s going on for both Lead and Follow you want to read. 5.) And the real reason you should subscribe ? If you’re used to YouTube videos where you’ll see a performance, those Youtube videos don’t explain or walk you through how these ideas work! That is why! What you’re seeing is a presentation, a performance. Not how things work! And what you really need to see is how things work, and more importantly why they work! This website shows you that and more!

Remember that what you’re seeing is a couple that is performing for the 15th row for a room full of people, they’re not social dancing. Whereas this website is all about ‘Social Dancing’ or how to make things function on a social dance floor. Social Dance floor ? Your local milonga! They’re showing flashy moves as a presentation! But not stopping and talking about how this works, why you’d want to put that piece of vocabulary there, or how to make things fit. This website is all about those things and more!

You could watch those videos and thereby spend your time, trying to infer, and figure out how things may work in that particular situation. Bend your body this way or that, twist and force this position or that. Place your foot here or there and figure it out. This is known as Tango Twister. Which can be a lot of fun, but more than likely it won’t help you, because you’re missing something: The explanation from an experienced teacher showing you how to properly excute this stuff from a Leading Perspective as well as from a Following Perspective!

The goal of YouTube videos is to get you to study with those teachers in person. The goal of Tango Topics videos allows you to work at your own pace, in the comfort of your own space, so that you can play them over and over again to improve your understanding of the vocabulary or technique being described to therefore better your dancing experience. The goal of classes and workshops is to get you to come back over and over and over again, thereby spending more money with that teacher. This website and the videos under it are here to act as a resource for you to help you to improve your dance. Pay once and you’re done.

Eventually, one way or another you’re going to pay for this lesson, either here and now, or with them. TANSTAAFL! The difference between that lesson and this ? Is that you get to play this lesson over and over and over again. Further still, there are supporting materials (other videos) that help to explain the language and the underlying technique of how and why things work, so you can easily reference those things in the corresponding articles that go with the material, and or any language in the Tango Topics Dictionary.

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The Linear Ocho Cortado

The word ‘Cortado’ translates into English as ‘cut’ or cutted (which isn’t a word in English) or an Ocho that is Cut. In today’s version of the modern Ocho Cortado, it rarely resembles its Ocho roots. It’s no wonder when people say the words for the first few times they get a little confused and can’t see the embedded Ocho properties that are sitting in front of them.

When we think of ochos, we tend to only think of BACK (Traveling) Ochos, not their Forward variety which is where the confusion comes from. Further, still it’s the interruption that of the Ocho (hence the ‘cut’ part) that people don’t see which creates even more confusion.

Today’s Tango Topic looks at this venerable Tango Turn and Vocabulary and looks at the Linear version of it, known as “The Linear Ocho Cortado”. So named because it’s done along a line. It should be noted that Tango Topics contains several variations of this venerable piece of vocabulary and that you really should check them all out. There’s lots and lots and lots of variation with this stuff. Further, still it should also be noted that this Linear Ocho Cortado is the ‘vanilla’ version of the Cortado. It’s the most common form and in Today’s Tango Topic we will not be showing any of the variations of the Cortado. For that, you really should go visit the link below and look at the other options. That said, let’s dive right into Today’s Tango Topic: The Linear Ocho Cortado.

What is a ‘Linear Ocho Cortado’ ? The are multiple versions or ideas of the Cortado. However, this particular piece of vocabulary is also what we consider to be one of the Seven Foundational Moves of Tango that every dancer must learn in order to be a socially competent dancer. Note that we said, not ‘Lead’, not ‘Follower’, but ‘Dancer’. That’s because both roles have a responsibility to this piece of vocabulary which we detail below. The Linear Ocho Cortado or ‘LOC’ as we’ll refer to it from here on out, is not something that is learned in a very specific progression of ideas. First and foremost you must learn how to walk, then Disassociation and Applied Disassociation which translates to Traveling Ochos, then Turns (Usually the Follower’s Molinete to the Lead’s Giro, and the Milonguero Turn as well), then the Argentine Cross, and finally the LOC. The LOC gets its name from the fact that it’s done in a line or along a linear path within the Line and Lane of Dance and does not break that convention. The LOC has multiple uses, from a Parallel System walk (shown in the full video above) to an endpoint or completion element. Meaning that you’ll use it as a resolution from a Molinete/Giro structure (mostly) as an example. The vocabulary itself is done on the beat, while the variations on a theme can be done in half-time, as well as double time. The LOC can be interpreted many, many, many different ways from a musical perspective. That’s one reason why it’s so venerable and versatile.

About The Video. Total runtime for this video is 26:19. Lead and Follower Steps and Technique are separated. The item in bold is unedited and is at the top of this article as a sample.

Introduction – 01:46
Lead Steps – 04:08
Follower Steps – 03:02
The Couple’s Posture – 01:46
Lead/Follower Steps Together – 02:37
The Importance of the ‘Replacement Step’ – 02:23
The Follower’s Side Step Error – 03:04
The Close Embrace Version – 01:05
The Walking Example – 02:20
The Embrace Reminder/Closure – 03:16

Related Videos:

6 Ways of Walking – The Walking Bundle – Download
Circular Ocho Cortado – Article/Subscription Only
Ocho Cortado Wraps – Article/Download
Ocho Cortado Options – Article/Download
Rock Step/Ocho Cortado – Article/Download

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Dancing Symmetrically

Today’s Tango Topic is one that has been sitting in the Topics periphery for quite some time. It’s always been one of those topics that once we got through the monster cabal of Tango Topics vocabulary videos, that there would be space and time to dive into what is seemingly a very useless and innocuous topic. A topic that seemingly has nothing to do with the way that you current engage the dance from a vocabulary stand point, or a musical stand point, or from a conceptualization standpoint, or even from a fun position…yes we actually mentioned the word ‘fun‘. We never talk about the level of enjoyment in these things or so it would seem. This is one of those times when the fun-ness factor is rife with what we’re going to suggest today! The actual fact is that today’s topic has everything to do with what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. And while the construct may sound simple, and really dry, and you’ll wonder why on earth you’d do it…doing it on the other hand, not to mention its benefits are far ranging and exceptionally eye opening on multiple levels in ways you can’t even begin to imagine. And the reason it is such an amazing topic has everything to do with a simple thing that has happened to you as a dancer.

