Vocabulary - Take 2 - Followers - Basic
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When going back, it is important to stay forward on the ball of whichever foot has your weight. When you can allow the move forward of the leader's center to be what takes you from the ball of your foot you're going to to the heel as you step back, your movement becomes more connected to the leader's.
That's true, as we've taught, here in the basic. But it's also true for virtually any backstep you take that's led. Think that you stay forward, even pushing slightly against the leader. Once you get used to this somewhat difficult technique, it feels really cool to both followers and leaders.
- Artist Name:
- QTango
- Song Title:
- A La Gran Muñeca
- Album Title:
- It Takes Q To Tango
- Artist Website:
- http://www.qtango.com/
(From the website): Created in July, 2009 by Erskine Maytorena, a third generation tango musician and opera singer, QTANGO performs authentic Argentine tango arrangements as often as two to three times a week throughout the Southwest for tango dancers and listeners.
- 00:04
- So followers, now we're going to get to
the really good stuff… - 00:06
- ..which not to say that the other stuff
isn’t good. - 00:09
- But this is the really good,
even better stuff. - 00:12
- The technique, the hardcore minutia,
which enables everything. - 00:19
- So the first thing I want you to be aware of,
followers, is that… - 00:22
- ..I’m about to start and I shouldn’t start.
- 00:24
- ..that not all of the guys you dance with
will be completely perfect in all ways. - 00:29
- It’s a horrible shocker. I know, guys.
- 00:31
- I’m sorry for sort of letting this out.
- 00:34
- So often times what will happen is
the leaders will wander away from you… - 00:39
- ..and they don’t mean to,
it’s sort of accidental. - 00:41
- So she’s going to dance just neutrally
and I’m going to do the wrong… - 00:44
- ..so you can see
what I want you to be able to correct for. - 00:46
- The first thing.
- 00:51
- Now I’m exaggerating a lot
so it’s easy to see… - 00:53
- ..but you see instead of going forward,
straight at her, I’ve opened to my left. - 00:57
- And we can’t let him get away with that,
so watch. - 01:01
- So as I open to my left,
she somehow just magically stays in front of me... - 01:05
- ..so we’re still right here.
- 01:06
- And that wasn’t me.
- 01:07
- No I get all the credit.
- 01:09
- Absolutely. I mean I could have done...
- 01:11
- ..but I was doing the bad
so she could compensate for it. - 01:13
- So what happens is I want you to sort of be
glued to your leader’s front. - 01:18
- And so, imagine if I’m doing a basic and it’s here.
- 01:25
- And you see my arms holding my follower.
- 01:27
- If I do this, wandering around,
she’s followed with me because she’s inside my arms. - 01:32
- But a lot of leaders won’t hold you tight enough.
- 01:34
- But I want you to be aware of the facing of his torso
so you stay in front of that. - 01:38
- So as i step side,
if I don’t go forward straight to you… - 01:42
- ..but I go forward, sort of away from you,
you can pivot a little bit... - 01:45
- ..and reach further with you left foot.
- 01:47
- So watch that.
- 01:48
- Right, so we stay with our chest
as much in front of his chest as we can. - 01:53
- So even though I curved away
and I didn’t lead that particularly well... - 01:56
- ..I was deliberately doing it badly.
- 01:58
- She curved around to stay in front of me.
And you can do that on every step. - 02:03
- If the leader keeps going away from you,
you keep staying in front of him... - 02:07
- ..wherever that is.
- 02:13
- N: Yes I do that good.
D: Yes you do. You do. - 02:17
- And so then she’s staying in front of me
by gluing herself to my torso... - 02:20
- ..reaching further with her left side
to try and stay in front. - 02:23
- That number 1. Number 2.
- 02:25
- As we go into the cross, to make it easier,
I want you to imagine the foot can just slot in. - 02:30
- So you’ll see…
- 02:39
- ..that her foot can just slides in.
There’s nothing excess. - 02:52
- Now the next thing is after he crosses you...
- 02:55
- ..I want you to be aware that you shift
all the way forward over the ball of the foot... - 02:59
- ..and then you roll the heel down
as you go back. - 03:06
- One of the, maybe joys and pains of the cross is
how it’s sort of unnatural. - 03:11
- And so a lot of the technique in this chapter
has been about… - 03:13
- ..making this unnatural thing natural.
- 03:16
- And it really is beautiful
once you find this dynamic of... - 03:19
- ..really going over the ball of the left foot
and using that.
