Buenos Aires for a lot of people, is their trip to Mecca. It is mythological. It is magical. It is the next logical step in their evolution. In their mind they have seen the videos of dancing at Salon Canning, or Villa Malcolm (pron: Vee-Jah Mal-cum), or the crowded floor at La Viruta with 300 other people, or seen the Sunday nights at Villa Malcolm, or the ‘practica’ at De Queresa, or Cachirulo, or La Glorieta, or La Catedral, or any of the hundred plus milongas and practicas per week there, and dreamt of what that must be like. And then to actually be there and then they’re hit with the reality of ‘Oh shit!’ I’m dancing in Buenos Aires! It’s right about at that point when they see the quality of dance, and the speed of the rotunda, that several things happen for them. Fear comes to mind, then excitation, and then more fear (for a different reason), and then hoping that you can manage the floor (as a Lead or a Follow). It’s right then that they wished they had studied harder or paid for privates with the visiting Argentine instructor, and they try to remember everything they’ve ever been taught. They conveniently realize that they’ve not spent any time Preparing For Dancing in Buenos Aires.
What is Preparing for Dancing In Buenos Aires ? This video is all about helping you out with a few vocabulary choices that can change your dance in Buenos Aires so that you’re not freaked out by it from either role. This video is an important tool that can, at the very least, prepare you, and help you to enjoy dancing in BsAs more than you would ordinarily. The reason is a really simple one: Experience. This video covers the ‘how-to-prepare’ yourself for dancing in BsAs for both roles. However, it’s really just a precursor to the toy that you really want:
Dancing In A Small Space. It should be noted that while this 5 point guide is on the technical aspects of dancing in Buenos Aires, it should and can also be applied for Dancing in a Small Space (DIASS <-Follow The Link…really). The techniques are exactly the same that is described herein this video. The skillsets laid out herein are not only the same but even more applicable because while you’ll only dance in BsAs once per year (if you’re lucky) and only for a few short weeks (sadly), you’ll definitely visit a crowded milonga anywhere in the world far more often! Learning how to manage the floor, manage your space, introduce simple but clear, and small vocabulary from a Leading and a Following perspective is absolutely crucial to your continued success as a dancer especially in Buenos Aires!
Free Tip – When leading the Follower’s Molinete in Buenos Aires, you do NOT want to “open” or turn away from the Follower. This creates an opening that you can not recover from easily. It creates space or a gap between the couple that is tenuous at best. Followers want to essentially do 2 things. 1.) is to over-rotate a bit on the Back Step of your molinete, and 2.) constantly be repositioning yourself even though a good portion of your leads are not going to allow it to happen. I hate to point this out to you, and not to beat a dead horse but the fact is that all of this stuff is present in this video and more.
Pre-Requisites: So that we’re all clear on this part, note the difficulty rating below, it is not an exaggeration! Do not attempt this stuff unless the following is true: You have mastered 1.) your walk. 2.) your stability. and 3.) your equilibrium. 4.) your turns (either role – milonguero turns as well as the follower’s molinete at minimum).
IF …
a.) you need to stabilize yourself against your partner when walking.
b.) you need to use your hands or arms in any level of tactile compression.
c.) you are in the habit of watching your partner’s feet (but don’t realize it).
d.) you are used to using resistance – compression – rigidity – tension – or force to engage your ideas.
THEN… dancing in small space (DIASS) and/or preparing for bsas will be challenging for you. That’s why it’s a good idea to subscribe to tangotopics.com and clean up these issues ahead of time.
About the Video: Preparing for Buenos Aires is 19m:11s HD in length in 8 sections. This is not a technique video, for the individual techniques discussed in the video, it is highly advisable that you go look to their individual technique sections in the TangoTopics Library that is provided with your subscription. This video is more of a how to make things to work from a Leading & a Following perspective, what to practice before you go, and how to practice them.
Section 1 – Introduction – 00:00:48
Section 2 – Walking Steps – 00:02:46
Section 3 – The Argentine Cross – 00:03:12
Section 4 – Ocho Cortado, Check Steps, and (Pitter) Patter – 00:04:04
Section 5 – Turns – Milonguero and Molinete – 00:03:38
Section 6 – How To Prepare – 00:01:09
Section 7 – Example – 00:00:45
Section 8 – Closing – 00:01:09