Argentine Tango Exercises

Changing Weight

Start with feet turned out, heel together, one leg straight, the other knee slight bent. Keep upper thighs together tight throughout. Switch weight from one foot to another.

• switch weight, knee go sideways, one knee following another knee, knee not bending forward (not like Rumba). Knees touch.

• Not moving center. Hips flat, moving side to side.

• With partner in close embrace, Man leads with just embrace, not moving his body or hips, use his frame to pull/guide Lady to move her hip left and right with his intention, both her feet stay in same position, but hip/body weight shift from one foot to another, without moving her upper body. 

• Lady just moving her hip, one knee following another.  Lady lifts the side of the straight knee with weight, which provides the height/space needed for the other nee to come in sideways without going fwd.

• Man can change timing, Lady should be able to feel and follow.

Walking Forward, Crossing Legs

Straight leg extend forward, cross the standing leg.  Close thighs tight. In this exercise, keep hips still, flat, parallel, short hips Do not twist hips. Focus on legs crossing, brushing thighs and feet. Example:

• Start with weight on RF. L leg extend forward cross R leg (not just in one line, but to cross the line).  Keep both legs straight. Toe turned out. Hip parallel, close thighs. 

• Start with very short step (Man could lead to pivot extra, change angle/direction etc.), very small step across the standing foot, leg straight. Do not commit to a big step. Articulate the foot stepping, soft feeling, not fast. 

• To extend further, lower left side/left hip; feeing like one side pressing down, the other side stretching to side. (displacing to R side)

• When going forward, shoulder down, starting with weight more in the back, head over the heels, (feel like leaning back, but still balanced), this creates the feeling of "pulling" with Man. Keep that tension when stepping forward.  Need that "tension" to feel the connection with partner.

• Then take chest/ribs forward  (internally feeling center of chest going up, a small circle, this is all internal, not visible from outside), slide LF on the foot to step bigger. From outside, it looks smooth and flat. (Use ribs to go forward, do not use head.)

• Keeping L leg straight while transferring weight onto LF.  

• When moving weight onto LF, keep R leg that's behind still straight as long as possible (it can bend knee a bit while collecting next to L knee) and then straighten to cross again with straight R leg.

• Think about walking with one knee/leg on top of the other, thighs like scissors, no gap.

• Think about upper body stretching up,  from tummy to lower leg, muscle going down to floor which makes leg stretching more fwd without twisting.

Walking Back, Crossing Legs

• Start with weight on RF, L leg crosses in the back straight leg. Doesn't need to be big step.  Brush thighs and feet.

• Going back, use head and transfer head on top of leg. Ribs are still lifted. When being lead, Lady waits till Man "pushes" her, she moves her head onto her back foot. 

  • Walking back is "push" feeling. Backward ochos is "pull" feeling.

• Transfer weight onto straight L leg, free moving leg can bend knee when collecting and then straighten again to cross in the back.

• • Going backward

    • almost have a (quick) moment of T before stepping back, get into habit.

    • transferring weight onto back foot - ball first (longer time), not whole foot right away. 

  • 3 different exercises:

    • First keeping hip flat, small step, 

    • Then, sliding foot forward or back forward to have larger step. 

    • Then, adding twisting hips and lower into standing knee to have larger step.

• Back leg reach - hip flat facing front, weight on LF, stretch R side, reach R leg across in the back while keeping hip flat fwd. Do not twist hip in this exercise.

  • RF turned out, R toe on floor. Weight is totally on LF, so play with RF, tap, 

• Twisting hip to change direction

  • do not twist before weight is fully on the foot.

  • once weight fully on foot, has axis straight, it allow free foot/leg play time (both in front or in the back, tap)

  • Ochos: in this exercise, rotate the hips a lot. See technique in Back Ochos and Front Ochos.

Moving to Side

• Straight leg (e.g. R leg) to the side, L leg slightly bent, left hips displaced to left.

• Slide R leg to side more (weight is still on LF, opposite of the sliding leg) before transferring weight onto R leg. Foot is always ahead of body when sliding till weight is transferred.

• Still need to feel the tension with Man.

Close and Open Hip (Swivels)

• Start with weight on RF, hip rotate to R, LF cruzada, L hip really twisted to R and slightly high.

• Drop L hip, hip rotated to L,(RF still turned out), L leg and foot wrapped around R leg.  

• Then L leg, very softly articulate to extend to side/fwd

• Two exercises from here:

  • Move weight onto LF, then cross RF to left side of LF, rotate hip to L a lot, R hip slightly high. Repeat to other side. (Dropping R hip...)

  • Or, rotate back around original RF, keep rotating hips and then wrap LF around RF again to repeat on same foot, same exercise.

• The movement is very soft, looks like the leg has no bones.

Rock Steps

• Forward rocks: forward cross-replace-replace

  • Q&Q: Start with weight on LF, RF cross in front on ball of foot. Rock. 

  • Then switch to LF cross in front and rock.

  • Knees are slightly bent during all the rocks.

• Backward rocks are similar. Knees are slightly bent during all the rocks.

• Side rocks. Side-replace-together. Use ball of feet. Side step knees are straight.

• Side-replace-cross forward

  • when crossing forward, body stays back, head over heels, foot turned out. knees flexed.

• Side-replace-cross back 

  • all on ball of feet. heel off floor. knees flexed. When crossing back, weight is still centered on front foot till feeling the lead to move weight to back.

Note:

• When music is fast, don't move much with hips or top of head. 

• When music is slower, we use hips, displace hips to the side, no Samba bounce forward/back.

Hip Actions and Scadas

• Hips Actions:

  • Displacement: to the side (Cortado, forward ochos when extending leg)

  • Rotation: (Forward Ochos when on axis, rotate)

• Hip over-rotation - for front Boleos

  • RF back,  axis on R leg, over rotate to R, really hip to R maximum, with L knee closed crossed maximum, Knee high, LF point down.

  • At the end, there is a bit extra rotation to R, create the bouncing effect (together with leader)

  • LF closed next to RF (going through a high L hip moment), rotate to left while on RF axis

  • LF back, repeat on left side.

• Make it look soft, effortless, stretching, expanding, not stiff, not tension.