Crazy Out of the Box Stuff, Part 1

Song: Fumando Espero by Carlos Di Sarli
Instructors: Homer & Cristina Ladas
http://theorganictangoschool.org/
September 20-22, 2013, TangoPulse Workshops in Northampton, MA



The focus of our class would be the colgada to the dark/hard side.

Maestros began with a demo, showing us what we would ultimately learn to do.

Leader’s footwork
Right foot rock step
Right foot capture the moon
Send Follower out to colgada
Right foot parada

Follower’s footwork
Follower’s left foot side step
Right foot step over colgada to the close side of the embrace.

The circular energy tells the Follower where her right leg steps over.

The class was split with Leaders behind Homer and Followers behind Cristina, so we could work on our respective footwork.

Leader’s footwork
Right foot rock step to inside of the embrace
Turn and pivot first, then right foot side step
Invite Follower to pasada through to the close side.
Then he turns to pivot her to step over his right foot again in a pasada to the open side of the embrace.

Follower’s footwork
Left foot rick step with heel off the floor
Pivot on right foot as she reaches to the side with her left foot.
Do not transfer weight yet, but match the Leader’s body as he keeps turning. Weight passes to the left and she passes over with her right foot.
Pivot to ocho and she passes over with her left foot
Pivot to face Leader
Exit in original direction.

First we did this without any colgada.

Next we introduced the colgada, which started with the introduction of the line of power.

THE LINE OF POWER: Two points of the Leader’s feet are in a line in the direction of where the Follower's hips are going to go. The Follower's hips go out straight: that's the line of power.

We worked to understand this concept in the Sugar Bowl embrace to empower the Follower to use her embrace in the correct, active way. The Follower needs to hang onto both sides of the Leader with her hands/arms only and he does not hold onto her at all, but only lead with his chest/torso rotation and is tested to see if he can lead any Colgada. The Leader is like a mountain in his solidity, and the Follower needs to actively engage both sides of her embrace to hold on to him at both points.

In this same step-over colgada, we drilled in Sugar Bowl embrace to work on timing, using the floor, the line of power, having more finesse, and being comfortable with throwing our weight around. The Sugar Bowl embrace also makes the Follower smarter and responsive about the embrace and hanging onto the Leader and using his body as a mountain. If the mountain (the Leader’s arms) collapses, the Follower can put her foot down. The Leader’s arm needs to remain fixed. The Follower needs to hang on with both her left hand and right hand. At the moment of the colgada, the Follower has more elasticity in her arms.

Back to the step-over colgada to the dark/hard side, the movement was broken down into two segments. We were to do one segment first, then pause, and then do the second segment to be sure we had good form for both part.

Part A was up to the apex of the Colgada.

Part B was after the apex of the Colgada, were the Follower steps over.

The Leader’s weight is back on his left foot as his chest rotates and he invites her to step over.

The Leader needs to capture the Follower’s step to start the lead for the Colgada.

For the Follower, she needs to focus on reaching with her left leg, and then stepping over with her right foot.

We should do this step in the line of dance.

After our challenging drills in sugar bowl embrace, we added the regular embrace. We tried this in close embrace, and then the Leader opened the embrace to let the Follower go out in colgada.

Typical colgada posture applies: Follower should keep her hips under her rib cage, and she should keep her sternum up.

LEADER’S CHEAT STEP 
The Leader’s cheat step is where he takes a small left foot step around the Follower while his weight is quickly and momentarily on his right foot after his right foot captures the moon. This cheat step gives the Follower more circular energy in her colgada so she can step over.

ALTERNATE EXIT
Instead of the Follower stepping over with her right foot, the Leader can lead her to do a clockwise back ocho, as the Leader brings her around her axis clockwise while she is still on her left foot, before she steps down with her right foot.

Maestros concluded with a quiz and demo to diSarli’s Fumando Espero.

Notes courtesy of Anne at http://scoutingtour.blogspot.com

Changes of Direction (Intermediate/Advanced)

Song: Llueve Otra Vez by Carlos Di Sarli
Instructors: Homer & Cristina Ladas
http://theorganictangoschool.org/
September 20-22, 2013, TangoPulse Workshops in Northampton, MA



We began with a warm-up dance, doing as many alterations as possible and for the students who were present last night, to also do the two patterns from the prior night.

