Do you remember your very first tango class?
I remember mine. I was still living in Hong-Kong then. It was one of those hot and humid August HK evenings and despite the air-con we were all sweating. I’d been brought a long by a friend of a friend and was starting to wonder if Tango was a good idea…
We’d spent an hour walking, alone and in the embrace.
I remember thinking that I must have registered for the wrong course
Because Tango couldn’t be only about walking, could it? Where was all the fancy leg work I’d seen in TV tango shows? And where were the young hot male partners who would sweep me around the dance floor?!?
It was at the moment when all I could think about was a beer with my friends in Lan Kwai Fong that the female teacher said: “I know it looks like nothing, but believe me, when you are in the Tango embrace, and you’re walking with someone who really knows how to walk, then it’s…. hmmmmmm”
And she wrapped her arms around her body, with closed eyes and a big smile.
At which point, I thought: “Whatever.. I’m out of here”
Still, I came back the week after, and I was right to do so.
Today in classes, I’m the one telling students that it’s about the walk, the walk, the walk, the walk! Because really, she had a point. Nothing beats a powerful, relaxed, elegant, musical Tango walk.
Funny enough, the feeling you have, as a follower, when you are walking with a good dancer is probably exactly what I was hoping for when I first started and expected all the fancy turns, jumps and kicks. It’s a feeling a being taken into something much bigger and more beautiful than yourself.
So in our classes we always focus on making sure our students can walk beautifully.
That’s why when we filmed our online course we spent some time filming videos on the walking technique.
In this video, Pablo and Naomi give tips for a powerful and elegant walk. They talk about axis, weight, projection, how and when to land… They’re great teachers and amazing teachers, so for beginners or intermediates there is a lot to learn from their tips!
Once you’ve had a chance to watch, we’d love to hear from you.
Do you have any tip you can share, for leaders or followers, about walking in the tango embrace? We’d love to hear your perspective!
Thank you for watching,
Anne
PS: if you, that teacher, ever read this article: thank you for making me walk so much!