The deeper and deeper you have gotten into Argentine Tango, the more that you come to accept certain things as true, the accepted canon of Argentine Tango. This ‘canon’ is the basis for how you understand the Follower’s Molinete, the Lead’s Giro, the Argentine Cross, the Ocho Cortado, Traveling Ochos, etc., that we tend to think of as ‘Default’ Tango. The things we do all the time – such as the Five Common Social Figures of Tango (See:Five Common Social Figures). Over time we stop listening to other voices or other ideas of how to engage the dance, or how to do X, Y, or Z. There is only X. Most of us become myopic. We only listen to one voice of how things are done: Our own. This becomes the bedrock of our dance, and our dancing experience. We do the same things over and over again, in exactly the same way, with little or no variation. And because no one is giving us any feedback, and/or that we’re not asking for any feedback; nor do we generally know how to do either (See: Giving & Receiving Feedback); nor are we encouraged or inclined to explore beyond that, even and/or until a new dancer that looks interesting shows up that is doing something ‘different‘; nor are we studying privately (for New York Dancers: you should be!). And we settle into a ‘nice’ routine of our staple partners, who again do the same things, the same way, with little or no variation. The same experiences time and time again. Mind you there’s nothing wrong with sameness. However what’s occurred, whether you realize it or not is that your skills have atrophied considerably, and most of that is due to how you see the dance, how you access the dance, and who you dance with regularly. This is what has happened to you.

Today’s Topic deals with a way to break away from that state and open up a vista that on the surface seems like it’s just X, when in actual fact, it’s the whole alphabet of Argentine Tango! So without further adieu, Tango Topics presents Dancing Symmetrically.

What is ‘Dancing Symmetrically’ ? There are 3 levels to this idea of Dancing Symmetrically. On the first level it is seemingly all about just turning in one direction more often than another. Nope. We use the example of the Follower’s Molinete/Lead’s Giro structure as the sample piece in that your immediate thinking is that “Oh we’re just turning to the other side in the other direction. I’ve done that. Whatever!“. And that would be a mistake. This concept has far reaching ideas attached to it. More so than just turning in the other direction or starting Traveling Ochos on the Closed Side of the Embrace instead of the Open Side. On the first level it’s about changing directions of how you initiate and dance things. So level 1 is all about the direction things are done in.

Level two, and this is where things start to bend your conceptions of what you accept as ‘true‘, Dancing Symmetrically changes the common vocabulary of an Argentine Cross and then…Mirrors it! (see video above for an example) There are in fact 256 Types of Argentine Crosses. The Mirror Cross, as it is known, is not only an option of the Cross it’s also a necessary access point to Dancing Symmetrically! How about the the Ocho Cortado ? And if we’re being specific here, and we are, the Linear Ocho Cortado (See: Ocho Cortado) is another access point of the idea of Dancing Symmetrically. So instead of engaging the Ocho Cortado to the Closed side of the embrace, we engage it (as shown) to the Open Side of the Embrace! We showed you this in our video on the Ocho Cortado Options video. These are just two examples of the next layer up of Dancing Symmetrically. On this layer, we are mirroring or reversing not only the vocabulary’s direction but also which sides it can be done on and to. As well as Inverting it, and then Inverting Mirroring it! Level 2 is all about direction AND sides or more appropriately to do something Normally, then to Mirror it, then to Invert it, then to Invert-Mirror it.

And now we add the 3rd and final level! Reversing the Embrace! Wait! What ? Ummmm WHYYYY??? We’ll get to the why we do this in the sections below. But the end result is that Reversing the Embrace breaks our habits and preconceived notions, and more importantly our assumptions that X is supposed to happen. So that we actually Lead AND Follow what was led! This is Dancing Symmetrically.

Why Do You Need This Stuff ? Several reasons. First and foremost, your foundation! Honestly this shouldn’t come as a surprise to you, and if you’re studying with anyone, you’ll notice that they continually take you ‘back’ to 4 simple things: Forward Steps, Side Steps, Back Steps, and your embrace. Because these four things are the foundation of the dance. Embedded in those four things are a host of other things that you are more than likely lacking on or have forgotten about. So it’s not rocket science what we’re on about here. It’s simple foundational stuff. Which, the deeper you go, you realize isn’t so simple and is in fact far more complex than you thought or you understood. The simpler things appear, the more difficult they are in certain situations, this is one of them. Secondly, this is about understanding your vocabulary and not just from a Leading perspective, but also how it’s received by the Follower, thereby the Follower’s perspective. How it’s understood and why things happen or progress as they do. The issue here is assumptions, and lots of them. We want to eradicate those assumptions and make absolutely clear why things happen. And the only way to do that is remove the assumptions completely. Still another reason why this stuff is important has everything to do with something that we vehemently and passionately believe in: Facility! Facility in this case means the ability to do X, Y, or Z. This stuff affects your underlying facility to execute whatever you want to dance in whatever way or to whatever style or genre of music from a Leading OR Following perspective. It effects: Every. Single. Part of the dance! Everything. Facility also means the ability execute what you desire and WHEN you desire it. Tango vocabulary (Ochos, Crosses, Sacadas, Volcadas, etc) is great, but if you can’t execute that stuff in time to the music, it kinda falls flat. So…ummm yeah, FACILITY! Want one more ? Variations! Let’s roll back the article a bit. Remember we reminded you that you dance the same things over and over and over again ? Dancing Symmetrically opens up loads of options and opportunities for you that more than likely didn’t see. For example: Playing with a Mirror Cross opens up the possibility of leading the Follower to forward step to the Open Side of the Embrace, which only happens … ummm … NEVER! Gosh, have you thought of what do after that ? Well, here’s an opportunity to do precisely that. Discover the possibilities! And that’s all based on taking that one extra step and resolving differently. There are LOADS more of these things. All of your preconceived notions of what you think the dance is about all changes. And change, whether you believe it or not, is a very good thing. So yeah, you need this stuff.

