In the pasted we had talked about how better is better than more, looking into ochos specifically. Which brought up one of the classic Tango questions: Do we walk into our forward ochos using our heel or toes first?

This reminded me of this great answer Sebastian Arce gave to another classic Tango question: What style of Tango do you dance?

He said (in approximation): “They asked us, do you dance Tango Salon, and I said yes. Do you dance Tango nuevo? And I said yes. Do you dance Tango milonguero? And I said yes. Do you dance Tango escenario? And I said yes. (…) We dance Tango!”

There you have it!

As my valued mentor would say: The YES and Yes principle.
How does the principle go?
When you find yourself asking: Should I do X or is it better to Y? Most of the times it is BEST if you do X AND Y.

It is a principle that can get you out of false dichotomies, so you can focus on important issues, in your everyday life, in your health, in your fitness, in your Tango.

People ask me, all the time, questions like:

should I learn to dance in a closed or an open embrace?

is it better to go to milongas more or to practicas?

should I focus on sequences or on technique?

But the best answer to these questions and many more, is YES and YES!
Why do you have to choose between Heel or Toes during your forward steps?
Do you really want to exclude one option that will give different dynamics to your dance, for the sake of making a choice?
Especially when you can say YES and YES, and make it more fun this way!
So, in the video below, I will show you forward ochos–of different types–stepping forward with the heel and with toes first and give you a quick drill for toe-to-heel transfers.

VIDEO: A better forward ocho…Heel Vs Toes

-Chrisa

P.S: What dichotomies are you faced with? Shoot me an email  at chrisa.assis@bautanz.com with what you want to talk about!

Picture by: Jean-Pierre Battaille

Story posted by: Chrisa Assis

About the author: Professional Dancer, Teacher, Writer from Toronto

Published: 16 Dec 2016 @ 13:52

Last modified: 25 Mar 2019 @ 10:38