About the Tango: This dance is passionate and aggressive.
The more aggressive the Tango is danced the easier it is.
Strong leads, heel leads and toe releases are used throughout the dance.
The toes must be stretched upward to achieve proper heel leads.
The dance is animated by using staccato action and with sharp, aggressive movements.
Staccato action is used and it is like picking leaves from a tree.
It is achieved by the lady pushing towards the man when he only resists on the holds, as the back foot is delayed.
It is a moving Latin and therefore it is pick-up-and- place steps.
Level progression is achieved by relaxing the knees.
There is no hopping and the dance progress at one level.
The knees are more relaxed than in the Foxtrot and Waltz.
The Tango is danced with a right side body lead in body contact.
To establish the basic steps before body contact is taught, it is danced in a straight line.
Right side body lead is achieved by standing with your feet together, turning your body and feet anticlockwise.
The feet will lock tightly in the gaps.
The feet follow through straight past each other like brush and follow through in Foxtrot.
This will be a slight side ways movement, almost walking like a crab.
This is a curving dance and can only be achieved when the feet follow through.
When "ice skating" you will loose balance.
The man place the lady's feet and therefore he cannot step around her.
In advanced patterns the lady will step forward and the man then still need to place her feet as she do not know when he will turn.
For this reason it is important to step towards each others feet.
The steps are sharp with quick weight changes.
The preparation steps are increased as advancing.
For Preliminary the first two steps are kept small to make the longer stride of the Quick-Quick easier.
Continuity of all taught patterns is achieved by dancing non-stop regardless of any mistakes.
Continuity of all taught patterns is achieved by dancing non-stop regardless of any mistakes.
The true skill in dancing with each other is shown by continuity.
Never move away from your partner when opening in conversation.
It is just forming a V-shape.
The feet are still pointing towards each other.
This is taught in Secondary.
Hold, posture and stance.
Right Shoulder lead.
The man holds the left hand in line with his nose with the arm at a 90° angle.
The right hand is further around the lady, and the lady's left hand is straight with the thumb tucked in behind the man's back without touching.
Her arm is at her own shoulder level.
The lady's right hand lightly fits in the man's palm.
Posture is a straight spine forming a line from the crown of the head to the coccyx.
This is achieved by pulling in the tummy to straighten your back and tensing the muscles to keep posture.
The rib cage will lift.
Bracing up for balance and easy movement also means that you dance lighter for your partner.
The stance is with the feet together with the balance on the back foot as if you are standing against a wall.
The lady always stays a little to her left of the partner, being able to fit her feet in the gaps of the partners' feet from the left.
The partners focus on their center as they should dance from their heart in to each other's center, and so being able to move with level progression.
When dancing without body contact the lady puts her left hand on the chest like a Latin, since this is a moving Latin dance.