Cross System at Right Angles - Rocks
Taking a structural approach is usually more commonly done by dancers who dance in Nuevo style. But we think that this as a way of understanding what movements are possible is useful to dancers of any style.
- Artist Name:
- Jaime Wilensky
- Song Title:
- Aquella Noche
- Album Title:
- Tango Nuevo
(From Latinpulsemusic.com): This is nuevo "electrified" tango produced and arranged by Jaime Wilensky. Aquella Noche is a tango with a gothic sound and theme.
- 00:04
- In this chapter, we're going to be talking about rocking at right angles.
- 00:07
- And, what you'll see is in some way, we're taking that vocabulary that we taught you first,
- 00:12
- This sort of beginning vocabulary of walking and rocking, and ochos,
- 00:16
- And now we're translating it into right angles.
- 00:19
- We're cooling it up some.
- 00:20
- Yes, so our stair-step was actually walking, and now this is rocking at right angles.
- 00:27
- So, if we have that same entrance from beginning of front ochos: side, he changes, we pivot her,
- 00:32
- Right here, we can do that stair-step.
- 00:35
- But we can also go, I meant to go that way, no I didn't, let's go that way, no I... let's not.
- 00:40
- We can rock... back for him, or side for him; side for her, or forward for her.
- 00:47
- So, every time I do back, she does... Side, and every time I do side, she does forward.
- 00:57
- And we can turn it.
- 00:58
- And now, in isolation, that's like, "That's nice."
- 01:01
- But, when you say, well, you can mix that with stair-step, and you can mix that with front ochos, and you can mix that with back ochos,
- 01:06
- All of the sudden, the complete version is pretty cool.
- 01:10
- Now, the important thing, as we do this, is I'll really hold her with my back arm, so that she really knows which way to go.
- 01:16
- And so I don't bounce around.
- 01:17
- So, when we go side, I'll pivot her...
- 01:20
- And, actually, if you look at the back arm here,
- 01:23
- You can really see that my back arm holds her firmly.
- 01:26
- And so there's cla. It clamps in.
- 01:29
- I like cla.
- 01:32
- And that keeps her with me.
- 01:40
- And so, there I switch sides.
- 01:43
- So, I can either rock with my left foot, and she with her left.
- 01:51
- Here we go: oh, let's go that way - let's not, let's go that way - let's not.
- 01:55
- How can she rock so together with me? I'm not even holding her with my left hand.
- 01:58
- You know, I'm scratching my ear or something. No.
- 02:00
- No, ear scratching allowed.
- 02:01
- No ear scratching when I'm dancing with her.
- 02:04
- But with my right arm, I'm really clamped in.
- 02:07
- And then, for the followers, and for the leaders, there's this sense that the leg is connected to the body.
- 02:12
- So that, as we move our bodies this way,
- 02:15
- We extend together. As I come back, we collect together.
- 02:20
- And that's because it makes no sense, there was this in the "Moving the Whole body as One " chapter, it makes no sense to do this...
- 02:26
- Oh, he's going to rock me.
- 02:28
- Why did your leg move? It makes no sense. As the body moves, it makes no sense to say, ""oh, he's going to rock me."
- 02:34
- Where the body is caught. Or, you know, where the leg catches the body. Instead, you move everything together.
- 02:38
- Oh, there's the rock.
- 02:42
- I'm doing the follower's part right now.
- 02:44
- That's pretty hard to learn, and it's really worth it.
- 02:46
- Yes.
- 02:49
- So, one more time, the entrance is: side, he changes weight, we pivot her.
- 02:55
- With my right arm now, as I change weight, I'm going to rotate my right side towards her, so my right arm can come all the way around and squeeze.
- 03:01
- And my arm comes up around his neck, 'cause if I try to keep it back right here...
- 03:04
- Yes, she'd get this chicken wing.
- 03:05
- It's really uncomfortable, and not pretty.
- 03:08
- And then, we can rock side, and in, or I'll rock back and she'll rock side.
- 03:16
- And if we take that step, and we do some stair-steps,
- 03:21
- Then, right here, I could rock with my right leg, and her, she with her right leg.
- 03:25
- So, I can rock forward, she rocks side, or I can rock side, and she rocks back.
- 03:30
- But it's the same exact idea.
