I am going to try to post reviews of what we did in class each week. Please feel free to ask for more clarification, check for mistakes, remind me if I forgot to write something down, etc. This is a dialogue (I hope).
Most of you have basic steps, such as walking, turns, going to the cross, ochos, etc., but would like to make them work better and look elegant. Some of you are learning these steps in class for the first time. Here is the list of personal goals for the class:
- continue with tango fundamentals
- learn to lead
- work on axis, embrace and balance
- slow down
- balance and basics
- frame, balance, basics
- awareness of partner
- lead, lead, lead
- relaxing, fundamentals and embrace
- energy and balance
- basics
These are all great goals! As I mentioned in class, my goals in addition to yours are:
- energy
- posture/grounding
- musicality
- refining/adding new steps as needed
For your class, I am combining my "tango games" that I have created, adapted or directly adopted from teachers, with Oscar and Georgina's concepts foremost in my mind.
So far, here is what we have done:
- reviewed/learned walking to the cross (which I abbreviate --> X)
- practiced backward and forward walks
- Oscar & Georgina's "Porteno walk" (please, someone remind me how to put accents in to spell in Spanish)
- Corridas
- Musicality: Tanturi's Oigo Tu Voz and Mi Corazon me decia
- Dancing in close quarters, using porteno walk, corridas and --> X
- Played "Naughty toddler" to spice up the follower's energy.
- Played "El tigre" as leaders
- Drills: axis and "force field" breathing exercises to connect with partners.
Since several of you have purchased Oscar and Georgina's fabulous DVDs, I am working with figures from their DVDs to accentuate musicality and energy.