Baltimore Tango Festival Notes

Super convoluted notes that ran through my head after classes. These were made for the sake of jogging my memory later. I'll probably still think "WTF?" when I read them later.


Classe 1: Altas - High sacadas

- contrabody
- practicing having weight stable on one foot.
- practicing contrabody torsion in chest both rotationally and linearly
- practicing swinging free foot without affecting balance
- having partner swing your foot up with momentum and releasing
- gyros around each other with sacadas feeling the rounded motion
- gyros with sacadaing foot aimed more towards follower's stable leg and high on her thigh

Class 2. Hooks and catches

- rounded movement
- as follower takes front step of gyros, leader hooks her foot with his back foot
- hooked ankles should be very tight together.
- keep pivoting follower until her hips are facing away from you
- straighten hook leg for a leg wrap while moving circularly
- can also do a hook and then a circular side step

Sat Class 1: Movement by induction
- two step gyro
leader:
- first take a side step with toes pointed in direction that you want to go
- bring back foot to front foot, change weight, change weight again and back cross
- pivot follower (notice how the level of your hips affect this)
- lead a circular side step

- circular side step involves moving butt in an arc but keeping your upper body stable on your hips and keeping your spine straight as you twist your torso around it.
- sacadas in the two step gyro

Class 2: Boleos from nowhere

- start a circular movement around follower like you are stalking her but keep her from stepping at all. she should look like she is on two feet. however, the direction that you go around her will dictate which foot/leg she'll have more weight on (again contrabody feeling). When going around her, drop hip of free leg and face her. Turn her upper body without her stepping by leaving her where she is or grounding her. There should be no tension created between you.


Class 3: dynamics

- adornment for followers. 'tak' (quick foot in front before linear steps)
- going to cross -> instead of crossing normally, open away from leader and cross. tap floor, step step 'tak' in front... god this doesn't make any sense. anyways this class had lots of great exercises.

Sunday
Class 1: enrosques

one major idea: in tango you walk and pivot. when walking you are pushing of the ground. grounding feet, pushing with feet against ground but extending upper body. all of upper body should be sitting straight on top of your hips. in the contrabody, there is stretching along diagonal from bottom of ribs to opposite hip. Think of taking a shot in the bottom of your ribs.

for the enrosque, lead the follower around you and build torsion (contrabody). Then move from one diagonal to the other by pivoting your hips.

Class 2: turns in close embrace

again contrabody. when stepping back for follower, keep sacrum and pubic bone perpendicular to the ground. For leader to start the turn, there needs to be induction or contrabody. M and C teach not the A frame but that each person is perpendicular to ground so back isn't bent.

Stepping on the half beat

Class 3: Leg wraps

- relaxed and lazy
- standing at bus stop
- recoiling away from an enemy --> idea of contrabody
- when sweeping foot for leg wrap, think circular, not linear
- when there is contact and understanding between points of contact, in this case the ankles, then can move that point wherever you like/is possible.