You’ve seen them at Milongas, and for most Leads that see them, most think they’re really cool and then want to do them because of their coolness factor. Most Followers when they see them for the first time are rightfully afraid of them for obvious reasons. The Follower is being led to a controlled fall. Controlled is a loose term here because 9 times out of 10, that control never happens, mostly because the Lead has not mastered several things, most notably how to support their Follower without the use of their arms! Typically you’ll see variations of an Argentine Volcada that range in size from large and egregious, taking up ginormous amounts of space, with the more common open side volcadas being the most common variety, all the way down to the more reasonable ‘Social’ Volcada which takes up no space in the line of dance. And then everything in between those two extremes. Today’s Tango Topic deals with 2 specific varieties of these ideas. The common Egregious variety, and the more desirable Social Volcada. That said, let’s dive into The Argentine Volcada.
What is a Volcada ? First, the word ‘Volcada’ comes from the root Spanish verb ‘volcar’ which when translated into English means ‘To Fall’ or ‘To Tip Over’ or ‘To Overturn’. The ‘ada’ ending means, in English, ‘en’ or ‘ed’, or in this case FallEN, FellED, TippED Over, OverturnED. While the translation gives you a tiny idea of what a Volcada is from a Tango perspective, very small, it doesn’t even come close to what it actually is.
A Volcada is nothing more than a glorified Argentine Cross with a 20 to 30 degree forward tilt or bodily slant (for both roles) along the longitudinal axial line for both roles that ideally does not break at the waist. A Volcada itself can be supported or unsupported (which is not desirable) and is usually performed from Cross System or from a standing Mordida. When done properly….and ‘proper’ is a very loose word here because there are a whole series of Volcadas that can be done (safely) that loosely qualify as a ‘Volcada’. These are what are considered shared-axis pieces of tango vocabulary that result in a series of crossed feet for the Follower to either Follower left or Follower right. This is a Volcada.
What is a Social Volcada ? A ‘Social Volcada’ is a little different.This is a version of the Argentine Volcada that is, in our opinion, far sexier and way more svelte than the egregious versions of the Volcada than what you’re used to seeing. The Social Volcada is smaller, tighter, much more ‘cloistered’. It’s referred to as a ‘Social’ Volcada because it takes up about as much space than a typical walking step, maybe less. It fits within the line, and the lane of dance, and does not in any way, shape, or form, extend beyond the couple’s walking frame. This is what makes it ‘Social’. 😉 Why do we bring up this as the topic ? Because in this video, we’re going to go one step beyond the typical Argentine Volcada and focus on the Social variety! 😉 Thereby making the Volcada far more useful in the line of dance. You’re welcome.
The Free Tip. There is a natural ‘kickstand’ for all Volcadas, a safety mechanism that the Follower can invoke, if they’re not supported in the initiation phase of the Volcada, thereby saving themselves from a trip to the Chiropractor the next morning!
About The Video. This video comes in at 14m:27s in length in 11 Sections.
Introduction – 00:00:34
Carpa Technique – 00:02:59
Follower Cross Technique Reminder – 00:00:19
Follower Mordida Reminder – 00:00:24
Follower’s Kickstand – 00:01:16
Lead Right Arm/Forearm – 00:01:06
Lead Torso Rotation – 00:01:24
The Lead’s Free Leg – 00:00:31
Follower Posture & Free Leg – 00:03:37
Volcada Details – 00:00:34
Lead Footwork & Steps – 00:00:53
Volcada Demo – 00:00:53