Walks and ochos are the two elements at the heart of Tango; every sequence with maybe the exception of off-axis sequences are based on walks and ochos

It is therefore important to get a good understanding of how walks and ochos work and how they can be tied together. And this is exactly what we will be focusing on in this post

Zooming In: Walks and Pivotal timing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZTrsTU-Ur4&t=15s
In this first video we are putting our walks under the microscope. We capture though the whole body, aiming to understand how all the dots connect.

By focusing on the feet, the legs, the hips, the torso and the spine we will discover that the opportune moment for a pivot, hides within our step.

Once that discovery is made, we can see how a walk can turn into an ocho and vice versa. This way walks and ochos aren’t as separate, disconnected Tango elements that are need a sequence to connect them.
This way we get to create options for ourselves on and off the dance floor.

Tango Technique: Zoom In on Ochos #2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeNPUvRaUT8
In this second video there is a great focus on the upper body but again not as a separate entity.

The human body has so many fascinating links. The psoas major for example, originates in the outer surfaces of the vertebral bodies of T12 and L-1-L-3. T8-T12 is where your thoracic spine changes to Lumbar spine, so a muscle that goes around your hip reaches all the way up to your second- last rib… Fascinating!
http://(Look here for more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psoas_major_muscle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliopsoas)

It is all connected I tell you!hahaha
And by exploring these connections we can make our dances have much more flow, freedom and efficiency.

Tango, Body mechanics and Energy management

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ITIbt8Sq3A&t=199s
What was implied or talked about as secondary in the two previous videos, becomes primary now… Energy management..! Energy management not in a spiritual, abstract way, but in a very physical way. Managing the energy our bodies need to perform a movement and how can we manage our energy so it is not wasted.

Basically in this video we are aiming to make Tango feel a bit easier, at least in execution…haha…meaning that walking across the floor shouldn’t feel like a physically demanding task and pivoting also.

We put styling and personal preference to the side to examine how the body was in fact built to create these movements. Some being more chaotic than others, will require further exploration; and funnily enough walking is probably the most chaotic of all as it requires a lot of movements around different axises and on different planes.

So we have tried to come up with exercises that can help us understand a bit of the chaos, and possibly add to it; exercises that will allow us to feel a bit more comfortable in this chaotic movement and that will allow us to define the opportune moments for a change

I hope you have enjoyed this as much as I have. If you have any questions, comments or light-bulb moments drop me a line, I would love to chat with you!

If you more content like this, visit: https://bautanz.com/argentine-tango-technique/argentine-tango-technique-ochos/

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Chrisa

Great thanks to my teacher Frey Faust who has provided me with a solid base and some great inspiration in order to explore my movement further.
http://www.axissyllabus.org/axis-syllabus