Instructors: Homer & Cristina Ladas
http://theorganictangoschool.org/
June 1, 2013, Homer & Cristina Workshops in Hove at Ralli Hall, Denmark Villas
Video Courtesy of Tim Sharp
This workshop was advertised as “Dramatic enrosques, high leg wraps and sustained volcadas. The naga chilli of workshops hot and extreme. You will be challenged.”
Given the complexity of content, maestros asked the students
if they wanted to stick with the plan and cover all three subjects or if they
just wanted to focus on one or two subjects and focus on refinement of
understanding the concepts and deep technique. The class voted to do all three
subjects, so we set a 20-minute time limit on each: enrosques, high leg wraps
(piernazos), and sustained volcadas.
ENROSQUE
We started with refining our enrosques, working in
partnership in fingertip-to-fingertip hold, doing forward ochos to tight crosses,
where our thighs can be open or close.
We were to do the ochos together, going toward the other person’s trailing
leg and around each other, having lots of spiral and at the right time,
unwinding it.
To this, we added a weight change, and then a step back. So
our footwork became: forward ocho, hook in front, weight change, back ocho
step, with dancers staying together on the back step. We were to hook in front as tightly as
possible and step back onto our supporting leg with our opposite foot.
Cristina showed us the “Secret Garden Enrosque”, where the
Follower does a forward enrosque with her free foot tracing a small circle on
the floor around an imaginary axis unseen by the Leader (that’s why it’s called
the “Secret Garden” Enrosque – because the Leader doesn’t see the axis the
Follower is circling). The Follower
needs to decide before she transfers weight to do the enrosque. So she reaches,
and as she transfers weight but a little bit before, she shoots out the other
foot/leg with a little bit of Captain Morgan, pivots and from her knee down,
draws a circle/rulo/lapice/corkscrew with her calf/foot (“stirs the pot”) and then
collects with ankles together. We were
to keep this on the floor, and do one or two circles/corkscrews/rulos/lapices, with
the Follower keeping her hips close to the Leader. For
the
Next, we built a mini pattern that would include all three elements
of our class subjects: the enrosque, high leg wrap, and sustained volcada.
HIGH LEG WRAP (PIERNAZO)
The Leader backs the Follower up into a back ocho step after
her forward ocho enrosques.
As she steps back on her right foot back step to the close
side of the embrace, the Leader steps into her and steps around her to get
under her with his right foot side step.
He quickly collects with his left foot and then takes
another right foot side step around her as his body spirals and twists up, leading
the Follower’s left foot high leg wrap (piernazo) back around his left side.
The Follower’s knee is pointed down during the piernazo.
If the Leader gives the Follower enough real estate and the correct
energy, then the wrap should go where he wants/leads it (aiming for his left
side waist/back). The Follower’s leg
rides up the thigh with her knee down. “The thighs have eyes” – so the
Follower’s leg should always try to find the Leader’s leg. It is not about how high you can wrap. The Follower should try to keep a long spine,
so she will be able to twist and disassociate more.
In the Piernazo, the Leader steps around the Follower’s
axis, he does not push her off axis. The
Leader’s objective is to get close to the Follower, and go around the Follower’s
axis, while keeping her on axis.
SUSTAINED VOLCADA
Exit: Leader releases
Follower into the Funny Volcada, and then into the Sustained Side Volcada with
the Leader’s height change during the Sustained Volcada.
During the Funny Volcada, the Leader walks backward around
the Follower in a circle, and then to lead the Sustained Volcada, he walks
straight back two steps (usually starting with his right leg) to lead the
Follower in a Sustained Volcada. For the
Sustained Volcada, the Leader finds the line of dance and then walks backward
straight. He needs to find his center,
and go down a little or a lot as he walks back.
In the Sustained Volcada, the Follower’s hips/legs remain
close to the Leader’s, and her weight is perfectly in the middle with both legs
straight, not favoring one or the other.
The exit is when the Leader comes back up after he hugs and
lifts the Follower. We zip up our core
and push down to get up and pull ourselves out of the swimming pool. The Leader can bring the Follower back up on
her right leg, or move her to bring her back up on her left leg.
Follower must wait for the lead
When the Leader steps in near the Follower to Capture the
Moon on the close side of the embrace, he can either lead a Funny Volcada or a High
Leg Wrap (Piernazo). The Follower has to
wait for the lead because the leads for the Funny Volcada and the High Leg Wrap
(Piernazo) are slightly different.
LEADER’S ENROSQUE
Next, we went back and added the Leader’s Enrosque.
For Leader’s enrosques, the forward enrosques are the most
exciting, but the back enrosques are the most elegant. The secret entrance of
the Leader’s back enrosque is on the Follower’s side step after her forward
step. Here he can do a Leader’s sacada
into a back enrosque. At the point of
the Leader’s enrosque, they are both pivoting, so there is a “we” feeling as we
can get lots of pivoting in the same direction for both dancers. The Leader’s cross behind is tight and
deep. We can do this in close
embrace.
Maestros demo’d enrosques doing ochos with hooks with or
without weight changes.
Maestros concluded with a class quiz and a demo to
Cirque du Soleil’s Pearl.
Notes courtesy of Anne at http://scoutingtour.blogspot.com
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