8-step Basic

8-step Basic

Knowing the foot position number is helpful. 

• • Pos 1: Lady LF fwd, heel lead or flat foot. This step should feel very light, not a heavy fwd step. Do not go "under" Man. 

  • Pos 2: Lady first lower into L leg, RF to side (R leg straight, create the line),  before moving weight onto RF, "collection point", no rush. Move weight onto RF, then collect LF (crosses behind RF, T position, wait and listen for lead) 

    • Pay attention to keep R hip slightly open, do not arch back, keep slightly pitched fwd pose, do not connect at hip.

    • Man can change between Parallel (normal) or Cross System here, but Lady does not change her footwork, don't change weight.

  • Pos 3: Lady LF back (roughly inline with RF, feels like crossing line) Man steps OP.

    • At this point, Man can resume normal walking. Or Man can continue with lock step next. Lady listen to lead.

    • Embellishment: RF can embellish to left of her L leg and then reach back to go to next Pos 4. 

    • All the steps earlier, up till here, Lady's upper body is pretty parallel with Man.

  • Pos 4: Lady RF back, CMBP,  Hip rotate to R a bit, RF turned out, R leg straight line

    • Do not swing R hip out, do not raise R hip. Just pull in R leg directly down traveling direction, bend R knee, pass L leg. two kneed together, and then extending R leg back straight. 

    • RF position is almost 90 degrees to original traveling direction line. This is not a straight back step. RF crosses the track. with R toe inline with L heel (Do not step RF to R side. ) Legs are stepping in one lane. Lady's upper thighs stays together, does not open sideways.

    • Open R hip. Lady's body is also turned to R

    • Lady will feel a lift which indicates to cross foot next. After feeling lift, Lady goes on ball of RF, swivel RF inward a bit to allow LF to draw back to cross for next step.

  • Pos 5: Lady RF swivels a bit, LF draws in cross in front of RF, L knee bent, wrapped around R leg.  (Lady goes to Man's track.) Cruzada

    • Lady RF on ball of foot, R leg is more straight than left leg. 

    • LF: going into cross step, LF is soft sliding on the floor, not pressing down to floor hard, sometimes, can lift slightly and place down.

    • Lady's LF (the crossing foot): pull L toe in a lot, R toe is more forward to Man than L toe) 2 feet are not really parallel.

    • This is a "collection point": Lady's weight is really on LF, RF crosses behind LF and wait. After receiving lead,  lower L knee, extend R leg back, before transferring weight onto RF for next step, do not fall into next step.

    • To finish the 8-step basic, next 3 steps are often called "resolution" 

    • Pos 4, 5: can do S S, can also syncopate QQ.

  • Pos 6: Lady RF back, "collection point"

    • Before going into resolution, lower into LF first. then R leg reaches behind.

  • Pos 7: Lady LF goes through the the motion of collecting to behind RF first, then L leg straight to side, then weight onto LF.

  • Pos 8: Lady RF collects next to LF. Man can change weight or he can choose to not change weight.

Note:

• (This is just one way of counting steps. Some starts step 1 with Lady R leg to side and ends with Lady's RF fwd.)

• Lady even when walking back, it feels like body is slightly leaning forwad, avoid falling back into the step look.

• Very often, Man skips Pos 1, first step as it goes back for him, against LOD. So he often starts with weight on his RF, Lady's LF and in this case,

  • Both Man and Lady can do foot circles: Lady's  RF can start going forward in between Man's legs, and then do little clockwise circles till he's ready to move.

• After pos 5, lower into LF first, then various finishes:

  • Resolution, or

  • Use rock step, and then repeat with side step, or doing Cortada

  • Swivel on LF into Forward Ochos with Lady's RF.

• "Salida" (e.g "Exit") Tango close - like a "period" of a sentence to end a figure and get ready to start a new figure.

Leader

• Position 1: RF small step back. Tango is a traveling dance, you don't want to back into another couple. Also called salida atras,

• Position 2: LF side. Also called salida costada or apertura. Together, these two steps constitute the salida.

• Position 3: RF forward, CBMP, outside partner on her right side. 

• Position 4: LF forward

• Position 5: RF feet together,  squaring up the upper body, this will lead lady to cross LF in front of RF

• Position 6: Next 3 steps are the resolution, or resolucion. LF forward, in line, in CBMP

• Position 7: RF side

• Position 8: LF feet together