There are many types of alterations.

Maestros demo’d a pattern, using tension and release as still an ingredient.

The Leader walks outside partner in the close side of the embrace, the Leader leads the Follower to walk around him counterclockwise.

Footwork
Leader:
Sneak attack weight change
Left foot forward outside (trying to touch Follower’s inside right thigh)
Pivot counterclockwise
Right foot side. The embrace opens and the Leader needs to outstep the Follower to get behind her and get close enough to be close to her left hip.
Left foot back cross step – as he shifts, the weight goes from his left foot to his right foot.

Follower:
Left foot back step
Right foot back step
Left foot front cross tuck
Left foot forward pasada over the Leader’s right foot
Right foot side to end up in front of the Leader
Left foot back step.

The Leader needs to turn his spine more on his turn to the left.

He needs to use the two feet on the floor and dig in to power his turn and his left to enable the Follower to get around him. The Follower needs to take long reaching steps around the Leader.

The quality we hope to achieve are refinement and precision.

The Leader’s lead needs to be clear enough so that he blocks the Follower’s A.O.R. (Automatic Ocho Reflex), which she might do instead of the doing her left foot front cross tuck.

The Leader’s side step to the Follower’s back step captures the moon, where the Leader is the earth. His chest should be up.

The variations instead of the Leader capturing the Follower’s back step are to capture her forward step. The Leader’s right leg side step sashay during the Follower’s right foot forward step to left foot back step.

Chapter 3:
Leader side step alteration.
An alternation is a change of direction around another axis of the earth around an orbiting idea.

Maestros concluded with a quiz and demo to diSarli’s Llueve Otra Vez.

Notes courtesy of Anne at http://scoutingtour.blogspot.com

Phrasing to the Transitions and Fills (All Levels)

Song: La Capilla Blanca by Carlos Di Sarli
Instructors: Homer & Cristina Ladas
http://theorganictangoschool.org/
September 20-22, 2013, TangoPulse Workshops in Northampton, MA



We began with a warm-up dance, with walking to the cross, doing a resolution, and then walking to the cross again, with a goal and focus on how to make it musically interesting to our partner.

There are several ways to teach musicality. The two general approaches are (1) academic and (2) intuitive.

In this class, we will try to do both.

We were to walk very rhythmically to the cross where the Leader steps to the left, does a weight change, and walks the Follower to the cross. The walk to the cross is in the cross system. The point is to be very rhythmic.

For the first drill song, the most important thing for the Leader and the Follower is to hear the strong beat and step on the strong beat.

The Leader leads the double time into the Follower’s cross, but he does not push her into it.

The Follower should pay attention to how her left leg is, and be able to control how she pushes off that leg and how it arrives to the cross. For the Follower, whether it is single time or double time, she needs to be aware of how each leg is working.

For the Leader’s embellishment / pretty thing, he can do a front cross (of his left foot over his right foot) or series of front crosses instead of a back cross as he plays during the pause before walking the Follower to the cross.

Next, we drilled pausing, and then exploding into the QQS rhythmically leading the Follower into the cross. The Leader can take his time before and after, setting himself up for the attack, and doing his Leader embellishment / pretty thing.

The goal for this drill is to:

• Control the flow of energy
• Not make the Follower feel pushed around
• Change the energy or quality, which requires control
• Need to practice to be aware and cultivate that skill.

For this drill, we had permission to have the energy to be tigers and kittens.

It takes practice to hear the music and in the meantime also train our bodies to prepare to attack.

We need to be grounded (the act of not falling).

We drilled to two Donato songs:
Sinofia de Arrabal 
Se Va La Vida

We focused on having a solid base, thinking about the idea of (positive) tension (not negative tension) and release, using compression right before we explode into the QQS.