Where Can You Find More Information ? Oddly enough you’re in the right place for that. Not to sound like a sales pitch, BUT…. (smile) there are very few places on the web or youtube that show you options and opportunities with regards to Tango vocabulary to expand beyond your Tango horizons. Tango Topics possess a library of over 400+ videos at this point on nearly every imaginable primary topic. So ? Go subscribe, not register, subscribe. The reality is that while a registered user has access to a whole host of free stuff. All the toys of this site are stuck behind a paywall! And the only way around that paywall is to … subscribe. If we may suggest an option: Gold Madness! Click the link and find out more and then start your Tango Exploration today.

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Building Blocks #3

In Today’s Building Block Episode (#3) we have three pieces of tango vocabulary that are used:

1.) Lead & Follow Incremental Steps
2.) The ‘Gooey’ Gancho
3.) The Follower’s Back Sacada.

The first of these elements is used, sparingly, but not as much as they should be. It is probably one of the more musical items that either a Lead or a Follower can engage in that clearly and decisively ‘Interprets’ the Music from their perspective. (Please note the usage of the phrase ‘Interprets the Music’. This is in our concerted opinion a far more useful and helpful way of talking about the umbrella misnomer that is frequently misused: Musicality). In the easiest form, the Incremental Step, is very similar to a Milonga Traspie. The only difference is that the Incremental Step is done outside of the Habanera Rhythm and can be used anywhere. Whereas the Milonga con Traspie is used only inside Milonga, and in specific where we want it to be inside the Habanera, and if we’re being persnickety (and we are) inside El Golpe. And if you don’t know what either the Habanera Rhythm is or what “El Golpe” is, you can see it them both here. The second of these elements is used very infrequently, the Gooey Gancho, and in our opinion not enough, as it is one of the more beautiful forms of the Gancho. But due to the Gancho having been overused and forced onto so many Followers that they rightfully have a distaste of and fear of it, it’s no wonder that it’s not exactly the most popular vocabulary on the block. And lastly, this is the most common form of the Back Sacada, the Follower’s Back Sacada to the Open Side of the Embrace. Usually this piece is done from the Linear Ocho, or the Circular Ocho, but the more common form is from the Follower’s Molinete!

That said, let’s dive into Today’s Tango Topics Building Block.

Difficulty Rating: (3.5 / 5)

What is a Tango Building Block ? In many ways, Tango is a lot like a set of Lego™ Building Blocks. With just a few simple blocks you can build very complex and intricate structures. Tango is the same way. With just a few basic moves like forward, side, and back you can build very complex movements that can later be applied in very different ways. That’s what makes Tango so amazing. It’s never the same dance twice even with the same partner and the same music!

A Tango Topic Building Block goes one step further. This isn’t just about showing you a move or a step, pattern, or figure but giving you tools that you can integrate into your dance immediately. Ideas that you hadn’t even thought of or considered.

Frequently when we dance, we get very ‘stuck’ in our repetition of the same piece of vocabulary over and over and over again. This series is designed to give you ideas, options, and opportunities to employ differences to add a bit of spice to your dance using very simple ideas.

Let’s get something out of the way going further: This video series and everything in that follows is not a step, pattern, or figure video series. We’re not going to teach you a series of patterns. We believe that steps don’t really help you. Tango, for lack of a better way of putting it, is a dance that is choreographed on the fly, meaning that it is improvised. While that improvisation has some elements to it that are common (the building blocks) how you put those elements together is where the real artistry is at. Put another way, the dance is not ‘canned’, meaning that it is mapped out precisely in time to the music as though you would choreograph a ballet. That would be a performance. What Tango Topics is offering you is a way to expand your dancing repertoire using the vocabulary you already know today, in ways you hadn’t really thought of, and more importantly for use on a social dance floor.

The Case For WHY You Need This ? Actually, you don’t need it. Huh? Hmmm…that’s no way to sell videos or subscriptions. You’re right. It’s not. That’s because we’re not in the business of teaching you useless vocabulary that you probably don’t need. Stay with us on this one, it’s not going where you think it is. From a very specific point of view, this is cool vocab. No doubt about it. However, from another point of view, the social dancer who’s been dancing a while, a long while, this is nothing more than vocabulary that doesn’t further the cause of Social Dancing. Now here’s the kicker – Both, yes, BOTH points of view are valid. Here’s why:

From the Social Dancer’s point of view, you’re never going to use this stuff. Maybe once in a blue moon, but in reality the better that you get, the less you use this stuff. From their point of view, it’s four pieces of vocabulary that you need: The 6 Ways of Walking, Traveling Ochos/Milonguero Ochos, The Follower’s Molinete/The Milonguero Turn, and lastly – The Argentine Cross. That’s it. That’s all you need. From the Dancer’s point of view that’s hasn’t mastered this stuff yet, this is cool and you want to play with it, and to be able to master it. To find it’s in’s, out’s, how’s, and why’s, and mostly to have fun with it. Both points have their merits.

And now to the one twist in our point that you probably weren’t expecting. This stuff actually has validity, maybe not from a social dancing perspective, immediately, but more from a movement, and musical perspective. The fact is that this is all about one thing and one thing only: Skillz!

There’s a reason you study vocabulary like this, and it’s not because it’s cool (it can be), or that’s it’s musical (it is), or that it’s fun (it is that), or that it adds a little spice and variety now again (the once in a blue moon methodology). It’s because it’s all about your Foundation. Or put another way, because this vocabulary works your foundation in a really good way, by breaking down the movements to their component elements, so then you can become a much more fluid dancer so that you can use it, or not. It’s about availability, accessibility. Not about using it. Using it is entirely up you. But working the instrument, that’s what this vocabulary does. It works your instrument, … ahem…that’s you in case you weren’t paying attention.

No one wants to admit that they need help. That their dance isn’t stellar. Furthermore, you really don’t know that your dancing skills aren’t absolutely amazing until you see a room full of people all dancing way better than you are. And then you see it and feel like the poor cousin at the kiddie table during a holiday meal. There’s a reason those people have achieved ‘better’. It’s doing work like what you see in the video above. Being able to turn this stuff on and off as if it were a switch. A good portion of the time when we’re dancing we only think about the ‘cool’ toys in our dancing and we neglect the one thing that makes those cool toys possible: Our Foundation. That is, in case you’re not paying attention, this video series and others like it.

