Can anyone put a name to this tango sequence?

[gclarke]

We were taught this initially as a '4step' but I'm not sure what the proper name is.

To begin with we had a sequence(is that the right words?) of 8 bars which we then repeated followed by this.
QQQQ Tap Step followed by QQS

Ladies steps being (sorry can't think like a man just yet)
Right Back
Left Side
Right Forward
Left To Right
Tap to the right
Step through
QQS to Close

Now the repeat of the 8 bars has been replaced with new stuff (not 8 bars) and this QQQQ tap step QQS
has now become a turn to right(ladies right), still QQQQ, followed by the same Tap and step and the final S of the QQS is now a left foot behind right before going into what I think is a natural twist turn.

Am I making any sense? :confused:

Can anyone name this for me?

[tangotime]

I have a Q for you-- if you are being taught this-- why have you not asked your teacher ??-- or do you doubt their words ? :confused:

[gclarke]

I have a Q for you-- if you are being taught this-- why have you not asked your teacher ??-- or do you doubt their words ? :confused:Lord no, it's not a question of doubting his word. It's just that the class is jam packed. I can squeeze in maybe one or two questions but can't really monopolise his time with much more. I usually save what precious time we get to go over a dance step I am stumbling over.

I get sooooo very frustrated though as I can't pick it up in the time we have available. At 56 I guess I don't remember as much as I used to. That means we get half an hour each on 2 dances and maybe don't return to them for 3 or 4 weeks, by which time I barely remember them.

Most people haven't the slightest interest in knowing the name of the steps at this stage so I would feel awkward asking these sort of questions and taking up precious dancing time. After the beginners is the advanced so very little time really.

I'm sort of working my way through what I can learn on the net and asking here, theorising that no-one has to waste time answering unless they choose to.

It would be nice to have private lessons but they are very hard to get round here.

[tangotime]

At 56 I guess I don't remember as much as I used to.

.

It would be nice to have private lessons but they are very hard to get round here.



I know well what you mean !


Ive been teaching for more yrs than I sometimes remember !-- I do not know of any pro. who would not be willing to answer your Q at the end of a lesson ( i do it every week )

Curious-- why are priv. hard to get ?

[gclarke]

Well the first problem is that the next class comes right after ours so no time to talk.

Then time is limited in that our instructor works full time and teaches in the evening. The few private lessons he teaches are already taken up. I suppose, quite rightly, that people who have been learning with him a while do and should get priority.

Hubby and I did initially find private lessons a bit further afield but they weren't very good and we were made to feel it was an inconvenience.

We love going where we go now. It's fun.

As for private lessons when time is limited, it's easy to do the math. 15 couples at £3 each total £90 per hour for classes. What does one charge to take some-one for half an hour that seems cost effective? Room hire to pay for etc.? I don't think our instructor would dream of putting it like that, but as an ex swimming instructor, I can quite see why private lessons are hard to find.

I know well what you mean !

Ive been teaching for more yrs than I sometimes remember !-- I do not know of any pro. who would not be willing to answer your Q at the end of a lesson ( i do it every week )

Curious-- why are priv. hard to get ?

[Me]

Yeah, I think I have to go with tangotime here. I think you should ask your instructor for the name of the step. At your stage of learning, trying to recall the patterns and put these movements to words on this forum is probably not only going to cause confusion, but might also incite a syllabus riot. (My kung fu is better than your kung fu!) In short, many schools teach figures differently. I know your questions address International Standard Tango, but trust me - I haven't been dancing International for long at all and I have seen plenty of variants, I don't care what people say about it being 'the same.'

Always remember, as cheesy as this sounds, that no question is stupid. If you don't know the name of the step, chances are many other dancers don't know it either and would appreciate your asking. Try not to let the number of people intimidate you into silence. If your instructor can't find the time to answer simple questions (ie the name of the step pattern) you are in the wrong class, no offense.

