Tango beginners movement round the floor

[gclarke]

Here's another question that is probably like asking how long is a piece of string. :) Just curiosity since we don't have the skills to do much about it.

Some of the beginners were doing their Tango at the social last night which is primarily aimed at beginners. Dave and I dived straight in earlier and got our practice in when it was quieter. Later it got a bit chaotic.

I heard some-one say 'God, where are they going?' as it got harder for people to avoid each other, especially with a couple of people doing something differnt to the rest of the class. I took it with a pinch of salt as most on the floor are at the same stage we are and know no different and the comment came from a 'visitor' that came with some-one else, so no big deal.

But it did make me think about it for the first time.

We have only learned 2 sections. We always start square to the room, section one leaves us exactly where we started and section two leaves us on the other side of the room facing the oposite direction and we start again.

It's hard enough when we are all supposedly doing the same thing but to keep out of anyones way when they are doing something different is quite impossible.

So I have two questions really. Is it usual to start 'square' and finish in the same spot after 32 beats or is that something designed as a learning aide for beginners? We start with a progressive side step reverse turn, rock and close.

Secondly I have yet to see any two people get round the floor in the same way, ie it seems to follow no convention that I can determine eg anticlockwise round the room. It may be that our dance floors are so small it just seems this way but at present I have no conception of how we could try a tango on a floor with many other people.

[Josh]

Good question G. Of all the dances, tango is probably the one least tied to a definite pattern of movement around the floor. Because it is not a swing dance like the other ballroom dances, we deliberately take each step and therefore can more quickly change directions when moving around the floor. The overall direction of movement should be as the other dances (counter-clockwise), but little 'detours' are not uncommon (as in your progressive s.s. reverse turn).

A general rule of thumb for beginners that is true for most of the dances is that when you are facing or backing the diagonal center of the room (turned 1/8 left from facing the line of dance squarely) then you will do a left-turning figure, and vice-versa for diagonal wall (1/8 right from the line).

I don't know if you have discussed this, but tango movement is rarely straight, it almost always curves to the left because of the body position when in contact with your partner. So if you are facing the line and do 4 walks, you will likely end facing somewhere around the center. So the figures you do, and the movement you choose, must take this into account.

[nucat78]

As an aside, has your instructor taught anything about "speed lanes" for the Line of Dance? Essentially, the fastest moving dancers are on the outside of the floor, i.e. closest to the walls, slower dancers toward the middle, and slowest and those who want to experiment or move just a little in the center. Any dance where there is a fair amount of traveling generally should have the newer dances toward the middle as they generally don't move as quickly as others.

When we dance an American tango, we pretty much follow LOD but not as strictly as a waltz. Argentine tango, at least at the studio I go, is much looser re: LOD.

And there are exceptions. The Sunday tea dance at a large ballroom here has people all over the floor, some of them stationary in the "fast lane". Good opportunity to practice floorcraft!

[gclarke]

Lol it seems to me everything is 1/8 somewhere. Keep saying it and it will stick eventually.:)

I guess some of my preception of things (or lack of) is down to the size of the floor. There isn't really room for 'speed lanes' although the mercifully few competent dancers that attend our socials do seem to manage to avoid us. That must be difficult though as sometimes the beginners seem to take the whole floor. Choices seem to be between stopping and holding everyone up or moving out of the line of dance. Of course, we've never discussed etiquette and I guess since the evening is mostly for beginners, it is expected that for the moment, we don't worry to much. We always dance close to wall for Quickstep.

One thing I noticed was with the quickstep as we got more confident. Our steps lengthened just a little and we couldn't quite fit our steps in without hitting the corner on our spin turn on the short side. We have a lock-step + spin turn on the long side but just a spin turn on the short side. Between the corners, one set of basics wasn't enough but two sets were too much.

I was shortening steps when I could but put some-one stalled in the corner and it got too much to watch them and make a decision whether to shorten my step or turn early dragging Dave with me and hope they didn't get going again before we got round :):)

Yeah I know I should be following but the alternative is two couples stalled in the corner followed by meltdown.

