Note: Don't try to write about tango while rocking out to salsa--I keep typing salsa instead of sacada. OK, the music is off now ;-)
This week and next week, we are tackling the basics of sacadas. The word "sacada" comes from the verb sacar=to take. Here, it means taking the place of the other person in space. There are many kinds of sacadas:
- front sacadas: The person performing the sacada is stepping forward into the move, with either a front cross or an open step.
- back sacadas: The person performing the sacada is taking a back cross (or sometimes, an open step) through the other person's step.
- circular sacadas vs. linear sacadas: Circular sacadas tend to turn around the "post" of the sacadee (is that a word?), and after the sacada, the person doing the sacada becomes the post. For linear sacadas, the move tends to travel line of dance (LOD) to some degree, and moves the couple somewhere else in the room.
- leader sacadas: The leader performs the sacada.
- follower sacadas: The follower performs the sacada.
I think that's it on kinds of sacadas. The sacadas that we have covered:
- Lead front sacada (circular and linear) through the follower's front cross step.
- Lead front sacada (circular and linear) through the follower's open step.
- Lead back sacada (circular and linear) through the follower's open step.
- Follower front sacada (circular and linear) through the leader's open step OR front cross step.
What's still to come next week?
- Follower back sacada (circular, probably) through the leader's open step, front cross OR back cross step.
- Maybe more, stay tuned.