Argentine Tango Walk

Walk General Technique

See Also: See Also: Argentine Tango Technique,  Baldosa (6-step basic), 8-step Basic.

• Lady, 

  • Keep the slightly pitched forward posture. 

  • Prepare leg (straight), but don't move body yet, keep body with man, listen for lead.  Push front foot, create leg line,

  • When stepping, stretch knees from the hip, brush feet, brush floor, extend straight leg, push from standing foot, then step and onto moving foot.

  • Always think about brushing thighs together and knees before stepping. 

  • Free foot is lightly lifted (hip is slightly lifted), toe turned out.

  • Feet walk on one line, one lane (stepping foot cross the lane). The stepping foot is turned out. Walking is always crossing, upper thighs together.  Try to show only one knee (when looking from front). One knee cover the other. (One leg cover the other.)

  • During walk, Lady always try to not let Man pass, Lady's hip doesn't get behind Man, always in front. The feeling is letting Man place Lady's weight onto her new standing foot, there is resistance (when Lady walking back) "pushing" feeling. Keep the constant pressure, no bumping.

  • Walking steps could be large (Lady's R leg back, then lower into standing leg before transferring weight), can be small (typical side steps and Lady's LF fwd) - metronome. 

• Man: 

  • walking forward legs closer (think about crossing legs), gets closer to Lady.

  • Man can do continuous walks forward, Lady backward.

  • Man go in and out of outside partner walk on Lady's Left (Open Embrace) or Right, without going to cross steps.

Three Walks

• In line. 

  • Leader's and followers feet are in line. When leader is walking forward, leads follower to move leg before stepping himself.

• On his right side

  • Man walks on his right side, his LF to outside Lady's LF.

  • Open Embrace.

• On his left side. 

  • Man steps his RF outside Lady's R side , Lady always crosses (cruzada). This provides a known point in figures during improvisation. 

Parallel System & Cross System

• In Parallel System (Normal System), the left foot will move with partner's the right foot. 

• In the Cross system – Moving same foot, e.g the left foot will move with partner's the left foot. 

  • Lady's footwork is the same.

  • This Cross system gets Man closer to Lady, often used by advanced dancers.

  • Man needs to fake in and out to change system.