Firehouse friend, Maria, had so much fun last year celebrating her name day at Firehouse that she decided to do it again.   The more of you who join in her name day tango, the happier she will be.  So, to all of you Firehouse tangueros, let's make it wonderful for her.

Tibor will be away for the next four weeks, but our very capable friend, Elena Titova, will man (woman?) the door August 9, 16, 23, and 30/  Bringing exact change will make life easier for her. 

Hi everyone, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. Back in May, I began to share with you my own personal pedagogy for teaching social Tango. I took readers through Parts 1 and 2 of my system — both focusing on what I call “linear movement.” This included fundamental elements such as forward, backward, and sideward steps as well as weight changes in place and pauses. We also talked about what is referred to as the “crossed system,” which involves both partners moving with the same foot as they dance — as opposed to the “parallel system” in which the partners move with opposite feet.

For the months of June and July, I got involved in an extensive tangential discussion of how large or small one’s steps should be, when dancing Tango. While this thread was. I think, quite valuable, it was a departure from my intended goal of describing in detail how I teach, and what I feel is essential to learning Tango. Today, therefore, I’m going to return to that examination by introducing “Part 3” of my system, which is devoted entirely to the pivot.

I often refer to the pivot as the sixth element of the fundamental dance. Just to recap, these six elements are the following:

·      Forward steps

·      Backward steps

·      Sideward steps

·      Weight changes in place

·      Pauses

·      Pivots

Both leaders and follows must address each of these elements individually as primary components of the lead/follow learning process. As we’ve discussed extensively in the past, each of these elements is led/followed, using its own specifically defined physical mechanism, and must be learned as such before proceeding to more complex skill development.

We talked about the pivot back on May 31, during our discussion of the crossed system, and I briefly mentioned this essential movement even earlier (May 3, 2018), noting its crucial role as the basis for much of the more complex repertoire in Tango — including ocho, molinete, calicita, boleo, colgada, volcada, etc. While the leads/follows for the first five fundamental elements involve varying degrees of difficulty, the pivot presents students with a far more complex challenge.

Let’s define what the follower actually does in executing a pivot. She stands in place with her feet together and her weight on one foot. Using the ball of this standing or weight-bearing foot as a fulcrum, she now brings the muscles of her center into play in order to rotate her body to the left or right (depending on the lead). This might be Part 1 of a forward or backward ocho, or possibly the beginning of a boleo, a calicita, or some other complex sequence of movements.

Now, let’s talk about the leader’s role in initiating and accompanying the pivot. First, the leader makes certain that the follower is carrying her weight on one foot — presumably, the one he has selected for her in setting up the pivot (or any other element in the dance). Next, he rotates his upper body slightly in the direction in which he wants his follower to rotate hers. As the follower feels this invitation through the dance connection, she pivots in the direction indicated, turning her body with conviction and energy anywhere from a few degrees to upwards of 180 degrees — depending on the specific lead.

Generally speaking, it is important for both partners to be aware that the lead is going to be far smaller than the resulting pivot. The leader’s job — just as with other elements of the dance — is to offer an invitation, not to aggressively carry the follower from its beginning to its ultimate conclusion.

A final note: It is crucial for the follower to recognize that the pivot is a complete element in and of itself. One of the most common errors that a follower can make in dancing Tango is to assume that at the end of a pivot she must of necessity take a traveling step. This is not true. Just as the follower must pause at the end of any other linear element — waiting for the next lead — she must also wait for the leader to invite her next move at the end of the pivot.

Next week, we’ll continue this discussion of pivots by defining the primary applications of this element in dancing social Tango; i.e., ochos and molinetes.