So the goal was to:
Start
Pause
Compress
Explode

To help us understand energy and compression, we did our

TAI CHI TANGO exercise
Tai Chi Tango is an exercise to help us work on our connection, really mirror and match our partner’s energy, and feel compression. Leader and Follower face each other and are hand to hand (or palm to palm). The Leader does a big, flowy circular motion with each of his hands with a big range of motion, releasing his shoulder joints and his arms going into his body, engaging strongly or subtly and using his breath. At some point, he stops and gives compression. The Follower's response needs to be immediate to mirror and match the circular motion and to give resistance when she feels the Leader compress, giving the Leader the same amount of energy that he gives her. This was first done with no music.

Then we added music. With Tai Chi hands, we were to focus on the music, giving compression at the accent points in the music, with the Follower waiting for the Leader to initiate the compression. Follower’s eyes are closed for this exercise. She needs to respond in kind to the Leader’s compression, depending on the energy he gives her. We can change the flavor of the embrace with compression to create a surprise with music. We also switched roles with the Follower doing the initial compression and the Leader responding in kind. This exercise helps us to get in synch with how we each hear and communicate what we are hearing in the music.

Back to the step, the Leader can do a series of back crosses during his pause, keeping the Follower still, before he explodes to lead her into the cross. After his series of back crosses, the Leader steps forward with his left foot to lead the Follower to the cross.

The resolution from the cross can be the Leader’s right foot parada to the Follower’s right foot pasada to the close side of the embrace, directly into another Leader’s right foot parada to the Follower’s left foot pasada to the open side of the embrace. During this sequential parada/pasada, the Follower should look at the Leader and make eye contact. Note that both dancers need to separate and be on axis during this.

Toward the end of class, we were to combine the elements of the first idea (using tension and pausing in preparation to explode into the movement) with the second idea (paradas/pasadas, being on axis during pivots, and the Leader letting the Follower out).

The Follower needs to be on axis at the point of her pivot in between her sequential pasadas, so the Leader releases the embrace and the Follower physically into the cross, then she takes her axis as she pivots so she is able to look into the Leader’s eyes.

The Leader’s right arm release is with his shoulder to elbow; he should not just throw her out with his whole arm.

Maestros concluded with a class quiz and demo to diSarli’s La Capilla Blanca.

Notes courtesy of Anne at http://scoutingtour.blogspot.com

Close Embrace Surprises (Intermediate/Advanced)

Song: Fumando Espero by Orquesta Tipica Victor
Instructors: Homer & Cristina Ladas
http://theorganictangoschool.org/
September 1, 2013, Denver Labor Day Tango Festival



Maestros began with a demo of a split-weight surprise.

1^st Surprise: Split-weight stops with weight transfers and penguin walk side steps

We began with walking. Then we did side steps.  Then the Leader does a playful stop foot work as he steps inside her feet, one foot then the other, and then plays.

The details: Leader does left foot rock step, turns his body, and then steps back into the space he just left. He leads the Follower to do a right foot side step, then he stops/meets her left foot with his left foot. Then he shifts his left foot to her right foot and his body shifts the weight to his left foot. Then his right foot sneaks in next to her left foot.  The Leader’s left foot sneaks to the other side of the Follower’s right foot, and then they can do the side penguin walk side steps continually together linearly on the close side of the embrace.

We drilled this to Donato’s Carnival de mi Barrio. 

The Leaders shifts the Follower’s weight from one side to the other as his left foot blocks from her left foot to her right foot, and then his right foot sneaks in to block her left foot.  He does a little lift to make her right foot collect as he gets to his left foot.

The Follower should be straight up and down when the Leader is that close to her during his steps. 

2^nd Surprise: Follower’s split-weight pivoted change of direction

From the parallel system walk, on the Follower’s right foot back step the Leader stops her in the middle of her weight, pivots her on both feet clockwise, and then steps out in forward step (Follower’s left foot forward step). During this pivot, the Leader sends the Follower around (like a small stirring motion at the point of her pivot), stirring the caramel.  The caramel is the middle of the stir.

Variations:

(1)   Can do the other side – called the hard side promenade and needs to be open

(2)   Swivel on one side, then go back to the other.  In the Swivel, the energy is from the Leader’s hips, so he needs to do it himself as well.

Leader’s weight change

Can do a volcada

To catch a wrap

In open embrace,

Leader offsets his foot work with Follower’s. 

