The Ochos of Tango
There are a 22 videos on Ochos on this site and LOTS of technique for both Leads AND Followers so that you learn to do them properly, safely, and more importantly use them socially for the better. With over 800 videos and articles (not including all the other stuff) on Tango Topics for you to watch and learn from, this site is all about making this venerable social figure the best it can be! It’s not just the videos, but the articles that contain the most of what you need to know to elevate your dance. We’re not trying to sell you videos here that you don’t need, but instead to inform and engage you to educate yourself wherever possible.
Eight Types of Ochos
What is an Ocho ? The Ocho is where the dancer (lead or follower) steps into Social Collection with their feet, and then assuming one of the 3 techniques above is used to generate bodily rotation that seemingly starts at the feet, and goes all the way up the body. Seemingly. 😉
Six Ocho Variations
What is an Ocho Variation ? It’s an Ocho that varies! Hahaha…ummmm no. It’s a bit more complex than that. However, the Six Ocho Variations that we discuss does rely heavily on the Eight known Ochos that Tango Topics talks about.
Ocho Transitions: Milonguero Ochos into the Follower’s Molinete
Lazy Ochos into The Follower’s Molinete. This is an odd transition to be certain. It mixes two very different types of tango styles or ideas into one way of dancing. Typically the ‘Lazy’ or Milonguero Style Ocho is done in Milonguero style of dancing, that means that the Lead is not leading the Follower’s hips to rotate at all, ever. And then, all of a sudden, and it is all of a sudden, we ask (note the language here…’ask’) the Follower to engage their Molinete. Not a Milonguero Turn, but a Close Embrace Molinete. Talk about confusing! Oy. So let’s get into L/leading and Following Lazy Ochos into the Follower’s Molinete!
Ocho Transitions: Traveling Ochos into The Follower’s Molinete
Why are we talking about ochos ? Because this particular variety of Ocho is so venerable that we use it for nearly every kind of transition there is. It is for this reason that today’s topic is not really about the Ocho itself, but about the Transition between one piece of vocabulary and the next, or Ocho Transitions Part 2 – Traveling Ochos into the Follower’s Molinete!
Ocho Transitions: Milonguero Ochos into the Milonguero Turn
Ocho Transitions – Part 1. There are 8 types of Ochos, but only 2 of them are used routinely to lead into other things. The 2 types ? “Lazy” or Milonguero Style Ochos, and Traveling Ochos, what you folks think of as an ‘Ocho’. Traveling Ochos ? You know the one where you’re supposed to lead Disassociation and you frequently don’t especially on the closed side of the embrace (tsk, tsk, tsk), and where the Follower infers that led Disassociation and fills in the gap and starts Applying Disassociation all over (what you erroneously think of as a ‘pivot’) ? That ocho ? Yes. Frequently these two types of ochos are used as transitions into other pieces of tango vocabulary without a stop or a pause.
The Arm Pit Dancer
What is an Arm Pit Dancer ? Put simply the Arm Pit Dancer is where most Leads place their Followers in their arm pit in order to dance with the Follower. Here’s the strange part > Most Followers willingly go there and stay there! To be fair, most Leads have a compressive embrace with their right arm so the Follower can not necessarily change their bodily position even if they were a.) aware. and b.) wanted to do so. Why is this a problem ? Read on….