Vocabulary - Take 2 - Leaders - Media Vuelta

A few additional technique items:

For Leaders: At the beginning of the rotation, while she steps side forward around you, we typically do that rotation more through the chest and the abs and less in the hips. As it pivots, then the hips become more involved.
One thing I (David speaking) had to fight as I was learning this combination was not just having a body lead but making sure the left arm didn't give in as I pivoted. Because the left arm is static as the torso pivots, it helps motivate the follower's pivot as well.
After the pivot, it's sometimes useful to take the tiniest breath after the follower has pivoted and then sigh into the next step.

Artist Name:: QTango
Song Title:: La Cumparsita
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.

00:22: And now when you do the media vuelta,
I want you to think in particular…
00:27: ..well, I think three or four new thoughts.
00:29: I'm like "in particular about this one no two no three.
Four things." Four new things.
00:33: First thing is I want you to be aware
of the way...
00:35: ..that you motivate each one of her steps.
00:38: So that as I take her,
so you can see this, to you…
00:42: ..there’s back, here’s that small side.
00:46: Here’s her beginning to go forward,
her shifting forward…
00:50: ..and then, there’s her pivot.
00:54: So there’s this idea that each one of those
different pieces of motion you motivate…
00:59: .. and there’s a beginning and an end.
01:00: And I want you to be aware of:
well, when did she get all the way over the foot?
01:07: So right here, through the
turn of my mid section…
01:11: ..I help her go around me.
01:14: Then I turn more and I turn until
she goes all the way forward…
01:19: ..and now I’m going to pivot around her axis,
much like a front ocho actually.
01:23: Except different leg position.
01:25: So that’s the first thing. Second thing.
01:27: As you pivot her, the imagery I want you to have is
that she is static and that you move her.
01:32: And she’s almost a statue and that it’s almost as if
you were walking around her…
01:35: ..give it a go, walk around me.
And she’s just here pivoting.
01:39: I like being a statue.
01:41: Or I can walk her,
since she likes being a statue.
01:44: So she can just be here
and I walk around her…
01:47: N: Oh that’s so fun.
D: ..and then we exit.
01:50: Oh that’s fun.
01:51: So...
01:53: We’ll teach you more about how to do that
in a different video.
01:58: As you motivate that pivot,
the trick is to stop it early enough.
02:01: So a lot of women will want to turn
too much.
02:03: So for example, if I’m turning her
to face me…
02:08: ..right, right and she’s way over there
and I’m over here.
02:11: That was a good bad.
02:13: Well it's just women are easy to -
some women are very easy to pivot.
02:16: And they just keep going.
02:17: And so as you turn her, I want you to think -
you want to stop at almost a hair early…
02:21: ..so she stops when she's facing you.
02:27: If I’m doing it to you, the leader,
you want to think that...
02:31: ..you want the follower to stop not there...
02:34: ..but instead you want the follower
to stop...there to you.
02:40: Last thought is the end of this media vuelta,
that can be a beautiful melting out.
02:47: Did I mention it was beautiful?
I’m just checking.
02:52: So after this pivot, it pivots and then it goes on.
N. This moment, when we just begin...
02:57: ... when the leader just begins to move back...
03:00: ..and the follower is finishing the pivot
and then moving forward with the leader...it can be really cool.
03:05: But it’s not the last thought.
It’s the second to the last thought.
03:08: The last thought is, for the leaders, there’s really
a tendency to steer like that. D. Thank you.
03:14: And so we thought that it would be
a really good idea, just once, if you…
03:19: ..no not just once, until it gets good.
03:22: If, for a few times, you led the media vuelta
without your arms, like that.
03:27: Followers, hold them tight and then just follow
the way you normally would…
03:30: ..but make him use his chest.
03:39: Like that.
03:41: Thank you.

Series:: Vocabulary - Take 2 - Leaders
Tags:: Advanced, Core Vocabulary, Intermediate, Lead, Media Vuelta, Take 2, Technique