how many ochos?

T

tangoaddict

New Member
I'm a beginner and so far, all the "fancy" stuff I know are the backwards and forwards ochos. I can also manage walking backwards without falling over.

I danced with a guy the other night, I think he has a lot more experience than me, but every few steps, he had me doing forward ochos. I kept thinking he must want me to do something else, but no...another ocho, followed by..another ocho......followed by...well, you get the picture.

Don't get me wrong, I was happy be asked to dance, but it really got terribly boring after the first ten or so ochos. Is this normal or did he just think I couldn't do anything else? I would have been quite happy walking backwards the entire time.

It has put me off dancing with him again, but AT dancers are as rare as hen's teeth around here and it's not like I could ever avoid him. He's a lovely chap too.

What I'd really like to know - is this something I should expect at milongas, or is he just dancing to some routine that he has fixed in his head?

Any insight would be appreciated.
 
If he was an experienced leader, he was "testing" your skills as a follower.
If he wasn't, maybe that was his way to dance at a milonga.

Or, maybe, there was so much people behind you that he could only lead ochos...
 
Oh, thanks Tanguera! That makes sense. I doubt it was because of other people as there were hardly any there, he's more experienced than I am, but not by too much...so I think it might just be the way he does things.

Never mind, I'd dance with him again anyway - it's all good experience for me.
 
tangoaddict said:
Never mind, I'd dance with him again anyway - it's all good experience for me.
Click to expand...
Your answer reminded me of a guy who started dancing just a few weeks before me; he was the only one who always asked me dancing at practicas when I was a beginner; he was a very shy person, so he didn't dare to lead anything more than walking and ochos... other ladies avoided dancing with him, expecially at milongas, but I always enjoyed dancing with him, since he was a good chap; I never said "no" when he asked me to dance.

Now he is a good leader and women ask him to dance at milongas, but there's always a tanda reserved for me, who was the only lady who danced with him when he was a beginner. :D
 
Ah Ha! So, I might have that to look forward to in the future? I hope so. The way I see it is that as a beginner I am grateful to anyone who asks me to dance, I'd never turn someone down. Maybe one day he'll be the best leader around and I'll always have someone great to dance with. :)
 
tangoaddict said:
The way I see it is that as a beginner I am grateful to anyone who asks me to dance, I'd never turn someone down.
Click to expand...

That's how I see it too! :)
When I was a beginner, I thought I had to learn by everyone who asked me to dance, even if they were beginners; now that leaders look for me at practicas and milongas I also ask beginners to dance, since I remember how can be frustrating going to a milonga and nobody asks you dancing...
 
What I'd really like to know - is this something I should expect at milongas, or is he just dancing to some routine that he has fixed in his head?

Any insight would be appreciated.[/quote]

I'm only guessing but if it was who I think it was then the forward ocho is as far as he's got in the lessons. This coupled with him wanting to boost peoples confidence is probably what happened. He realised you were good at them so kept throwing them in (bless him). I think it's only the quite experienced dancers who can lead a variety of different steps. My problem is that always dancing with another beginner (and I'm talking both of us having no more than 4 or 5 lessons) then I can't tell when I'm being led into an ocho and I still can't sort out which foot is going where!
 
I'm not sure we're talking about the same guy, Dizzy. I think you mean the big guy (lovely fella) with the wife in the red skirt - I mean someone else - someone with more experience than him, but also a lovely fella.
And about me being "good" at ochos? Well, not sure about that :D
 
bordertangoman said:
How many ochos must a man walk do
Before the follower gets bored?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
Click to expand...

Ha ha - that tickled me!
But the answer must be lower than the amount I did.
 
Not just a question of getting bored. The leader can lead tons of ochos not realising that the pivoting the follower does are a bit... not super-demanding, but you do not want to make dozens of oschos without some normal steps inbetween. At least I don't, maybe the pros do...
 
tangoaddict said:
I'm not sure we're talking about the same guy, Dizzy. I think you mean the big guy (lovely fella) with the wife in the red skirt - I mean someone else - someone with more experience than him, but also a lovely fella.
And about me being "good" at ochos? Well, not sure about that :D
Click to expand...

aah....that would be the chap that was trying to lead me into something and I didn't know what - obviously it was ochos!!!!
 
I agree with you Blue. I suppose if there were loads of ochos in amongst a number of other steps it would be more fun for the follower.

Do you mean that they are demanding things to do?
 
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