My Tango Diaries

Warning : I am not a leader and I haven't been dancing very long, so this is purely opinion, based on idle observation and not a deep understanding of technique. When I first saw the video of Tim Ferriss setting the Guinness world record for number of giros in a minute (frequently labeled "world record in tango" which seems silly to me), I kept thinking that can't be very much fun. All I had to go on was my experience of how giros feel to perform. Watching Alicia Monti race around Ferriss just didn't seem elegant or graceful - just racing. The video can be found here (feel free to skip to 4:00mn so you don't have to watch the silliness that precedes it. Then last weekend I watched our guest teachers, Oliver Kolker and Silvina Valz perform a beautiful milonga at Esquina Tango. While I was reviewing the video (which is a little dark, unfortunately) I watched Oliver's feet executing his very fast giros. His steps, in comparison to Ferriss's, are fluid, mu...

Finding videos on YouTube (which I must repeat - I never do at work, cross-my-heart *fingers-crossed*) that demonstrate what we learned in class , is almost as much fun as practicing the steps in the class itself. (Okay, not really, but it will have to do.) So, yesterday was all about giros - or turns. I found two great videos that not only demonstrate the sequence and variations - but also include additional text hints and guidance throughout. Video 1: Tango Argentino - Giros Tecnica 1 Video 2: Tango Argentino - Giros Tecnica 2 The above demonstrations are not to be confused with this silliness below, which, although it shows technical prowess, would likely lead to your follower getting dizzy and falling down.