An Intro to Close Embrace - Left Foot Basic

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Tiny adjustments in foot placement or tiny pivots can make all the difference between a step not really working and the same step feeling easy and smooth. The little pivot to readjust at the 2nd step in the left foot basic is a great example.

If a step isn't working, and you don't have any trusted person to ask, look around. Try how things feel if the follower steps a tiny amount more towards or away from the leader; try having the leader leave a tiny amount more (or less) space between himself and the follower. If this feels worse, go back to what you were doing and try something different. If it feels slightly better, you'll know you're on a right track to making the step work really well.

Artist Name:
Astor Piazzolla
Song Title:
Soledad
Album Title:
La Camorra
Artist Website:
http://www.piazzolla.org/

Astor Piazzolla composed a huge body of classical music entirely based upon tango. We greatly enjoy dancing to his music.

00:04
Left foot basic in close embrace. It's exactly like the right foot basic
00:08
The only difference being, that the leader changes weight on a side step, but for the followers it's the exact same.
00:14
Except that it's a lot more...
00:16
Except that it's not, it's exact same except that it's not, it's a Davidism
00:19
Right
00:20
Actually, I started wrong
00:22
So I'm going to start, and I'll be getting this embrace
00:26
My arm will wrap around, her arm will wrap around.
00:30
Here, when I change weight, I'm going to have a tiniest pivot, so my right leg aligns with her right leg,
00:34
then we'll step through, through, I'll turn
00:38
And right here I may have to adjust, I might do a change
00:41
Small side step to get more in front of here, and then we'll do this tango close.
00:48
Again, again, exact same as the right foot basic
00:56
Now, on the lead to the cross
00:59
For the leaders, as I do this in close embrace
01:02
Right here I'm very conscious of the way I shift the follower's body to the left,
01:06
and I might even overdo that a little, so you can make sure that happens
01:10
And then, after she crosses, oftentimes her balance isn't in the right place for us to go forward with our lap,
01:16
so you might have to shift her around a little bit to go through.
01:21
One more time
01:22
Yeah, let's do that
01:24
Actually, why don't we start way over there. Here we go, now we can take it.