Easy Transitions - A Minimal Entrance To Gancho
This series is about being able to get into something from anywhere and it's very freeing. Once you become comfortable enough with these ideas, then the next logical question is when should you get into something.
You can look at choreographies as examples and see if they, for example, go to a molinette from a cross. You can ask:
- Is that a transition that I would have done?
- Is that a transition of which I approve?
- Does one thing flow nicely into the next?
- Is there some relationship between the motions? (for instance, they are both circular, or does it seem more arbitrary)?
After you get comfortable doing the gancho anywhere, then play with the question, "when do you want to?"
- Artist Name:
- Momo Smitt
- Song Title:
- Dance With a Pro
- Album Title:
- Tango World
- Artist Website:
- http://www.momosmitt.net/
From website: My Name is Momo Smitt, I am an independently funded/promoted hip hop artist based in Portland, OR. My music covers a wide range of topics from recovery and personal growth to political and environmental issues. Though much of my music is expressed from a first person perspective of opinions and feelings, I also tend to take a narrative, story-telling approach while detailing my experiences through the role of "observer".
- 00:05
- This is Melonie, who's been studying with us for about sixteen months.
- 00:08
- It is truly amazing how excellent her dance is in such a short time, as you're going to see.
- 00:14
- She's going to be helping us demonstrate with David, for him to teach, some of the gancho videos.
- 00:23
- OK.
- 00:27
- Now, normally, when we tell you, "Do gancho", you might have this rather long interruption... entrance.
- 00:35
- Where we go round, do back ocho, stop her, she comes around, and we freno, then - bang.
- 00:40
- And there's our gancho.
- 00:42
- But, the observation I would like to make is, if you want to do that gancho, you don't have to do all that stuff in the beginning.
- 00:48
- And instead, you can say, "Oh, let's do that gancho."
- 00:54
- And that's, really, the minimal entrance.
- 00:57
- So, gancho really is - she's standing on her left, I'm standing on my right, as always.
- 01:02
- There's a pivot.
- 01:04
- I place my foot, pop my heel, turn out.
- 01:07
- Bang! And it can happen either leg, same thing.
- 01:15
- And really - that's it.
- 01:18
- You don't need all of that stuff.
- 01:21
- You can. It's beautiful. There's nothing wrong with all that stuff, but...
- 01:29
- So, either foot... You don't even need the side-step, but I'll do it just for ease. So...
- 01:33
- So, she's on her right. I'm on my left. I'll pivot her.
- 01:37
- I'll adjust my foot.
- 01:39
- And then I'll give her a small rock forward, so I can pull her back, into the gancho.
- 01:45
- And you can do this anywhere.
- 01:47
- So, we might say, "Oh, we're doing a basic".
- 01:54
- And then, right here, you might say, "You know what, after the cross - that's such a great time for a gancho".
- 01:58
- Not... It isn't really. But, just to illustrate that we can do it.
- 02:02
- So, you don't need to do all that stuff. You can do it in the basic, in front ochos - anywhere you like.
- 02:07
- Pivot, small rock, adjust a leg, - bang.
