Practicing at Home - Leg Exercise Sequence
When we first talked together about filming this video, I (Nancy) had the idea that I wanted to show David doing the exercises with a mirror so you could see how we wanted you to do these with him. The logistics of that didn't work out as I envisioned, so we let go of the idea.
But we still want you to find a way to watch the exercises so that you can see what David does and then watch yourself doing it in the mirror, ideally in real time. Then make small (or large) changes to what you do until your movements approach his.
This idea of practicing behind us with a mirror set up so you can see how your movement looks is useful for just about any of the movements we teach.
- 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.
- 00:06
- Right now, we’re going to do a series of -
I’m going to call them exercises. - 00:10
- You can think of this as artistic aerobics.
- 00:13
- So, I want you just to follow along.
- 00:14
- I’m going to go pretty rapidly,
but this is filmed with the intent that… - 00:18
- ..you’ll actually re-watch it and, you know, put it in
your morning exercise routine, or whatever. - 00:22
- I’ll give you only a little bit of technique.
- 00:24
- I’ll do a motion and then we’ll move on.
- 00:26
- So just follow along,
catch as catch can. - 00:30
- We’re going to start out and you’re going to
mirror me. - 00:32
- So, you’re going to go side with your left leg.
- 00:34
- You point side, left, cross forward.
- 00:38
- Notice the rotation in my upper body.
- 00:40
- Notice the way I go to the edge
of the inside toe. - 00:44
- Switching, circling forward.
- 00:47
- Contra body, circle side, hits inside, points back,
heel up, heel comes down as you go through. - 00:57
- Notice, once again, how the leg is correlated
with the body. - 01:01
- I’m going to cut behind this time.
Other side, points forward, circles back. - 01:09
- I’m going to scoot so you can see.
- 01:14
- Last time, I’m going to cut behind.
- 01:17
- Once again, as the foot comes in,
can’t see it from that angle… - 01:20
- ..from this angle, my heel comes down.
- 01:24
- On this side, now,
you’ll draw up along your leg. - 01:29
- Notice how my thigh is softly crossing over.
And them comes down and switch legs. - 01:35
- If you watch from the side, from the side,
my ankle points as I come up and then goes down. - 01:41
- My ankle points as I come up and comes down.
- 01:43
- You don’t have to pivot. You can, if you want.
- 01:45
- If I go on the other side, it’s still tight.
- 01:47
- My foot is still tight along my body.
- 01:48
- My foot is still pointed. If I beat.
- 01:53
- Other side, same thing.
- 01:59
- In a front ocho motion,
you step forward. - 02:01
- Look at the long leg line through to
the point of the ball of the foot. - 02:04
- You come all the way over.
- 02:05
- Right now because you don’t have help,
swing the arms so you can have a soft pivot. - 02:10
- Roll to the ball of the foot.
- 02:12
- Do guys do this too? Actually, they do.
- 02:16
- So you see, the stretch through my right thigh
and now this stretch through my left... - 02:21
- ..as then I yearn to look to my partner, you.
- 02:25
- Also, let’s add some kicks.
- 02:27
- So if I kick up from the side, soft bend as I rise.
Then bend further come down along your leg. - 02:35
- One more time, up bend, down along the leg,
switching sides. - 02:39
- Up bend, down along the leg.
Up bend, down along the leg. - 02:45
- If we now go to gancho or boleo,
we’re going to hit a lunge line. - 02:50
- Very turned out in my left hip socket,
heel, very high. - 02:54
- Collect in, pivot, do the other side.
Collect in, pivot, do the other side. - 03:00
- Last time.
- 03:04
- Collect your thighs. Back with your left thigh
and then the knee bends, bang. - 03:11
- Step side.
- 03:12
- Collect the thighs. Back with the right thigh,
bang, and it bends. - 03:23
- Thigh back, knee bends, foot hits, flicks, comes back.
Tight in the thighs. - 03:27
- Watch it repeatedly.
Do it repeatedly.