At least we can actually see things coming though so hopefully it won't be long before we can work it out.

[spatten]

If you are at a social dance, you need to be flexible in your routine. Mix up your patterns, I wouldn't stick to a certain 'section' until you have more dance experience and know how to adjust angles to make everything fit.

Trying to force a certain pattern on a social floor is probably a recipe for disaster.

Of course most of this is up to the man, and a real learning period for leader. I liken it to learning how to play "frogger" very very well (wonder if anyone remembers that game :)

[NielsenE]

If section one leaves you exactly where you started, (and hasn't done a whole lap of the ballroom) its probably a teaching pattern only and not one you should use on the floor...

A few caveats... its its only 1 phrase long (SSQQS or QQSQQS or any similar length), such as a regular normal Corte, (which actually progresses slightly), you're probably ok.

If its a several phrase amalgamation and its stationary, its probably a problem. You might be able to get away with it on a large ballroom floor in either a corner or the center of the room, but not along the walls. In most studio sized spaces its just not going to work.

If its several phrases and it moves LOD and then regresses back to the starting point, its even more likely a problem. Figures that regress more than about 1-2 steps are highly unusual and will almost always cause problems.

[gclarke]

If you are at a social dance, you need to be flexible in your routine. Mix up your patterns, I'm sure that's very good advice but I don't think we have enough to mix just now :)

[gclarke]

If section one leaves you exactly where you started, (and hasn't done a whole lap of the ballroom) its probably a teaching pattern only and not one you should use on the floor... I suspected that may be so but unless some-one tells you .....

Thanks for the input everyone.

[Angel HI]

Though all of this is good to great advice, learn the difference between comp dancing and social dancing. For the former, perhaps the perfection of patterns is the goal. For the latter, I would take some time at home to dissect the patterns into movements, and learn how to fit them together like the children's toy Lego (all pieces fit into all others at some point). For Int'l, this is relatively simple...dance it in steps of 2s.

[gclarke]

Thank you Angel

That is very timely advice. Last night, I think for the first time, I was begining to realise how I needed to look at it in order to assimilate new steps quickly.

I find being able to name parts useful, although we're not big on that in our beginners class, but for me it seems easier to know we do a,b,c, then b again or whatever. Then suddenly that seemingly huge number of steps seems like nothing at all.

Last night we added what seems to me like quite a big chunks of new steps to the quickstep, and like everyone else, I had fearful trouble with it. I managed to collar the instructors helper, who was dancing with my single friend who I knew wouldn't mind. I quickly fathomed from a given sticking point, that we had 5 steps and they were all S followed by a QQS, and bingo, I had it.

Such a simple thing but I seem to need that information way more than everyone else or I just grind to a halt. It's frustrating as everyone advises me to learn the steps first and not worry about anything else but I find it so hard.

For me, when he puts the music on and I don't know whether the steps are all S or fall into the SQQS pattern, it's like chalk on a board, and I just forget everything.

Today I will just jot it all down so I can see it in sections ie I need to understand if the first or last of the 5 slow steps belongs to the previous bit/next bit, and fathom in my head if the QQS that comes in the middle is actually a new part or just a basic, and so on.

Once I've done that, when we go on Thursday, it will be so easy instead of my usual mental block with new steps.

With my book I may even be able to name the parts, so much the better if I can.

Gosh I've waffled on at length again but basically I think I am saying I'm learning as much about me and the way I learn as I am about dancing. If I pay attention to the number of steps, then ask at the first opportunity whether they are SQ etc, then I can be done with that, remember the steps no problem, and generally just get on with it.

Now where that paper and pen ......;)

[Mostly Ballroom]

Social tango dance floors are nuts. Everybody going everywhich way. Now if most people are following a line of dance that's easier. Generally you still get people stopping and doing ochos or something else. Angel's advice is great for dancing socially. If you're doing American it helps to be able to adjust that 8 count pattern to different directions. Or I just abandon it altogether and make a 4 count step in whichever direction I want to. You could do two "tango-close"'s (the 5,6,7,8 )in a row if you like.