Dancing Soul

The interlaced embrace: energy and connection

Coming back from Buenos Aires to dance in the USA is always difficult. It's not the level of technique: in some cases, that is comparable with the dancers in Argentina. Why are dancers here different? One Argentine teacher told me that he was glad HE didn't have to teach North Americans tango every day: "They don't like touching each other!"

To me, it's not the physical touching that is lacking, but the emotional connection. Most dancers I dance with in Buenos Aires are more open. I can feel their energy open up to me, rather than block my energy. It is rare to feel that with dancers I don't know in the USA, and sometimes even with folks I know well.

I think this might be true for North America, rather than only for dancing tango. Dancing last night (West Coast Swing), I could feel my partners going through the motions, but not DANCING with me. One man kept putting my hands on his body and gyrating, but never connected in energy: it was a solo act! In fact, I was struck by the connection that was established with one dancer from Los Angeles (Latino), because all the other dancers--with the exception of my sweetie--did not connect.

There is a social component in what I experience as the connection in Buenos Aires. There, I have discussions about relationships, work, politics, love--in between dances in a tanda. In some cases, we started up conversations from the year before and continued them! When the dancing is REALLY good, we tend to talk about how good the dancing and connection feels, and often discuss the orchestra or the singer and how that is working to our advantage in the tanda. I don't experience that very much in the USA, except with established friends; and then we shy away from deep conversations, as if that would interfere with the dancing.

Is it more accepted to open to another person emotionally outside of white American culture (most of the dancers here would fit in that category). The Argentines I spoke with certainly think so, but there are cultural sterotypes about North Americans there, so perhaps that is not a valid observation.

What I try to accomplish in my teaching tango, is to establish a deep, interlaced embrace that allows for movement for both people, and allows for maximum balance and comfort. I think that aids in allowing emotional and energetic connection. That is one reason I've moved away from the square, stuck-to-your-sternum embrace I was taught years ago: if I am struggling for balance, how can I relax enough to allow a real connection to happen? When your body relaxes, your center relaxes, and you can allow energy flow to form a unified couple. It will take a bit more work to get our North American comfort zones small enough to let vulnerability in enough to really connect with others.

What do you think will help us open up to our partners and let our vulnerability out to play?

 

Food for thought: how can we improve the tango dance experience in our communities?

My last two nights of dancing in Buenos Aires are not happening: I caught a cold, and stayed home last night and tonight. I decided it was more important to try to get well than to squeeze more dance time out of my visit; especially as I don't like to give colds to other people!

Most people take vacations to relax. I usually come home from Buenos Aires more exhausted than when I left. Perhaps this time, I will be ready to jump back into life.

I always come home with a list of things that I want to change about my teaching, about my practica, and about the Portland tango community. As I have a young son, I don't travel much in the U.S. tango community, so I don't know whether these problems exist in other communities or not.

 

1.  Guys, let's dance with the women who aren't getting dances!

Maybe they are shy, or new, or lack the confidence to really accept a cabeceo (or don't know how to cabeceo!). What I've noticed this time in Buenos Aires that I never noticed before: There are nice guys here who dance with people who have been sitting down a long time. They are good dancers, but more importantly, they are GENTLEMEN. These guys don't just dance with their favorites, and they don't peacock around, showing off. They quietly make the milonga experience better, just by being nice. We could use more of this in our community.

 

2.  Ladies, let's accept at least one cabeceo from someone below our dance level every time we go dancing.

Although the foreigners I met were obsessed with getting good dances, the Argentine women with whom I sat, danced with their friends, no matter what level they were, and they had a lot more fun. I would like to see more of this friendliness towards the men in Portland, rather than the snooty attitude that occurs when women try to demonstrate how good they are by rejecting lower-level male dancers.

 

3. Let's get to know each other as people!

There was less of a feeling of competition between women when I sat at tables of Argentine women. Instead of trying to intercept cabeceos (and yes, I sat at a table of competitive foreigners who would lean in front of others to cut off their view of the men), Argentine women chatted with me. They directed my attention to better dancers with whom I might like to dance, and my best tanda of the entire visit came out of my table partner digging me in the ribs and saying, "Hey! Look! That guy who is a really good dancer, is looking at you! Look at him!!" I am happy to see that the women in my community are starting to meet outside of tango, and to make friendships, so that there is more camaraderie at the milongas. This is a good start.

 

4.  Let's introduce new people to our friends and ask our friends to dance with them!

As a teacher, I feel this is part of my duty to my students, but shouldn't everyone try to expand the feeling of community by including the new people more? That person might not dance well now, but maybe they will in the future. Or, perhaps they will never dance well, but they are a wonderful person who we want to stay in our community. Or, perhaps that person will become your best friend! Someone recently told me about a very difficult time in their live, when coworkers were unsupportive, but their tango community reached out to them. 

 

I guess my main point is: let's spread that tango love! We have a choice as to how we act, so let's start the New Year with a resolution to be better community members!

