Using games to find organic movement to build your tango repertoire

Don't just stick moves together!

I often find newer, younger dancers who lead, obsessed by making "hard" combinations of moves, either to showcase their technical vocabulary, or to show off how they can use the music. Sorry, guys, I agree your dance is interesting, but I'm not looking for interesting. I am on the search for sheer pleasure. I want to walk off that dance floor FEELING good, not thinking about the moves you know.

My main criterion for choosing new movement for my leading is organicity. The combination must feel good to the follower and the leader for me to incorporate it into my dancing. What do I mean by organicity? It has to flow, to make sense to my body, and to feel sensually enjoyable.

Harder than it sounds

Your brain is wired to repeat the things you have practiced the most. How hard can it be to break out of the ruts you have created in your dance? Speaking from my own experience, it's not easy.

I know tons of moves. One day when I tried to write down how many moves I know, I got past 100 before giving up. That wasn't even counting combinations of moves! And yet, I find myself doing the same few things, over and over if I tired. "You just did the same ending for that dance as you've done most of the evening!" I scold myself. "Find something new to do!"

I'm not the only one. I danced with one of my students at practica last week, and he kept accidentally trying a move that we had already established doesn't work well for him. He repeatedly tried to vary it, and we laughed about how difficult it is to change one little detail of his usual routine.

When I'm stuck in my habits like that, I know it's time to bring out the tool that I use to construct new movement, find new combos, and shake up my tango: a piece of paper!

Looking for organic movement

BTW, if you are coming to the advanced class tomorrow night, here's your advance notice of what we are doing! We will be playing a game that I stole directly from Merce Cunningham and John Cage's work (thanks, grad school!) that I use to create new material for my tango.

Cut a piece of paper into strips. One each piece, write one move you want to work on. The more precise you can make the description, the more you will get out of this exercise. Then, dump the papers into a hat. Draw three strips out at a time. You must find a way to do the moves, in the order you drew them, with as few steps in between as possible.

If the combination feels good after a few rounds, write it down to work on later. If it feels REALLY good, highlight it or put it at the top of the list. If it feels "eh" or plain old awkward, either forget it, or make a "don't try this" list. Remember that a move might feel bad because one of the partners can't execute that move well; but usually you can tell the difference between "needs more work" and "don't do that" or even "try with another partner later" lists.

Remember, the only criterion for this list of new vocabulary should be: does it feel good?

And the winner is...

Last week in class, I asked people to choose moves to try out in the next hour of class. Some of these are nice and detailed, while others will probably be too open-ended. I found it interesting that the women mostly wanted to do front boleos, while the men chose drags, sacadas, etc. A few of the women in class do some leading, and several of the men follow, but mostly the moves were voted on with a male-female divide! Hmmmmm.

The list we will work with

• linear drag (barrida/arrastre) between the leader and follower (not necessarily with a weight change at the end)
• forced cross drag (barrida/arrastre)
• barrida/arrastre where it looks like the follower is dragging the leader's foot
• forward parada on leader's right side (either foot)
• back parada with leader's left leg/foot
• forward circular boleo with left leg
• forward circular boleo with right leg
• forward linear boleo

Come play!

Usually, I ask everyone to switch partners during the class, but this would be a very useful exercise to work on with one specific partner, so if you bring a partner to class this week (we will probably do this for more than one week), you can stay with that person.

Learning through contrast: interleaving of practice

The more I read of Make It Stick, the more I am changing how I teach. What I find most interesting, is that I will plan a class and then read a chapter of the book, which tells me to do what I just planned to do. After almost 30 years of teaching, I'm starting to do it right!

Peter C. Brown el al. write,

"In interleaving, you don't move from a complete practice set of one topic to go to another. You switch before each practice is complete. . . . It's more effective to distribute practice across these different skills than polish each one in turn. The athlete gets frustrated because the learning's not proceeding quickly, but the next week he will be better at all aspects [of the different parts of the movement] than if he'd dedicated each session to polishing one skill." (p. 81).

How are we working on this in tango this week? We always do this in Body Dynamics class, as we build on skills week after week, doing 5-10 minutes on several different themes each time the class meets.

In advanced class this week, we are looking at several very similar ideas in the dance, that all have slight differences in spacing, the marca (lead), and how the follower moves to complete the pattern.