About The Video. This video is 3 sections and when combined create a singular viewing experience of 31m:07s.

Part 1 (16:55) – Explains the 3 pieces of vocabulary with options and variations. Part 2 (07:05) is with a Metronome to show you how some of these ideas can be set to a time signature. And part 3 (07:37) is with a piece of music. There is no Technique discussed in the video.

For technique please visit the individual topics listed below:

Part 1 – Explanation (00:16:55)
Part 2 – Metronome Tools. (00:07:05)
Part 3 – Music (00:07:37

Full Technique Videos In This Article:

Cross Body Incremental Steps – Article / Download
Golden Nugget Extensions – Article / Download
Gooey Ganchos – Article / Download
Back Sacadas 2019 – Article / Download

Related Videos Mentioned In This Article:

Follower Technique Series – Definition/Download
The Six Ways of Walking – Download
Disassociation – Definition/Download
Applied Disassociation – Definition/Download
Linear Ochos – Definition/Download
Traveling Ochos – Definition/Download

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4 Social Dancing Tools

Argentine Tango consists of 3 steps, and only 3 steps: Your Left and Your Right. The 3rd is the Weight Change! 🙂 Another way that people talk about Tango’s steps is to say that the there are only 3 steps: Forward, Side, and Back. Either way you look at it, at some point, usually with the music, the dancers move from position to position via some kind of walking. The are 2 common walking systems in Argentine Tango: 1.) Parallel System Walking and 2.) Cross System Walking. In Parallel Walking, which is sometimes referred to as “Opposite Foot” walking, whereby the Lead steps into the Follower’s Walking paths with the Opposite Foot. For instance if the Lead steps with their Left, the Follower will extend with their Right, and so on. As Tango has grown, developed, and changed, while Parallel system is used as a good tool to get people up and dancing, the star of the show has always been Cross System Walking and Vocabulary. In today’s topic we’re talking about 4 Common Social Dancing Tools that use Parallel Walking as the entry point and NOT Cross System. Meaning ? We’ll start out using Parallel Walking system and then focus on the Transition point on the way to Four very common pieces of Tango vocabulary. So without further adieu, Tango Topics presents the Four Social Dancing Tools.

What are the ‘Four Social Dancing Tools’ ? First, what is a ‘tool’ as we’re defining it here ? A tool is a commonly used element that, and really it’s a transition from one thing to the next, that we use ubiquitously and don’t really pay a lot of attention to because it’s a stepping stone to the really cool thing we have in our minds. This is a tool. It’s the thing we use to make something else. Think of it as a Foundation, or a maker tool. A tool to make other things. And in this case, the Four Social Dancing Tools are maker tools with lots and lots and lots of variation built into them. 😉

These tools are the meat and potatoes of Social Dancing on the whole. While the cool vocabulary (think: Colgada, Volcada, Sacada, Gancho, Boleo, etc) is … ummmm … flashy, this stuff, the Four Social Dancing Tools that are sitting around them, or leading up to them and from them, is where the entire dance is at. Think of it this way, if you remove all the cool, flashy vocab from your dance, what’s left ? The Four Social Dancing Tools!

At the same time, those Four Social Dancing Tools, are really about the Transition points between going from Parallel Walking System to Cross System, most of the time. It should be noted that the Transition point is usually a point of inflection for a lot of dancers. Meaning ? It’s the point where most people have issues. By example the transition is usually where an in/experienced Lead will do one of several things, if not altogether, to get from point a to point b. 1.) They’ll compress the embrace (squeeze their Followers into them with their right forearm to hold them in place or to keep them close). 2.) They’ll rush their Followers and push them from position to position. 3.) They’ll haphazardly invoke leads to do X, Y, and Z, and not complete or follow through on the vocabulary, thinking that the Follower will just ‘get it’ and complete the half-thought that was invoked.

The Four Social Dancing Tools are:

Type 1: Parallel Walking > Milonguero Ochos
Type 2: Parallel Walking > Milonguero Turns
Type 3: Parallel Walking > Traveling Ochos
Type 4: Parallel Walking > Follower’s Molinete

Difficulty Rating: (2.5 / 5)

What Happened To …. ????? If you’re wondering where’s the free Leading, Following, and Dancing perspectives for this particular Tango Topic that tangotopics.com is known for ????? It’s still here, just scroll to the bottom of the page, and register. It’s free. And then go login to your Tango Topics Library page and then select the Articles button, and you’ll see this article with all that good stuff in there. Just scroll, register, and then read! Easy.

Why Do You Need This Stuff ? Foundation, Foundation, Foundation. That’s why. Or put another way, because these tools work the foundation in a really good way, by breaking them down to their component elements. No one wants to admit that they need help. That their dance isn’t stellar. Furthermore you really don’t know that your dancing skills aren’t absolutely amazing until you see a room full of people all dancing way better than you are. There’s a reason those people have achieved ‘better’. It’s doing work like what you see in the video above. Being able to turn this stuff on and off as if it were a switch. A good portion of the time when we’re dancing we only think about the ‘cool’ toys in our dancing and we neglect the one thing that makes those cool toys possible: Our Foundation. That is, in case you’re not paying attention, this video series and others like it. By employing these four commonly used social dancing elements as your Foundation we work on the underlying elements as well, trying to make them cleaner, sharper, crisper, and that much more fluid. This isn’t about perfection, so get that thought right out of your head, but rather about making our dance flow more freely. There’s knowing the steps of a sequence, and then there’s dancing, and these are not the same things. You can know the steps, but dancing is a whole different thing. These four things can help with that process of ‘dancing’. Dancing does not happen on it’s own. It takes years of practice to create the seamless, flow, and fluidity that you see some dancers exhibit. Seemingly creating something out of nothing and wondering how that was done. These Four Social Dancing Tools are how that was done. By focusing on the foundational elements in each! So if you want your dance to improve, it’s not the fancy vocabulary. It’s make the stuff that surrounds it stellar! This is that ‘stuff’ that surrounds the fancy vocab!