Leader’s side step, changes weight, takes two forward steps with the Leader’s left foot forward as the Follower does her right foot back step.

Leader steps around the Follower and gets her to swivel her hips

The Leader’s right foot forward step is in between the Follower’s two feet in her back step before she pivots. 

The Leader’s steps are around the Follower’s.

The Follower Pivots and she steps over in a parada (doing the usual ocho parada exit)

Maestros concluded with a class review and a demo to Orquesta Tipica Victor’s Fumando Espero.

Notes courtesy of Anne at http://scoutingtour.blogspot.com

Enrosques for Leaders & Followers (Advanced)

Song: The Luckiest by Ben Folds
Instructors: Homer & Cristina Ladas
http://theorganictangoschool.org/
September 1, 2013, Denver Labor Day Tango Festival



Our class focus was on the Leader’s backward and forward enrosques and the Follower’s forward enrosque (the Secret Garden or during the turn).

Exercise 1: Cross behind while walking forward. 

In circle formation at the perimeter of the room, the class practiced moving forward using back crosses to the center of the circle. Here we need to:

-            Bend the knee of the front leg

-            Stay the same height throughout

-            Keep chest up

-            Squeeze/engage inner thighs

-            To make it more elegant, we were to imagine we were holding a big bowl of sleeping fish.

-            We would make a letter A with out feet with our pinkie toes touching.

Exercise 2:  Cross in front while walking backward. 

In circle formation at the center of the room, the class practiced moving backward using forward crosses to the outside of the circle.

-            Same technique as the above applies.

-            At the end, we would make a letter V.

Exercise 3: Warming up our Ocho Factories

In partnership using a light hand-to-hand embrace, we did forward ochos, stepping to our partner’s trailing foot. We were to take long steps around each other, and pivot enough/a lot.  Posturewise, in our upper bodies, we were to be tall and broad, flaring out as much as we could with our tango wings

Exercise 4: By ourselves, we practiced crossing in front as foundational work on our forward enrosques.  We were to think about where the weight is on our standing leg.  We were to spread our toes and image that our standing foot has four corners, and we should be centered in the middle of those four corners. 

There are two options for the Forward Enrosque legwork

(1)   The Eagle Pose: really tight and snug with thighs squeezed tight and close.

(2)   The Eye of the Needle Stance: a looser, very open stance. 

Either way, at the conclusion of the enrosque, the outside of our trailing foot has to be in contact with the outside of our standing foot, with the toes at the middle of the opposite foot, touching the standing foot.  This entire movement is the basis of our enrosque.

Exercise 5: Forward ochos with crossing, with the Leader’s option to change his weight.

Exercise 6: Step forward, enrosque, weight change, step back

Individually, we practiced the following footwork:

Left foot forward step

Pivot

Right foot cross hook in front

Change weight to right foot

Finish Pivot

Back step with left foot

Finish where you start

Opposite foot:

Right foot forward step

Pivot

Left foot hook in front

Change weight to left foot

Finish pivot

Back step with right foot

Finish where you start

The class was then split: Leaders with Homer and Followers with Christina.

LEADERS:

The Leaders worked on their back enrosque: taking a forward step and then hooking behind.

Leaders group footwork:

1st partnered exercise with hand-to-hand embrace:

Leaders led their partner (the person taking the Follower’s part) to do the forward step, side step, and back cross step of the turn/hiro/molinete.

Leader’s left foot forward on Follower’s left foot forward (front cross) step

Leader’s right foot hook and weight change to right foot on Follower’s right foot side step

Leader’s left foot back step on Follower’s left foot back (back cross) step

The Leader’s enrosque is easiest to do on the turn to the left.

The Leader’s left foot forward step can be changed into a Leader’s left foot forward sacada, so it naturally brings him closer to her and develops more spiral energy so that it is easier to do the Leader’s enrosque.

There are three exit options:

(1)   Back sacada option

(2)   Pivot in place with no step

(3)   Regular back step with no sacada

FOLLOWERS:

The Follower can do an enrosque after the forward step and before the side step of the hiro/turn/molinete

Follower’s group footwork:

In a partnered exercise with hand-to-hand embrace:

Forward ocho with Follower’s enrosque embellishment of an outside rulo (curly Q, swirl).

We were to practice this, as one side is easier/more difficult than the other.

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. 

To do this enrosque, our foot goes with toes pointed to the floor out as our hip opens up with the inside of our thigh exposed. Then we draw a quick little circle with the tip of our toes, after which we bring the leg back in so that our foot remains tucked against our standing foot at the conclusion of our pivot. Keep the toes pointed toward the floor complete with the knee out and hip open.  The standing leg needs to be strong and stable.  The floor is the source of power.  How the Follower connects with the floor determines how much power she has in her dance.

Exercise 7: Adding sacadas

Leader does a sacada to Follower’s trailing foot of her side step, into a Leader’s back enrosque. The Leader’s sacada puts them in position so that afterwards they are simultaneously doing back pivots.  It’s a “we” feeling at that point, which is very nice and fun.

Pattern:

Leader leads Follower to do 1-2 forward ocho with or without enrosques as Leader does side steps with her. Leader leads the Follower to do a turn/hiro/molinete to the left and then he does his sacada into an enrosque.  Our goal in drilling this was to figure out the timing:  The movement goes where it needs to go to maintain the relationship between the dancers.

In all our dancing, we should always maintain good walking technique and take long, reaching steps around the Leader.  When the Follower reaches and transfers the weight is when the Leader has time to do his enrosque, so she should not cut short or rush through the movement. 

In the turn/hiro/molinete, the Leader does his job, but the Follower has to do her job as well.  Her foot arrives on top of the strong beat, but she should take the whole beat to transfer weight.

The Follower needs to be aware in both sides of her embrace to receive the appropriate energy that the Leader is giving.  She needs to be connected to the Leader, otherwise the message will be lost.

Maestros concluded with a class review and a demo to The Luckiest by Ben Folds.

Notes courtesy of Anne at http://scoutingtour.blogspot.com

Rhythmic Ochos (Intermediate)

Song: Milonga De Los Fortines by Orquesta Tipica Victor
Instructors: Homer & Cristina Ladas
http://theorganictangoschool.org/
August 31, 2013, Denver Labor Day Tango Festival



We began with a warm-up exercise doing pivoted ochos, but keeping them small.

The Leader steps with the Follower and rotates his spine/upper body a lot.

We drilled to one song, with Leader alternating leading big pivots or No-Pivot Ochos with the Leader’s hands at his front pants pockets in modified sugar bowl embrace, and the Follower holding on to the his triceps/biceps.

CHAPTER 1:

Leader starts leading No-Pivot Ochos, then he releases the Follower a little, and she pivots a little in response to the freedom.  They continue to do ochos, small and fast.  For the Follower, it is very challenging to follow No Pivot ochos. 

We first stayed in a line and did No-Pivot Ochos.  The Leader right hand releases the Follower’s back, so she can do slightly pivoted ochos.  The Leader also releases the control in his body over her during the No-Pivot Ocho engagement so that the Follower regains her natural contrabody movement.

Exercise: Leader leads No-Pivot Ochos, then releases the Follower so she has room to pivot.  We alternated between No-Pivot Ochos to pivoted ochos back to No-Pivot Ochos.  This exercise was for the Leaders to feel what it is like to cage the Follower and then set her free, and then cage her again and the transitions he needs to do with his right hand.  For the Leader, during No-Pivot Ochos, he gives the Follower a cage with  his right arm. When he releases his right arm, the Follower is free with the natural curves of her body.  The energy is into the floor and into our partner.  The Leader attaches to the floor.

We did this in practice hold to make the Leader more efficient in his lead.  We did more drilling of No-Pivot Ochos into Pivoted Ochos, sometimes double time and tight.

Exercise:  In partnership, we drilled the ochos, with the Leader moving through space rollerblading, moving through space with No-Pivot Ochos.

Exercise: We did this in double time and in close embrace.