For example, we've been working on the sentada and a leg drag that comes out of a parada. The sentada and parada are similar moves, but in the parada, the follower's weight is mostly on the back foot, but s/he is stopped with the feet apart. In the sentada, the follower's weight is 100% on the back leg, but in a flexed, springlike way, with the leg crossed in front. This again is only a tiny bit different than getting the follower to do a reverse cross and actually change weight at that moment. When you add the idea of the sacada led through the follower's back step; or a single-axis turn from the same place, then you begin to see that TEENY differences in setting up a step create different responses from the follower.

So why should be work on these at the same time? Isn't this just too confusing?

Here is my question to you: how many times have you led a move, only to have it not go quite perfectly? Perhaps you misjudged the space. Perhaps the follower jumped to conclusions and did a different move. For whatever reason, you are now forced to pull other information out of your memory and immediately apply it.

What if that piece of information was already grouped with the movement that you had tried to do? Wouldn't it be more likely that you could adjust to the reality of the moment successfully? I know this works for me, and that's why I'm teaching this to the advanced dancers.

As a follower, why would this be useful? For me, the more important aspect of working like this is to encourage the follower to be a better follower. Instead of picking a move out of what I call "the index box" from memory, and executing it, the follower MUST wait for the leader to lead the move, precisely because it is not 100% clear which move is being done, until the lead has happened (and if it has not been led, then....that's not the follower's issue). Many followers stay on the intermediate level for years and years, because they are not willing to through the index box of moves away and simply follow. To me, that is the difference between an intermediate and advanced follower, no matter how many years s/he has followed.

So, tomorrow, be prepared for crazy mayhem--for really learning these cool moves!

Creating your tango on the fly: paradas, drags and stepovers

One of the complaints I hear from intermediate dancers is that they don't know how to combine the moves they learn with their established habits on the dance floor. My preferred approach to new material is to integrate new moves immediately into the structure that dancers already use; and to understand material as a matrix of opportunities that suggest themselves while dancing.

One example of this: While turning, the follower takes a back cross step every four steps. What can you do with this step? Let's look at a few possibilities that are almost identical in setup, but differ in terms of which side of the follower's foot connects with the leader's foot; which foot the leader uses; and what the music says to do.

Back parada (stop) and pasada (stepover)

A parada (see most recent post) led on the follower's back cross step, or back parada, places the leader's foot in the way, blocking the next side step in the same direction of the turn. For example, if right turn is happening, the follower's left foot is blocked on the outside edge with the inside edge of the leader's right foot (to keep us all sane, I will only suggest one possibility here for the moment).

Two possibilities:

1. Reverse the follower so that s/he steps FORWARD over your foot (so, a back parada and then a front pasada, or stepover).
2. Do a sandwichito (little sandwich), bringing the leader's other foot up so that the leader's heels touch around the front of the follower's foot; then step back with the foot that originally stopped the follower; let the follower collect the heels around the front of your foot, and then step over (the version I described in the last post).

A drag (barrida or "sweep" or arrastre or "drag") and pasada

If you set up EXACTLY the same way as mentioned above, BUT place your foot on the other side (instep) of the follower, you can then perform a drag and stepover.

Let's say that we are turning to the right, and stopping the follower when the follower's left foot is near the leader and the right foot has done a back cross and is touching the floor.

Just like a parada, the drag is an illusion: it is led with the torso, and the leg drag simply adds another flavor to what is simply a side/open step of a turn for the follower. So, as soon as the leader's foot is in place, the leader's torso turns (here, clockwise, or to the right), and the leg accompanies that movement, so that the follower, the leader, and both legs arrive at the next point, at the same time.

This is a nice moment to incorporate the pasada, or stepover, perhaps with a pause for adornment before it.

Again, two possibilities:

1. Drag with the foot towards which you are turning. In this example, use the right foot to drag. Your hips face the follower to make the leg drag easier. Then, the leader's torso twists to the right/clockwise, as do the hips and legs.  The leader ends up with hips and torso facing the follower (don't forget, keep your feet in a V, or you will fall over!)  The leader's right leg guides the follower to step immediately in front of the leader's new facing, and step over. 
2. Drag with the opposite foot (i.e., to the right with the left foot). For this move, the leader must align the hips and feet facing the follower's NEXT step, while leaving the torso facing the follower's present position. Then, twist the torso to align with the hips and feet; and lead a stepover. This move is easier to keep one's balance, but harder to execute a pretty drag, as there is a tendency to push the follower's foot, instead of accompanying it with the leader's foot.