From a Social Dancing Perspective. It is very rare that this site only talks about the combined role of what has to occur in a particular piece of vocabulary, but that’s exactly what we’re going to do with this. The reason being is that we have detailed each of these pieces of vocabulary on their own, so please go see the individual pieces. However, we would like to point out a few things that you need to be aware of going forward:

1.) These tools if done inappropriately can be JARRING. So it’s important that from a Leading perspective that when you invoke one of these ideas that you be very gentle and careful with them and not rush through them. And that’s the key to them right there….no rushing through them. What does ‘rushing’ mean ? It means without thought or care and focused on what you’re going to do afterward. It also means pushing or pulling the Follower along…tsk, tsk, tsk. Major no-no!

2.) It’s important to recognize that sometimes, more often than we’re aware of, these tools happen not through choice but because of happenstance, and very often we’re not even aware that we’ve done it. Which is to say that if they happen, don’t beat yourself up over it but instead embrace it and try to create options and opportunities from them. Try to understand the conditions under why they occurred. The reason being is that you want to be able to turn this stuff on and off like a switch under your own control and not because it just happened. You want to be able to replicate it whenever you want and not because the situation of steps has to be exactly the same.

3.) Believe it or not, this stuff is exceptionally musical. It has lots and lots of musical properties that aren’t even discussed in the videos. You can speed them, up, slow them down, engage in half-time, double-time, add adornments (which are musical in nature) to them….and a whole lot more. There is a reason these things are the meat of the dance, and that’s because they’re insanely versatile! So while the videos don’t show this stuff with a metronome, or a piece of music for you to replicate those exact ideas, they do show the underlying elements for you to interpret with whatever way you want to interpret them!

About The Video. This video comes in a combined 50m:37s in length in 4 sections. There is no Lead or Follower Technique explained in this video at all.

Type 1: Parallel Walking > Milonguero Ochos (00:12:33)
Type 2: Parallel Walking > Milonguero Turns (00:13:55)
Type 3: Parallel Walking > Traveling Ochos (00:12:42)
Type 4: Parallel Walking > Follower’s Molinete (00:11:27)

Related Videos:

6 Ways of Walking – The Walking Bundle – Download
The Milonguero Turn – Article/Download
The Follower’s Molinete – Definition/Subscriber Only
Applied Disassociation – Definition/Download
Applied Disassociation Exercise – Subscriber Only

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3 Common Back Sacadas

Sacada. Meaning – ‘a-really-cool-move-that-you-think-is-really-complicated-but-is-an-illusion of techniques’. For most people when they see a sacada for the first time, their reaction is one of surprise that a.) it looks really complicated (it’s not). and b.) that they can never see themselves doing one (you will). And these are usually forward sacadas for the Lead into the Follower’s side step. Usually. There are about 1024 sacadas, which drops to 512 when you rule out certain impossibilities. In reality, there are about 10 different ‘flavors‘ of them that when you combine the different flavors of walking systems, that number jumps to an insane number. Things go right off the rails (as the saying goes) when we see a sacada that does not fit into this paradigm. Enter the “Back Sacada“.

Important Notation: This article & video has been re-written, updated, and the video has been completely redone for 2019 going forward. Originally the video that accompanied this article was 31 minutes and 35 second in length. It is now over 1 hr and 35 minutes. The original video is still present and available for purchase, as it contains desirable information. However, the article that represented it is no longer present. 😉 Enjoy.

What is a Back Sacada ? The easiest way to describe this Sacada, which is a displacement, where either the Lead or the Follower will displace and then take the place of their partner by using a Back Step! Generally, these types of Sacadas require Applied Disassociation to make them happen for either role. Typically this type of Sacada is created whereby the Follower is led to Sacada the Lead, whereas the second most common variety is the Lead will Sacada the Follower. Of all the Sacadas that one can lead and follow, this is probably the most challenging for a variety of reasons. Most notably because you quite literally have to have mastery over proprioception in order for them to work properly. Most people, however, do not have the necessary mastery, so they end up bumping into one another and feet getting stepped on, repeatedly. While this isn’t always the case, and not to disparage anyone’s experience of them Leading or Following these ideas, the fact remains that unless proprioception has been mastered then this type of Sacada will repeatedly fail.

Difficulty Rating: (3 / 5)

About The Video. Total runtime for this video is: 01:38:55. This is a combined video format, lead and follow technique are mixed together. The item in bold is unedited and is at the top of this article as a sample.

Introduction – 00:06:22
Disassociation/Applied Disassociation Review – 00:20:54
Trailing Foot – 00:05:27
Leg Extension – 00:11:06
Dangling Foot Error – 00:04:18
First Common Back Sacada – 00:12:35
Second Common Back Sacada – 00:07:00
Dancer’s Cheat/Lead’s Cheat – 00:05:41
First Common Multiple Back Sacada – 00:07:34
Second Common Multiple Back Sacada – 00:02:26
An Interesting Back Sacada and a Surprise Back Sacada – 00:07:47
Close Embrace Back Sacadas/Closure – 00:07:45

Related Videos:

6 Ways of Walking – The Walking Bundle – Download
Simple Sacadas 2018 – Article/Download
Back Sacadas 2015 – Download
Disassociation – Definition/Download
Applied Disassociation – Definition/Download
Applied Disassociation Exercise – Member Only

