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Tangoblitz 2013

Came and went in a flash of an eye, 1:30 am rock n roll dances and DJ-ing.

It's been some time since I've been in a group setting, and short of being back in Ann Arbor with the initiating crew, I don't particularly like group lessons at this stage in which I'm in. I do miss the community effort of teaching, it's harder with maestros because all you want to do is impress them (and screw up instead), rather than really having fun with the learning. Key tips from this round...


Women's Technique (Laila Rezk y Tamara Bisceglia)

Short, slight, razor cheekboned Laila and Tall, curvy, Ankle-fied Tamara. What a pairing. Good session there doing a crash course in position, weight change, ochos and molinetes. First exercise was to stay on one foot on tip toes. Owch. Hardest things in the world these yoga-like positioning, I honestly think Tango needs a ballerinas background what with all the weight holding positions we end up doing.

Things to remember:
(Weight play)
-Toes spread, not gripping and seizing up, but grounded
-Weight HAS HAS HAS to be on the big toe rather than 2nd, otherwise balance will throw off and body will shift out, you can fall outward, but there is absolutely no way to fall inward
-Knees in, ankles in, ankles have to be seriously trained, weakest point but very key
-Disassociation isn't only between the upper and lower body in a twist, but also in an extension up and extension down (hot air balloon concept)

(Walking)
-Think of double strings pulling, the upper body doesn't move without the lower body and vice versa, it's an equal force moving your whole body forward
-Projection and position you are moving to is indicated by the big toe as lead, both in the case of moving forward and moving backward
-The energy given in the embrace is treated as a beacon, extending upward beyond the guy and downward, beyond the floor-dance beyond yourself
-Heel or toe first argument is up to styling and what you feel like doing at that moment
-Hips are linear, this is not Salsa, no bobbing (nose indicates the altitude of the movement)
-Free leg belongs to the man (free leg also follows the music line of the score), if he is not using it, then embellish yourself
-Weight transfer is whole, you are either on the left, or on the right, never really in the middle (no man's land equivalent)

(Ochos)
-Think of it as 3 things moving, lats, hip, leg, power is generated from the lats leading the way and creating the rotation first, then the hips and leg follow

Giros (Laila Rezk y Leandro Oliver)
-The woman gives the guy a canvas to paint with, when she allows for it, the canvas can be huge and the guy can paint as much as he likes, when she is restricted in her own movements, she cuts the possibilities for the guy short
- Don't paint in one colour, one style-pick and choose, fluidity is what we would aim for  
-The molinete is a curve, not a square (this concept is for beginners, time to progress!), this is because a curve is equidistance from the center, the square isn't (hypothenuse always longer than the sides), and this will throw the guy off
-The aim is always to his right or left shoulder, beyond the chest, not TO the chest
-The side step is always an aide to the back or front cross that is coming up, so the side step before the back step already requires placement at an angle aiming to the next step
-KEY CONCEPT: Starting with a cross to the right and following the point of view of your left hip, this is considered 'very closed' i.e. close to the guy at this point, the side step that follows is gearing up for a back ocho, so you open your left hip slightly, then when you enter into the back step, the left hip is very open, this is followed by another side step gearing for the front ocho, so left hip is 'slightly closed' and repeat. This ALL makes it easier to do one of the hardest steps (back ocho in a circle). DISASSOCIATE!


Conneccion ( Tamara y Frederico)
-Keep the embrace strong, do not collapse in, core has to be tight and strong and watch the hips dropping
-Ocho energy being lost by throwing out the foot (also lazy as this requires stronger disassociation), this can act as an embellishment, but ONLY once plain vanilla technique is mastered   -Savour the leg wrap, don't bounce off it, also watch the automation happening with the paradas

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