CHAPTER 2: Turning it

Next, we turned it, with Leader doing Igor footwork, with his left foot doing a small step and his right foot doing a bigger step around the Follower.  This puts circularity into the move.  The Follower’s legs want to squeeze together, even though her feet are still traveling through space.  The Follower’s outside or left step is larger as the Leader walks around her.  The Follower walks forward in a circle around the Leader. The Leader needs to be opposite the line of dance to start this move. The Follower’s long step is her right foot. Her left foot is into the Leader.  The Leader does a circle and doubles back.  The Leader walks backward doing tiny back ochos around the Follower counterclockwise as the Follower does small forward ochos to the close side of the embrace.  The Leader does a little step, and then a big step, grapevining into it and grapevining out of it.

The Leader needs to learn how to manage his space and where he steps in the line of dance. 

Maestros recommended we drill this to a slow milonga song.

Maestros concluded with a class review and a demo to Orquesta Tipica Victor’s Milonga De Los Fortines.

Notes courtesy of Anne at http://scoutingtour.blogspot.com

Baby Back Volcadas (Intermediate/Advanced)

Song: Araca La Cana by Osvaldo Fresedo
Instructors: Homer & Cristina Ladas
http://theorganictangoschool.org/
August 31, 2013, Denver Labor Day Tango Festival



First, we began with doing close embrace ochos with no pivot as a base of getting the Leader to lead the Follower to hook behind.

CHAPTER 1: “No-Pivot" Ocho

Leader: Imagine you are rollerblading down the boardwalk in your feet, but have NO shoulder or spine rotation in your upper body, and collecting in your footwork in between the steps.

Follower: Reach back with your right leg, and go across yourselves (your left hip), and open, reach back with the other leg, and across yourselves.  Open the hips without pivoting the supporting, standing leg so your shoulders do not rotate and there is no pivot in the spine.

Next, in a partnered exercise, we came together to do the No Pivot back ochos.  Here, we were to try to make the ochos symmetrical for both the Leader and the Follower.  Hints: there is a good (easy) side and a dark side.  The Leader’s left side is much easier.  Be careful to not do The Igor (where there Leader makes a big step and then a little step).  The Follower has to wait for the Leader in his collection, otherwise the embrace will inadvertently open or be lost.  The Follower should use connection with the floor to power her back and power the pressure she gives to the Leader. She should not leave the weight so soon, so that the pressure is constant and there are no air bubbles in the embrace.  She should build a little bit of resistance as the Leader prepares to go forward.  Both dancers should be clear, comfortable and consistent.

TO COLLECT OR NOT COLLECT

The Leader should really collect, trying to get his thighs, knees, and ankles to pass each other.  In double time, the Leader’s heels do not collect because it’s difficult. However, the Follower still needs to collect during her double time.  In regular time or half time, the Leader should always collect. 

To drill this concept, we practiced doing No-Pivot Ochos in regular time, half time and double time. We discovered that to make this most effective in terms of communication, there should be a bit of tension or pause before the double time.  The Leader should be like a panther getting ready for attack/to strike.

CHAPTER 2: Baby Back Volcada

Start with the hook behind.

The Leader’s forward steps are symmetrical.  For the hook behind, the Leader keeps his foot behind, transfers the weight from his left to right when the Follower’s hook behind happens and her weight goes from her left to her right. The Follower should stay in front of the Leader.

There are two exits:

(1)   The regular exit, which consists of back ochos, or

(2)   The Leader touches the Follower’s right thigh with his left foot forward step to the inside of the embrace.

Some students were creative/ambitious, and attempted to do this on the other side (the dark side). When doing it on the more difficult side, there is a cheat step to help you do it.  The Follower should cross really tight and deep to maintain connection with the Leader.

This is a lateral move, not a circular move.

The baby back volcada can be used to initiate a regular forward volcada.

We did some footwork exercises:

Cross behind while walking forward.  In circle formation at the perimeter of the room, the class practiced moving forward using back crosses to the center of the circle. Here we need to:

Bend the knee of the front leg

Stay the same height throughout

Keep chest up

Squeeze inner thighs

To make it more elegant, we were to imagine we were holding a big bowl of sleeping fish.

We would make a letter A with out feet

Maestros concluded with a class review and a demo to Fresedo’s Araca La Cana.

Notes courtesy of Anne at http://scoutingtour.blogspot.com