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Six Ocho Variations

Ochos! They are the stalwart of Argentine Tango. They’re the goto move that keeps the dance moving, almost like the glue that holds everything together. Here’s an interesting experiment to prove if the statement above is valid or not, try not leading or not following them for a little while in the middle of a song, or for an entire song, and see what happens! More than likely you’ll see the validity of the statement, and how often we use them as Transitional Elements. What’s a Transitional Element you may ask ? In it’s simplest form, and yes there are complex forms of this idea, it’s a tool that we use to transition from one Tango idea to the next. Hence there’s a reason why we have detailed 3 of the more commonly used Transitional Elements, which Tango Topics calls Ocho Transitions. You might want to go look at the 3 of the 4 primary Ocho Transitions [ 1.) Milonguero Ochos into the Milonguero Turn. 2.) Traveling Ochos into The Follower’s Molinete. 3.) Traveling Ochos into The Milonguero Turn. 4.) Milonguero Ochos into The Follower’s Molinete (this video is only available to subscribers).] Moving along towards Today’s Tango Topic, there is something else that you may not recognize which is also true: Your understanding of the Ocho itself is not expansive enough. More than likely when we wrote the word “Ochos” above only one image came to your mind. You should know by now that this website details multiple ideas of what a specific piece of vocabulary can be. Take for instance the Ocho Cortado. There are 3 major variations of it. The Circular Ocho Cortado (used in Europe and BsAs), The Linear Ocho Cortado (used in North America and BsAs), and the Ocho Cortado Variations (used everywhere). Or Sacadas, we’ve detailed multiple variations of Sacadas (Simple Sacadas 2018, Close Embrace Sacadas, Crossing Sacada Turns, and Back Sacadas 2019…coming in January ), or any of the 3 types of Boleos (Social, Linear, or Circular), Ganchos (Common Ganchos, Lead Ganchos, Follower Ganchos, Gooey Ganchos), Colgadas, Volcadas…lots and lots and lots of variations. So what would make you believe that there aren’t Ocho Variations here as well. There are in fact Six Common Ocho Variations Tango Topics discusses. So without further adieu, Tango Topics presents the importance of Six Ocho Variations.

To see the full 23m:37s video and to read the full article, with no interruptions or gimmicks, scroll down and register, it’s free

What Is An ‘Ocho Variation’ ? It is an Ocho that is varied. Hahahaha. That definition isn’t that far from the truth. Before we dive into the Variations, there’s something that you should know going in which require us to review the types of Eight Types of Ochos that are possible within the structure of Argentine Tango. There are Eight Types ? You thought there was only One, which is our point above. There are in fact Eight that Tango Topics yaps about. So without further delay a little refresher on the Ocho:

Type 1: Milonguero Ochos (sometimes called “Lazy” Ochos). They’re called “Lazy” because there is almost no physiological work for the Follower to invoke the application of this idea. This is the 2nd most common Ocho after Traveling Ochos (see Type 3). This is where the Follower is led to stepping backwards (or forwards) with their legs/feet crossing over their body’s natural meridian line on a 45 degree angle on the diagonal and more importantly their hips do not rotate in any way, shape, or form. Easier done than described or said. Here’s an example >

Type 2: Linear Ochos. These are Ochos that employ Disassociation (from the Lead) and then Applied Disassociation (from the Follower), where the Follower is being led to rotate their torso (via disassociation) and then their entire body 180º (via applied disassociation) perpendicular to their Lead. They are asked to move backward or forwards, typically backward, along a linear line in front of the Lead. Where the Follower’s feet/legs do not cross over their body’s natural meridian line. Where the Lead actually engages Disassociation (not inference) to their Left Side (Open Side), and their Right Side (the Closed Side of the Embrace) which results as Applied Disassociation in the Follower (not a Pivot! Tsk, tsk, tsk).

Type 3: Traveling Ochos. This type of Ocho is the common one that most people are familiar with, it’s the one that you thought of when the word is used most often. However, in this instance, this particular type of Ocho, and where it gets its name from, is the fact that it ‘travels‘ down the line of dance. Each Ocho invokes a smaller, or lesser amount of Disassociation (from the Lead), and a smaller or lesser amount of Applied Disassociation (from the Follower) which ends up as a 90º rotation perpendicular to the Lead. Typically these should only be done in triplets and not continuously, and going with the Followers motion, and should not be inferred. However, they are typically inferred and the Follower either guesses that they’re being led to Traveling Ochos or because they’ve done them so often they will invoke a Traveling Ocho on their own when none was led, which is better known as ‘The Automatic Ocho‘ or part of their default behavior.

Type 4: Circular Ochos. These Ochos resemble Type 2, but instead of the linear line and 180º in front of the Lead, the Ocho is led on a semi-circular arc 180º in front of the Lead.

Type 5: Over-Rotated Ochos. These Ochos are very uncommon but still a valid form of the Ocho, and to be honest with you loads of work for the Follower, and oodles of fun at the same time. These are Ochos where the Follower is led to an Over-Rotation at 270º to step backward (or forwards) into the space that the Lead has created with the same foot/leg that the Follower is stepping backward (or forwards) with! Example here:

Type 6: Anti-Ochos. These Ochos resemble Type 2 Ochos except instead of the Lead going with the Follower’s rotation and direction, the Lead goes against it! They’re insanely cool, and looooots of fun to do. Example here:

Type 7: Milonga Ochos. This type of Ocho is only used in one instance, Milonga. And while they resemble the motion of Type 3, the Follower is led to not to step backwards but to rotate over their feet in an actual full body pivot and then change weight and pivot again in the opposite direction, creating the effect of slight but rapid movement down the line dance. This is the only Ocho that seemingly breaks the Tango Topics rule of Resistance when in truth of fact does not and can be led and followed without employing resistance at all. Here’s an example of the Follower’s Milonga Ocho >

Type 8: Dynamic Ochos. These Ochos are more than likely a Tango Topics construct. This is where an Ocho starts out as one thing and is morphed into another type of Ocho where the only requirement is time in relationship to the music! Meaning you might start out in Milonguero Ochos and transition into Traveling Ochos over the course of a few bars of the music.

These are the 8 Types of Ochos. Why list these ? Because our primary topic deals with having the knowledge of these 8 things so that now we can ‘vary’ them into Six possible Variations on a theme.

What are the Six Variations ? The Six Variations are tools used for navigation, music, and just fun or to vary the idea a bit so that you don’t end up doing the same thing over and over again. In the next section we show you what the variations are for this video. However, the short and curly answer is that an Ocho Variation is a variation of one the ideas above that have no been detailed on Tango Topics before this article.