# 1 is easier to lead in close embrace (IMHO), while #2 is easier in open embrace; but don't limit yourself! Try both, to both sides, to see which one(s) you like, and use those.

This week in class, we'll cover some more ideas that are built off of back cross steps in the turn, and we'll also look at moves from the follower's side step. More drags, more pasadas, maybe even some ganchos! We'll see how far we get.

Paradas: general technique and three examples

I love paradas (stops, from the verb parar, or "stop") because they are a prime place in tango where I, as a follower, get to adorn and play with the music, the feeling of the dance, and the leader! As a leader, I enjoy doing paradas because it creates a natural pause that goes with the pauses in the music; and it lets the follower have time to ornament the dance and express the music in a way that complements mine.

Main concept: A PARADA IS LED WITH THE TORSO, NOT THE FOOT. The foothelps the follower know it is a parada, and creates a situation that often requires the follower to do a pasada (step over the foot of the leader). This makes it look more exciting, but the lead is in the torso, with a little help from the foot and the embrace.

Each parada is named after the step the follower has completed. A front parada is done at the follower's front step. A side parada is performed in relation to a follower's side step. A back parada blocks the front foot of the follower as the follower transfers weight to the back foot in a back cross step.

Follower technique

• Be on your axis. Make sure you adjust your weight so that the free leg is truly free. If you are off-balance, try adjusting your hips back first (at the hip joint, not the lower back), which helps the femur nest into the hip joint for more balance.
• Relax your joints: keep your ankle, knee and hip joints, both in the support leg for balance, and in the free leg for ease of movement and adorning.
• Pivot at the floor/feet, not just at your hips and knees. The leader's foot/ankle should adjust to give you space; if they don't, there are ways to adjust so that you don't get hurt.
• Collect with your ankles under you with a relaxed, balanced look. The next time you dance in a mirrored space, check that your knees are together, ankles are together, etc. What I often see is the free foot trailing out behind like a kickstand: tidy it up!
• Adorn! Although not all leaders give you time to adorn at paradas, if the music says PAUSE! perhaps you can influence the leader's musicality by taking your time and adorning. Remember: you can influence the leader's timing, but you are not the leader.
• Protect your body: If the leader is pushing you off balance, adjust by rebounding onto your "free" foot, and then moving your "support" over a tad (usually a bit away). At this point, wait for the stepover lead.  You will be on balance, and the leader will probably think that you just did an elaborate adorno. You will look good, be on balance, and be able to complete the move.
• For pasadas (stepovers): Don't rush! The leader leads this move. Give the leader energy to play with, but don't take over. There should be a clear torso lead here to tell you when to move. After all, here is your time to do adornos.
• When there is no pasada: This is simply half of a front ocho, which you know how to do :-)
• When you step over, take a normal sized step, carefully staying the same distance away from the leader (unless led to do something else). Think of it as half of an ocho, with a roadblock.

Leader technique:

• The TORSO is the main way to stop your partner; just stop moving your torso, and the follower stops.
• The foot placed against the follower's foot or ankle (depends on the move, see below) helps the follower know you are leading a parada--and it looks cool, too!
• The embrace helps the follower feel the torso's lead. Often, I mark the parada by LIGHTLY lowering my body and the embrace, perhaps 1/16 of an inch (no one should see this, but the follower can feel it). This grounds the follower, making it less likely that s/he will continue to travel.
• Hint: Keep the follower near you. That way, you don't have to reach out to find their feet.
• Adjust your foot/ankle around the follower's pivot to facilitate elegant movement for the follower and to protect joints.
• Give the follower time to adorn (more on this below)! This is a soulful move, not a 1-2-3-4 count kind of move.
• Lead the pasada (stepover): This is NOT up to the follower to decide when it's time to go!
• On the other hand, being sensitive to the follower's dance makes you look good (i.e., if the follower did an adorno and is not pausing for you to lead the pasada, maybe you should do it!).

Most paradas can be done in open or closed embrace, as long as you are willing to dance in a V (and that V changes from side to side sometimes for paradas). I prefer to dance in a V-shaped close embrace, opening up for any moves that don't work in closed position; and then returning to close embrace.

In class, we have done only one kind of each parada, and this blog entry would be WAY too long if I put all the possibilities in, so I'll cover one direction, one variation only for now.

Front paradas

For those who like to classify movement, the move we did was a front parada from the first half of an ocho cortado (or a right turn), using the leader's right foot; with a pasada to exit. Front paradas are led as the follower makes a forward step, either in an ocho, a giro (turn) or just walking.

1. Lead the follower to take a front step of an ocho, turn or walk (easiest in ocho or turn).
2. As the follower's right foot hits the ground, place your right instep alongside the follower's instep, on the side near you.
3. As the follower pivots to face to your left, adjust your foot/leg so that you end up in the famous S-curve shape: the edge of your little toe on the ground; your instep wrapped around the follower's ankle; your heel up off the ground; your knee lightly flexed; your leg rotated to the right in the hip socket, as far as it will go. This lets you FEEL where the follower's axis is, right at the floor.
4. MEANWHILE, slow down your torso and stop, so that the follower feels a pause in the movement. There is no correct length of time to pause: it depends on the  music, your follower, your interpretation of the music, etc.
5. You can use "la marca" or "mark" the parada by applying a TINY bit of pressure to the embrace, with a teensy downwards movement. I usually do this when I am leading the follower's leg to slide out into a darting motion (suggesting a specific adorno).
6. Suspend the body (TINY lift up of your body/embrace/the follower) to prepare for the pasada (stepover).
7. Lead the stepover by rotating around own torso, so that follower steps over your foot and completes a second front step (basically, an ocho with a roadblock).
8. Exit.

Side paradas

For those of you who are structured, we did a side parada to the leader's left (in parallel system), blocking with the leader's right foot; leading into a pasada (stepover) and exit.

1. Lead the follower to take a side step with the right foot, to the leader's left, while taking a step to the left with the left.
2. As the follower's right foot hits the ground, place your right foot alongside your follower's foot BEFORE the follower collects, so that your foot is in between your partner's feet.
3. Make sure you leave enough room so that the follower can make a V around the front of your foot (the follower's heels need to be able to collect together, or this move looks really awkward in a skirt).
4. As the follower pivots to face to your left, adjust your foot/leg so that you allow the follower's foot to pivot as much as needed.  You will probably end up with your foot next to theirs.
5. MEANWHILE, slow down your torso and stop, so that the follower feels a pause in the movement. There is no correct length of time to pause: it depends on the  music, your follower, your interpretation of the music, etc.
6. Suspend the body (TINY lift up of your body/embrace/the follower) to prepare for the pasada (stepover).
7. Lead the stepover by rotating around own torso, so that follower steps over your foot and completes a front step around you.
8. For the side parada, I like to suggest adornos after the follower's foot has lifted to step over, but before there is a weight shift.
9. Exit.

Back paradas

A back parada stops the follower's "front" foot as the follower transfers weight for the back step. For our class, we learned a back parada in the right turn, blocked with the leader's right foot.

1. Lead the follower to take a back step of an back ocho, turn or walk (easiest in ocho or turn).
2. As the follower's right foot hits the ground, place your right instep alongside the outside edge of the follower's foot.
3. MEANWHILE, slow down your torso and stop, so that the follower feels a pause in the movement. There is no correct length of time to pause: it depends on the  music, your follower, your interpretation of the music, etc.
4. Transfer the follower's weight onto the right foot while moving to make a "sandwich" around the follower's left (front) foot. Make a nice V with your feet, heels touching.
5. [optional] Adorn! This is your moment, leaders! Play!
6. Step back onto your right foot, moving your ENTIRE body (leave your left foot in place) so that the follower can transfer weight and collect around the front of your left foot.
7. [optional] You can use "la marca" or "mark" the parada by applying a TINY bit of pressure to the embrace, with a teensy downwards movement. I usually do this when I am leading the follower's leg to slide out into a darting motion (suggesting a specific adorno).
8. Suspend the body (TINY lift up of your body/embrace/the follower) to prepare for the pasada (stepover).
9. Lead the stepover by rotating around own torso to the right, so that follower steps over your foot and completes a front step.
10. Exit.

OK, I think we're moving into TMI land, so I'll leave other variations, etc., for another post.