Tango Back Corte

[Chris Stratton]

I'm curious about something in the back corte of International Tango.

Almost everyone I've seen does and teaches this figure with strong counter body rotation on both the first two steps for a powerfull twist/untwist look.

However, the book gives this as:

Man 1. LF Back L side leading 2. RF Back in CBMP
Lady 1. RF Forward R side leading 2. LF forward in CBMP

These appear to be pretty sharply in constrast: the book description matches the technique for a pair of tango walks both curving in the same direction, wheras the way it's usually danced is one walk curving in the wrong direction, followed up one in the usual direction.
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Another Puzzle: originally I said CBM above, then changed it to 'counter body rotation', as the term CBM doesn't seem to be used in the book description of tango, only CBMP. Why? I will say that if you do tango by the book, you don't seem to have nearly so much of this CBM-like twisting, rather you seem to trade a shoulder lead for CBMP for a shoulder lead - which is to say you hold a consistent position and it's name changes primarily due to the definition depending on which foot you are standing on.

[Warren J. Dew]

wheras the way it's usually danced is one walk curving in the wrong direction, followed up one in the usual direction.
Usually danced in the Boston area, yes. When I was in the DC area, this was not true of the dancers there; most of them followed the book. I personally prefer the book method because I feel the additional extension it provides leads to better quality of movement, even if it involves less action in the top.

This is also why I prefer keeping the lady in line rather than putting her outside in the reverse turn; keeping her in line sets up for the normal walk. It also has the additional benefit that one gets to really enjoy the lady's heel placement if it's clean.

My question is, how come the "twist/untwist" folks only do it when the man is moving backwards, and not when the man is moving forwards?

[Chris Stratton]

Would you do back checks with a fixed body alignment, or alternating like the Bostonian back corte?