Fundamentals 2 July - September 2024
EVENTS
SoTango Practilongas
Our Practilongas are especially designed to help you build up skills and confidence for dancing tango socially (at milongas). They're not to be missed if you want to take your tango to the next level and it's included in your course rate. Click below for more details...
LESSONS
Lessons 4 - 7
We refined and linked all moves from this course. Please refer to previous weeks for videos for all moves.
In the video below you see the Medialuna and Sandwich linked to the Change of Direction move that was introduced in the last lesson of Fundamentals 1:
Lessons 2 & 3: 29 July & 5 August
In these lessons we introduced and reviewed the Giro to the Right from the Parallel Cross.
Lesson 1: 22 July
In Lesson 1 we introduced the Sandwich known in Spanish as the Sanguch or Sanguchito (little Sandwich)
Tango Music - for practicing
Spotify
Check out Sophia's Spotify lists:
Tango (Trad) Best for practicing musicality - walking to single, double and half time.
Tango (Neo) contemporary songs (good for practicing technique)
Link to 250 songs
The following link will download a fabulous collection of 250 of the most popular songs (tango, vals and milonga) played in milongas around the world! Focus for now only on the tangos. Also focus on instrumental songs as opposed to vocals as these are easier to find the beat. Di Sarli is one of the better orchestras to start with:
http://www.muraterdemsel.com/250TANGO.zip
This link goes to a zip file (little less than a 1 GB file).
Here's a link to help you better understand tango music for dancing.
Good habits for tango dancers
'Steel vs spaghetti': Your standing leg is like steel - dynamic, strong and grounded, your free leg is like spaghetti: light and loose without tension.
Your free leg hip is loose (this removes tension from your free leg) and your hips are level.
Never lock your knees: You standing leg knee is softly flexed (not locked) - this gives you better contact with the floor.
'Collection' - Thigh or ankle (as you prefer) connection as you walk
Push off the floor as you walk - to make your walk more dynamic.
Look forward as you walk (down diagonal is fine but don't look straight down at your feet as this distorts your posture.