There have been many discussions about how to get the most out of a group class. I think it would help you quite a bit if you search the forums for group instruction! Lots of tips on how to maximize your learning experience. :)

[FeetwithaBeat]

Is there more than one International syllabus?

[nucat78]

I can squeeze in maybe one or two questions but can't really monopolise his time with much more. I usually save what precious time we get to go over a dance step I am stumbling over.

I get sooooo very frustrated though as I can't pick it up in the time we have available. At 56 I guess I don't remember as much as I used to. That means we get half an hour each on 2 dances and maybe don't return to them for 3 or 4 weeks, by which time I barely remember them.

Most people haven't the slightest interest in knowing the name of the steps at this stage so I would feel awkward asking these sort of questions and taking up precious dancing time. After the beginners is the advanced so very little time really.


I started a little over a year ago at age 50, so I know EXACTLY what you're going through. I've started writing down as much as I can remember in a small notebook immediately after class to help jog my memory. I also have taken a few private lessons to go over sticky parts if I don't get things worked out in class but privates are rather pricey and not in my normal budget.

Sometimes I'll go to a class a little early and ask an asst instructor if they can correct me on something. I do ask questions in and after class but like you, my teacher's time is somewhat limited so I try to be respectful of that. We do have practice dances every Friday night so people can work out things there as well.

Feel free to PM me if you want to chat about newbie issues offline.

[tangotime]

Is there more than one International syllabus?


Each Soc. has its own-- they are near identical--gold bar has more variation than lower grades

[Chris Stratton]

We were taught this initially as a '4step' but I'm not sure what the proper name is.

To begin with we had a sequence(is that the right words?) of 8 bars which we then repeated followed by this.
QQQQ Tap Step followed by QQS

Ladies steps being (sorry can't think like a man just yet)
Right Back
Left Side
Right Forward
Left To Right
Tap to the right
Step through
QQS to Close

Sounds like a four step followed by a closed promenade.

this QQQQ tap step QQS
has now become a turn to right(ladies right), still QQQQ, followed by the same Tap and step and the final S of the QQS is now a left foot behind right before going into what I think is a natural twist turn.

More likely the closed promenade has become an open promenade, then the lady is going forwards into ?

[gclarke]

Thanks everyone. Chris I will look that up and see if it fits. I'm sure my instructor will correct me if I'm wrong. I sort of feel that if I can get a few things nearly straight in my head, it's easier to correct the bits I have wrong next time we do it rather than turn up with a whole lot of don't knows and muddle through the lot.

It's surprising how quick things 'feel' different when you start thinking as you discuss.

Nucat, I'm glad there is some-one that thinks like me. I kind of feel I'm the odd one out when everyone else seems quite content to potter along and not worry about anything. I like to go home knowing I can a) do it, b) do it in time to the music, c) be in with a chance of remember it next time.

I think if I can name the parts, and have a quick run through at home, I will stand a fighting chance.

Now, I think I have exercised my brain enough, time to put some music on and hear the beat or is a bar (only joking:nope:).

[tangotime]

After reading it again-- it looks like you may have described a 5 step ending in a whisk (? )

But for the life of me-- why would he be teaching this to a Beg, class ?

[Chris Stratton]

After reading it again-- it looks like you may have described a 5 step ending in a whisk (? )

Doesn't sound like any normal tango whisk as it was lady's left foot behind right, not man's. I'm still thinking open promenade - in which case the description would formally be back in CBMP, but that could seem like cross behind when first encountered.

Would be clarifying to know what the man is doing there.

[tangotime]

I think you might have turned on a light-- a swivel was mentioned-- open prommy to outside swivel would fit the bill .

( I,m beginning to feel , like Sherlock Holmes ) and whoever called their kid Sherlock ??

[gclarke]

Would be clarifying to know what the man is doing there.
Hells Bells Chris - I have enough trouble remembering what I'm supposed to be doing, never mind hubby :nope:
I did ask and he says he starts with his right foot crossed over his left. As I take 4 steps round him clockwise and tap, he untwists and also taps, eg I faced 12 oclock to begin, 6 oclock after the 4 the steps, hubby vice versa, then the tap and step go to my right (9 oclock)

Make any more sense? Or is that worse :confused:

[gclarke]

I think you might have turned on a light-- a swivel was mentioned-- open prommy to outside swivel would fit the bill .
Sorry my swivel comes BEFORE that bit.

