Additional Beginning Elements - Rocks
- Something we'll add here (that we haven't told you), many things in tango are smaller than they look. But they feel at least as big as they look.
- By having a snug connection, tight to one's center (more about that later), the rock can feel very clear and significant, while the motion isn't that large.
- While it's always true that connection makes everything better, this is especially true for rocks.
- If you're having trouble with rocking, the videos about rocking will help, but so will the videos about connection.
- Artist Name:
- Aníbal Troilo
- Song Title:
- A Fuego Lento
- Album Title:
- A Fuego Lento
- Artist Website:
- http://www.troilo.com.ar/
(From Wikipedia): Anibal Troilo was a bandoneon player, composer, arranger and bandleader in Argentina. His orquesta típica was among the most popular with social dancers during the golden age of tango (1940-1955), but he changed to a concert sound by the late 1950s. Troilo's orchestra is best known for its instrumentals and also recorded with many vocalists.
- 00:04
- In this chapter, we’re going to teach you
how to rock. - 00:06
- And to define, what is a rock?
- 00:08
- A rock is like this… where you’re just going
back and forth between your feet. - 00:13
- But it’s remarkably hard actually.
- 00:15
- And unfortunately - yea-
- 00:17
- And unfortunately it’s one of those steps that really
you’re sort of expected to know earlier on. - 00:21
- So we’re teaching it to you early,
even though you’ll suffer a little bit. - 00:25
- It’s the best kind of suffering.
- 00:29
- So to begin with, as we rock...
- 00:30
- ..leaders, you want to make sure
you have a firm hold... - 00:32
- ..so that your bodies move as one.
- 00:35
- And it will go forward, but not all the way…
- 00:36
- ..and back and not all the way.
- 00:37
- So you’ll just go backward and forward
between your feet. - 00:39
- And it’s very common to turn softly as well.
- 00:44
- Now some comments.
- 00:45
- I want you to think about the rock almost like
water sloshing in a bowl. - 00:49
- The water goes ‘Woosh, woosh.’
- 00:52
- And so you’ll go over and back
and over and back. - 00:57
- And so you’ll see you’ll spend most of the time
actually at the ends... - 01:00
- ..as you rush through the middle
like the water in the bowl. - 01:12
- Now, some things to avoid.
- 01:15
- One thing is that often times the ladies will
go to their back foot too much. - 01:20
- And then for the guys,
you don’t hold her tight enough. - 01:22
- And we’ll show you the bad and
we’ll show you the good. - 01:24
- Yes I’m good at this bad.
- 01:26
- Well you’re good at the good too.
- 01:27
- Yes, thank you.
- 01:29
- So here’s the bad and you see how
she’s pulling hard. - 01:33
- Yea.
- 01:34
- So she’s pulling me back.
- 01:36
- It’s like “Whoa” and then he almost falls over
forward if he is not ready. - 01:43
- So instead notice how as she goes back,
she still keeps her energy forward towards me. - 01:47
- Not just my energy,
I keep my chest forward too. - 01:50
- Yes, both.
- 01:52
- Now for the leaders, there’s this instinct...
- 01:54
- ..I hope it doesn’t make the microphone
make too much bad noise... - 01:57
- ..but of not holding close enough
and tight enough. - 02:00
- And so what happens is...
- 02:01
- ..if I don’t hold her very tight
and I’m sort of like this… - 02:05
- ..as we rock it’s like “Boing, Boing.”
- 02:08
- D: She’s bouncing between -
N: This is not fun. - 02:10
- N: That's enought of that.
D: She’s bouncing - yea. - 02:11
- She’s bouncing between my back arm and my chest.
- 02:13
- And so it’s like “Bang, bang, bang, bang.”
- 02:15
- So instead think you hold her firmly.
- 02:18
- Really firmly.
- 02:26
- And then that way, there’s no slack or
looseness in the system... - 02:30
- N: Banging.
D: ..so she doesn’t ricochet back and forth. - 02:32
- As you’re practicing this at home,
even if you don’t have a partner… - 02:36
- ..I want you to realize that the
quality of the embrace of your partner… - 02:40
- .. that you can keep a tighter hold,
so there’s no slack - 02:43
- ..or that for the ladies...
- 02:45
- ..that you can be conscious of staying forward
with your chest towards your partner… - 02:48
- ..that you can do this even without a partner,
in your mind, and this counts. - 02:52
- Watch, he’ll do it without a partner.
It’s a great idea. - 02:56
- Not as fun as with a partner
but it works. - 03:03
- See, you can see me right there.
- 03:05
- Right, I’m really holding someone
and then I rock. - 03:10
- D: Or we can do it with a partner.
N: And now you can still see me rocking there.