Difficulty Rating: (2.5 / 5)

About The Video is 23m:37s in length in 8 sections with a combined technique for Lead and Follow. Item in bold in example video, if the section is partially bolded that means that the section is partially in the video. 🙂

Section 1: Introduction (00:01:32)
Section 2: Incremental Ochos (00:04:44)
Section 3: Forward Traveling Ochos (00:03:28)
Section 4: Forward Milonguero Ochos (00:03:11)
Section 5: Lead Traveling Ochos (00:04:09)
Section 6: Ocho Reversals (00:01:08)
Section 7: Ochos as a Navigation Element (00:01:37)
Section 8: Vocabulary Review and Closure (00:03:30)

Related Videos Mentioned In This Article:

The Six Ways of Walking – Download
Ochos Bundle – Download.
Ocho Transitions 1 – Milonguero Ochos into the Milonguero Turn – Article/Download
Ocho Transitions 2 – Traveling Ochos into the Follower’s Molinete – Article/Download
Ocho Transitions 3 – Traveling Ochos into the Milonguero Turn – Article/Download
Dancing In A Small Space – Article
Dancing In A Small Space – The Addendum – Article

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Seven Argentine Starters

For a lot of people, the idea of Leading a dance in Argentine Tango either strikes fear into their heart, and they psyche themselves out to the point where they believe that they can’t do it. Or they overthink the thing to death and reach the same point of thinking they can’t do it or that it’s exceptionally difficult. Or there are those that believe that they feel comfortable enough with Leading a dance. In all three of these types of Leads, regardless of the role (Leading or Following), there’s a moment of “What’s Next ?” right at the beginning of a song. For the Follower, the moment comes in the form of the Follower asking the question in their mind, “What do they (the Lead) want ?” over and over again in their minds. Even though they’ve settled into the embrace, until there is movement, until there is some kind of signal (resistance and compression based or intention based dancing) the Follower exists in a heightened state of hyper-awareness of asking this question. For the Lead, the question becomes “What am I going to do ?” over and over and over again until they’re either forced to move because they’re holding up the line of dance or they fall into their standard opening. In both cases, the dance starts from a place of confusion and cluelessness of “What’s Next ?”. What if as a Lead or as a Follower that state of confusion, that state of feeling dumbfounded were to completely disappear ? What would happen to your abilities as a dancer if you created a series of Openings (and closings) to the dance. Not a series of intricate patterns, no….but rather, simple ways to start a dance that put both Lead and Follower at ease ? That’s where today’s Tango Topic picks up. It addresses what to do at the beginning of the dance with 7 Ways to Start a Dance, as well as 9 Ways not to Start a Dance. So without further yappment, Tango Topics presents the importance of Seven Argentine Starters!

What Is A ‘Starter’ ? A ‘Starter’ is a bit misleading, no pun intended because one might erroneously reach the conclusion that an Argentine Starter was a specific piece of vocabulary, a pattern, that you can use. Unfortunately that’s not the case. It’s more of a simple primer, actually 7 simple primers, that you can use to create more complex choices. Think of an Argentine Leading Starter as something a Vaudeville dancer would call “Vamping” until you’re ready for something else. Which roughly translates from a Vaudeville perspective of doing the same thing over and over and over until everyone is on the same page, doing what they need to be doing, in the right key, on the right note, singing the right words, in the same steps, and then they can proceed with the next thing. The same thing is true in Argentine Tango to an extent. In it’s simplest form an Argentine Leading Starter is a series of simple movements to begin a dance with. That’s it, that’s all. There’s nothing grandiose about it but there is something calming about it. And that’s the important part. Calming both partners. We desire calm, rational, clearly thought out movement, as well as thought and creating a state of placid, serene, almost tranquil state of mind and body for three distinct purposes: 1.) Getting to a deeper state of integration with one’s partner. 2.) Creating a heightened state of readiness for all that may occur that is as much about awareness as it is about being delightful. 3.) Removing any and all nervousness and confusion because we’re employing simple things that can translate to more complex things later on. This is an Argentine Starter.

Difficulty Rating: (2 / 5)

Follower’s Notation. It should be noted that if you’re a Follower, just because this topic sounds like “Leading…” whatever, that shouldn’t pay attention. When the reality is that you DO in fact want to pay attention to this stuff for a wide variety of reasons which we’ll get to in the Follower’s Perspective below.

About The Video. This video is 25m:13s in length in 4 sections. Both lead and follower technique are combined and integrated into the video. Bold items below shown in video sample video above.

Introduction – 00:02:43
9 Ways Not To Start A Dance – 00:06:08
7 Ways to Start A Dance – 00:13:59
Closure With Examples – 00:01:51

Related Videos Mentioned In This Article:

The Six Ways of Walking – Download
Dancing In A Small Space – Article
Dancing In A Small Space – The Addendum – Article

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Tango Topics – Building Blocks #2

In Today’s Building Block Episode (#2) we have three pieces of tango vocabulary that are used frequently in most people’s dance:

1.) Follower Linear Back Ochos.
2.) Lead Extensions (sometimes called “projections”). and
3.) Lead Linear Back Ochos.

The first of these elements is used so often that most people don’t even realize they’re employing them. The second gets used with some frequency as accent idea. And the last one does not even get a thought because most Leads never even conceive of it. Today’s Building Block episode discusses these ideas in relation to your dancing experience.

Let’s get something out of the way almost immediately: This video series and everything in that follows is not a steps/patterns/figures video series. We believe that these things have their place but in the long run, they don’t really help you to become a better dancer. While the choreography removes the worry of wondering what to do next. The problem with learning choreography is that it is the same dance constantly with little variation! Tango is an improvisational dance. So it’s important to explore how to improvise, and more importantly WHAT to improvise with. What Tango Topics is offering you in this video is a way to expand your dancing repertoire using the vocabulary you already know today, in ways you hadn’t really thought of, and more importantly for use on a social dance floor.

That said, let’s dive into Today’s Tango Building Block.

Difficulty Rating: (2.5 / 5)

About The Video. This video is 3 sections and when combined create a singular viewing experience of 44m:11s.

Part 1 (19:37) – Explains the 3 pieces of vocabulary with options and variations. Part 2 (12:57) is with a Metronome to show you how some of these ideas can be set to a time signature. And part 3 (11:37) is with a piece of music. There is no Technique discussed in the video.

For technique please visit the individual topics.

Part 1 – Explanation (00:19:37)
Part 2 – Metronome Tools. (00:12:57)
Part 3 – Music (00:11:37)

Related Videos Mentioned In This Article:

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The Rock Step Ocho Cortado

There are Eight Turns in Argentine Tango that Tango Topics has identified as Commonly used or Social Turns. There are a few others that are outside of the common eight but for the most part, accept in this moment that there are eight.

Just in case you were curious, the Eight Common Turns are in no particular order: 1.) The Follower’s Molinete/Lead’s Giro. 2.) Milonguero Turn. 3.) Rock Step. 4.) Ocho Cortado (Linear & Circular). 5.) Calesitas. 6.) Media Luna Turns. 7.) Colgada Turns. 8.) Anti-Molinete.

Today’s Tango Topic deals with two of those common eight turns and combines them into one movement so that they actually turn down the line of dance. This is an unusual vocabulary for Tango Topics to display because it is one of the very few figures that we teach/show to our Intensive Level Students (in Level 2 & 3) in the combined version that you’re seeing it here. We typically teach these as separate elements and leave it to the student, later on in their level 2 development of solving Tango Problems, to put them together as a possible solution set.

Some things to keep in mind:

In order for a Rock Step, by itself, to function as a turning element a.) there must be multiples of them, and b.) they must ‘curve’ OR there must be a resolution of some sort from one to the next element.

In order for a Linear Ocho Cortado to be used as a turning element, the step prior to the crossing element must be rotated by the Lead, and/or the Follower’s side step must be curved or rotated slightly.

In either case, these pieces of venerable tango vocabulary are at best ‘quarter turn’ vocabulary. Meaning that they’ll only turn about 90 to 120 degrees under optimal conditions. However, combining these two turns increases the rotational from 90 to about 150 to a potential 180 degrees, under optimal conditions.

If all of that seems very technical for you, think of it this way: By themselves, they’re smaller, individual turns or rotationals. Together they have a bigger and better turning radius. Further still, it’s a kind of cool combined turn to do.

Today we’re going to explore this combination, so without further yapping, Tango Topics presents: The Rock Step & Linear Ocho Cortado!

What Is A Rock Step & Linear Ocho Cortado ? First we have to be very clear, if it wasn’t clear above that these are two very different pieces of vocabulary. Very different. And they’re frequently commingled due to the fact that the opening step of the Linear Ocho Cortado (not the Circular Ocho Cortado) looks very similar to a Parallel System Rock Step without the Resolution. Secondly, we need to be clear about the difference between a Rock Step and that opening step of the Linear Ocho Cortado, which is called a ‘Check Step’.

A Rock Step, put simply, is a step where the Follower is led to stepping backwards, engaging a weight change, and then led to a rebote (rebound) into a forward step that may, as an option, resolve into another step. Usually a side or forward step. These steps can be done in Parallel System (meaning opposite feet – lead left to follower right, and lead right to follower left) or Cross System (meaning same feet – lead left to follower left, and lead right to follower right). The most common of the Rock Steps is a Parallel System Rock Step that starts with the Lead left/Follower Right and does not engage a Resolution, but rather curves a bit, about 45 degrees. Further, and lastly, it should be very clearly noted that while the language above is quite ‘passive’ as to what the Follower is being ‘led’ to do, the Follower is by no means a rag doll here or what Tango Topics calls a ‘dead fish’ in the Lead’s arms. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Nor should they be. They can, and should, when engaging in any of the 8 possible Rock Steps, own them completely and step into them with gusto!

A Linear Ocho Cortado, is an North American construct, at best. Why this idea is more prevalent in the United States and Canada is beyond Tango Topics but it is. In this version of the Ocho Cortado, the Follower is led to a Check Step, then a forward step across their Lead’s body, then a side step, and then led back to a crossing step (more on this later). It should be noted that the Follower does have some level of choice in this particular piece of vocabulary. Not just in where they step, but how the cross is executed, more on this particular element in a bit.

Ok, so now that we’ve defined what these things are, we need to combine them, and in doing so, we create a much more dynamic, and not to mention but we will anyway, a far more useful social turn than the turns are by themselves! This is the Rock Step & Linear Ocho Cortado vocabulary.

Difficulty Rating: (3 / 5)

About The Video. This video is 16m:44s in length in 9 sections. Both lead and follower technique are combined and integrated into the video.

Introduction – 00:04:48 (this is the video above)
– Linear Ocho Cortado – 00:00:54
– A Check Step – 00:00:13
– A Rock Step – 00:00:23
– Parallel System Rock Step with Resolution – 00:00:22
– The Explanation – 00:00:53
– The Creepy Lead Lunge No-No – 00:01:17
– The Socially Acceptable Idea for the Rock Step – 00:00:45
The Follower’s Replacement Step – 00:01:32
The Rock Step/Linear Ocho Cortado – 00:00:54
The Cross System Version – 00:01:54
The Open Side Version – 00:04:19
The Curving Version – 00:01:20
The Closing Ideas – 00:01:24

Related Videos Mentioned In This Article:

The Six Ways of Walking – Download
Close Embrace Sacadas – Article/Download
The Ocho Cortado Options – Article/Download
The Circular Ocho Cortado – Article
The Argentine Rock Step – Article/Download

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Category: Vocabulary

Five Social Figures – Tango Topics

Five Social Figures

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The Linear Ocho Cortado

The Linear Ocho Cortado

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Dancing Symmetrically

Dancing Symmetrically

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Building Blocks #3

Tango Building Blocks – Number 3

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Four Social Dancing Tools

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3 Common Back Sacadas

Back Sacadas 2019

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Six Ocho Variations

Six Ocho Variations

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Seven Argentine Starters

Seven Argentine Starters

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Tango Topics – Building Blocks #2

Tango Building Blocks – Number 2

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The Rock Step Ocho Cortado

The Vocabulary That You See Constantly!

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Five Social Figures

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The Linear Ocho Cortado

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Dancing Symmetrically

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Tango Building Blocks – Number 3

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Four Social Dancing Tools

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Back Sacadas 2019

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Six Ocho Variations

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Seven Argentine Starters

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Tango Building Blocks – Number 2

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The Vocabulary That You See Constantly!

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