I think the biggest thing I'm learning is how many different ways there are to reach the end result!!!

I looked at the Bronze Syllabus and saw 14 items. I thought that should be easy to work out.

How wrong could I be? (Don't answer that!)

[tangotime]

Hells Bells Chris - I have enough trouble remembering what I'm supposed to be doing, never mind hubby :nope:
I did ask and he says he starts with his right foot crossed over his left. As I take 4 steps round him clockwise and tap, he untwists and also taps, eg I faced 12 oclock to begin, 6 oclock after the 4 the steps, hubby vice versa, then the tap and step go to my right (9 oclock)

Make any more sense? Or is that worse :confused:



do you mean he crosses his right foot BEHIND his left ?-- then it would begin to sound more and more like a Natural twist turn finishing in prom. position.

[gclarke]

do you mean he crosses his right foot BEHIND his left ?-- then it would begin to sound more and more like a Natural twist turn finishing in prom. position.
Well this is hubby we're talking about. So bear in mind his memory is as bad as mine, he just doesn't let it wind him up. This is the man that will happily dance the whole routine one step behind :rolleyes:

It could well be left in front of right or vice versa. All I know for sure is he does a 180 twist to face the other way and tap (his left, my right)

[nucat78]

Hells Bells Chris - I have enough trouble remembering what I'm supposed to be doing, never mind hubby :nope:
I did ask and he says he starts with his right foot crossed over his left. As I take 4 steps round him clockwise and tap, he untwists and also taps, eg I faced 12 oclock to begin, 6 oclock after the 4 the steps, hubby vice versa, then the tap and step go to my right (9 oclock)

Make any more sense? Or is that worse :confused:

Ah.. Clearly you're dancing bachata. :D

Seriously, it does sound like there's a prom in there. But not a twist turn?

[Chris Stratton]

A figure that can sometimes be confused with the twist turn is the natural promenade turn.

[gclarke]

A figure that can sometimes be confused with the twist turn is the natural promenade turn.
I switched off for a bit - brain fog -but tomorrow I will look up some of these suggestions and see what seems close.

It's good fun and I'm learning all the time. Thanks for all the ideas guys (and gals).

I think I like the idea of the bachata :D I am just waiting for the right priced holiday to come up and I'm back to the Domican Republic. I loved it there and that was before we started dancing!

Dinner and an early night after a quick tango I think. Totally exhausted. The ***** cat keeps waking me up at 4.30am, bless him.:mad:

[mummsie]

We were taught this initially as a '4step' but I'm not sure what the proper name is.

To begin with we had a sequence(is that the right words?) of 8 bars which we then repeated followed by this.
QQQQ Tap Step followed by QQS

Ladies steps being (sorry can't think like a man just yet)
Right Back
Left Side
Right Forward
Left To Right
Tap to the right
Step through
QQS to Close


Now the repeat of the 8 bars has been replaced with new stuff (not 8 bars) and this QQQQ tap step QQS
has now become a turn to right(ladies right), still QQQQ, followed by the same Tap and step and the final S of the QQS is now a left foot behind right before going into what I think is a natural twist turn.

Am I making any sense? :confused:

Can anyone name this for me?

Sounds to me like a sequence tango as in English Old Time. Can be any of a hundred or so sequence tangos that have been written over the year. - Mummsie

[gclarke]

Can be any of a hundred or so sequence tangos that have been written over the year. And there was me thinking that there were 14 items listed for Bronze so it can't be all that hard to work out. :)

Like I said, I am learning a lot.

Dance class tonight but we never know what we're doing so whether I will sort out my tango or stumble through the quickstep, who knows. And heaven help us if we do the jive :cry: