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.

Series:: Additional Beginning Elements
Tags:: Rocks, Beginner, Core Vocabulary