Dancer in Video: Jennifer
Bratt
Comme il Faut tango shoes
available here at MalevaShoes.com
While many
embellishments are fit in between the steps that the man leads,
circles and drawing on the floor are for the most part done during
a pause, where you have extra time and are waiting on one foot. A
few things to remember:
- You are always
trying to blend the edges of your steps together, so no one can see
where one step ends and the next one begins. Do not show a break
between your steps and stand waiting on one leg, with the feet
collected and the free leg hanging motionless. As soon as you
'collect', the free leg goes right back out again. The free leg is
fluid and continues to dance to the music even while you are
standing still.
- The leg you are
standing on is straight, just as when you stand still in regular
life, you stand on straight leg. The leg is straight but not
locked. Locked means that your muscles are tensed. You do not have
to bend the joint to be unlocked.
- You always have two
feet on floor for balance, whether moving or standing still. Your
weight is over one foot or the other, but your free foot maintains
connection with the floor and can always help you with balance if
you start to wobble, like a kickstand. You should never feel like
you are balancing over one foot.
- Your free foot is
always pointed, fully, from the ankle (unless you specifically
decide to flex it, in which case it is fully flexed). You don't
even have to worry so much about pointing your toes -- make sure
that ankle is stretched. When pointing your foot, the top of your
foot is in line with the rest of your leg. A pointed foot is always
ready for an embellishment, looks pretty, and is also ready to
cushion your next step. (Your ankles are your power from each step,
as well as your shock absorbers into the next.)
Variations
and Timing
The direction of
circles generally is up and away from the center, similar to the
arm motions of the breast stroke when swimming. So the circle with
the right foot goes clockwise, and the circle with the left goes
counter-clockwise.
You can vary the size
and the speed of the circles, from very slow to very quick, or from
very small (just from the knee down) to large sweeping circles with
the whole leg. It all depends on what you are hearing in the music,
of course.
You can can do
circles, semi-circles, or taps and sharper accents if you hear an
accent or something more rhythmic in the music.
Generally the leader
will pause and give you space to do these sort of decorations
during slower, more dramatic, or vocal-heavy music, when there
isn't a lot of emphasis on the upbeat. These movements are not for
vals or milonga, both of which keep moving.
Exercises for
Home
-Stand in front of a
mirror and practice making smooth, even, ROUND circles of varying
sizes and speeds. You MUST listen to the music while doing this and
fit the movement to what you are hearing.
-Practice side to
side steps, blending the step and the embellishments together in a
seamless fashion.
-Practice a side step
with the right foot, pausing to decorate, then flowing into a back
step with the left. Repeat.
