We can understand that learning dance can be really challenging and that, many times, classes go way too fast. Below is a playlist of videos whose purpose is to gently introduce you to tango. We strongly recommend that you spend some time on each video, watch it multiple times and actually practice it, moving your feet behind us. We also include a few videos just so you can see what's out there. We don't want you to try to work on them, we just want you to watch and enjoy. Those videos are: gancho, the kick between the legs you see in performances on tv (if you watch these), some combining of steps, even a lift.

Additional Beginning Elements - Six Count Basic

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  • This is a great core beginning step which is very versatile. It can be turned. It can easily be danced to waltz timing.
  • It's a good idea to work on hard things using easier steps. So this is a good step to use if you want to work on navigation or musicality or connection or styling or...
Artist Name:
Aníbal Troilo
Song Title:
Pa' Que Bailen Los Muchachos
Album Title:
Como Yo Lo Siento
Artist Website:
http://www.troilo.com.ar/

(From Wikipedia): Anibal Troilo was a bandoneon player, composer, arranger and bandleader in Argentina. His orquesta típica was among the most popular with social dancers during the golden age of tango (1940-1955), but he changed to a concert sound by the late 1950s. Troilo's orchestra is best known for its instrumentals and also recorded with many vocalists.

00:04
OK
00:07
So we’re going to teach the six count basic now.
00:10
And the six count basic,
how did it go?
00:13
Well okay, we teach three different basics at least.
00:17
And we’ve gone for a while
teaching the three different basics...
00:20
..and then a little while down the road,
over and over again, students will say to me...
00:23
..the Six Count Basic,
they don’t even call it that,
00:26
..they say this basic is
the only one you ever taught us.
00:28
And we know we’ve taught them;
the three different basics, multiple times.
00:32
But this is the one they remember.
00:34
It’s really accessible.
00:35
It’s not hard to understand that you go;
side, forward, forward, side, back, back or the opposite...
00:41
..side, back, back, side, forward, forward
and you just don’t change feet.
00:44
N: You’ll go with the free feet.
D: So, we'll show.
00:46
Yes.
00:49
So we have sidestep and then two steps.
00:54
Side step and then two steps.
00:57
She goes side and two back,
then side and two forward.
01:02
And we’re making it look a little more complicated.
It’s actually just a rectangle.
01:06
When we take this side step and go forward,
I go straight through her though.
01:10
So I’ll go side and you’ll see that
I’m going to step on the outside.
01:13
But I don’t do this.
01:17
Right she doesn’t feel loved and
we want her to feel loved.
01:19
Absolutely.
01:20
So instead when I go side, even though I’m stepping outside,
my body is going through her body.
01:25
And likewise here, she keeps her body
going through mine.
01:28
So you see it’s almost as if
our bodies cover each other.
01:35
Now also for the ladies and
the guys actually, both...
01:39
..you want to think that to do that
you’re going to slice straight through your partner.
01:42
If I do it to the camera,
it looks like this.
01:48
And so you see the directness of the line.
01:51
Now one of the cools things about the six count basic is
that frankly it’s reasonably easy.
01:57
You know, you spend a little time and
you get it and then you have it.
02:00
And that means you have brain free for
lots of cool things.
02:02
So that instead of having to have
all your brain focused on this fancy step...
02:08
..and you’re like “Oh, I’ll do this.
And then I’ll do that. And then there’s this.”
02:11
And your body ends up contorted like this.
02:14
So instead of that, you can have the brain free
to focus on other things.
02:17
So for example we might do different musicality.
02:32
And that - it’s freeing and
it lets you dance more.
02:35
So you can use it that way.
N. We turned it a little bit, too.
02:36
Yes, yes but you have to have brain free, right?
02:39
Also, oh I forgot to mention,
for the leaders when you’re doing this;
02:42
..on the second forward step you might ask the question,
"Why doesn’t she cross?"
02:46
And that would be a very smart question, right?
02:47
The first two steps are exactly like
the traditional eight count basic.
02:50
And the answer is because I block her.
02:52
So, we'll go side forward, forward.
02:55
And right here I’m putting my left foot right,
to the immediate side of her left foot...
02:59
..so that she can't draw it back.
03:02
And I go straight to her instead of outside.
03:04
So that’s how she knows not to cross.
03:06
From a different angle, right there.
03:11
So you see my foot is immediately in front
and that keeps her from crossing.
03:17
So one more time.
Series:
Additional Beginning Elements
Tags:
Beginner, Core Vocabulary
I have 2 left feet - help me dance