 

La Gran Milonga Nacional 2012

I took my dance class today, spent two hours doing a photo shoot, and then ate a LOT of home-cooked meat and a glass of wine: no milonga tonight!

However, instead of a milonga review, I have the first of the videos from the Gran Milonga Nacional ready! I danced with Santiago Asencio, another student of my teachers, Oscar Mandagaran and Georgina Vargas. Considering this is the first time we ever danced with each other (or met, for that matter), we did pretty well on a plywood stage where pivoting was difficult!

 

Stay tuned (someday) for the video that was taken of me dancing with Oscar!

 

Tomorrow, I am thinking of visiting the Feria de Mataderos with a friend. I promise lots of pictures if the weather is good and we go!

 

Top 10 class: Lateral ocho cortado

Although many people in the USA teach "the" ocho cortado, there are tons of variations of this step in reality. I use these a lot in my dance, and teach two variations in my Top 10 Tango Moves class, and four or five other ones in my Next 10 Tango Moves when I teach milonga.

The easiest version is lateral ocho cortado. This version does not require the follower to pivot, making it both elegant and easy to do, even as a beginner.

Lateral ocho cortado

 

Explanation in words:

1. Leader does a rebound (rock step, traspie, whatever you like to call it) forward line-of-dance, beginning with the left foot, and comes back to place. Follower does a back-front, stepping back on the right and forward on the left, back to place. Remember that you each have your own "lane" instead of stepping in front of your partner.
2. Leader steps back one step with the left. Make sure that you use contrabody (facing the follower) to allow both people to stay in their own "lane" and thus not step on each other. Follower steps forward with the right.
3. Leader does a side rebound and returns to place (right, left). Follower does a side rebound simultaneously, starting with the left and returning to place on the right foot.
4. Leader does contrabody to right (normal contrabody) and steps line-of-dance with the right. Follower steps back with the left.

Timing:

1. All slow counts. This takes six slow counts.  I prefer this way as it is more elegant for milonga and tango, unless the music is too slow. I also prefer this way for fast vals.
2. Quick quick slow, quick quick slow, with the rebounds being quick, quick, and the steps being slow. This works well for slow vals (remember that in this case, the counts are not even), and for slow milonga, as well as for tango in a rhythmic tune.

Note on stepping back

Many of my students have looked alarmed and said, "Step BACK??" Yes, however, I often do this step on a slight diagonal, so that I can see over my shoulder. That way, if I am thinking of backing up, I know whether I have room to take a step back or not. This move works well with two walking steps to start, in which case, you are only backing up one of those initial steps. In a crowded space, remember that steps can be SMALL!

 

OK, go practice!

Om Studio tango class schedule

I teach all my group classes at the Om Studio, 14 NE 10th Ave. (between Burnside and Couch). Here's what's going on:

Body Dynamics (7 PM Mondays, mostly intermediates and advanced dancers)

Body Dynamics is a class that trains the body for Argentine Tango. We spend about twenty minutes doing tango-specific stretches for the body to warm up and gain flexibility. Then, we spend about twenty minutes on drills and exercises that strengthen the body and prepare for dancing with a partner. Usually, we work on walk, turn and pivot technique, and then move into drills for the movements I am teaching that week in my 8 PM Monday and 8 PM Thursday classes. After that, we work in pairs (sometimes leader-follower, sometimes not) to use the skills we've been learning.

Dress to stretch and lie on the floor! Please bring socks AND your dance shoes. Although most of the dancers in the class are intermediate and advanced students, there are always beginners taking the class who want to start tango with the best technique possible.

 

Take it to the next level (8 PM Mondays, advanced only)

My advanced class learns a challenging combination each week. We focus on connecting steps, making smooth transitions, dancing musically, and polishing each piece of the combination so that it looks better and feels better for the couple. This class encourages using the class material to improvise and find new vocabulary or combinations for social dancing. Most of the material I teach is from my teachers Oscar Mandagaran and Georgina Vargas, with my other teachers' work surfacing from time to time.

No partner necessary. I expect that participants already have a knowledge of the vocabulary of tango, in order to gain the most benefit from the class. I suggest three years of experience in general, but many of my students are ready for this class in 1.5-2 years of dancing.

 

Top 10 Tango Moves (7 PM Thursdays, beginners and intermediates)

Most of us have had a teacher who tells us that most dancers in Buenos Aires have only a few moves, but they do them VERY well. This class is designed to do just that: examine in deep detail ten moves that I think all tango dancers should know how to do well. Although the content shifts as I work on meeting the needs of my current group of students, this class usually covers:

• walking Buenos Aires style (caminata, circulo, etc.)
• right and left turns
• walking to the cross in parallel and crossed systems
• lateral ocho cortado
• circular ocho cortado
• traveling turns
• 180-degree turns (walking turns)
• forward ochos
• traveling back ochos
• pausas and adornos
• the embrace, energy and connection
• introduction to milonga, tango and tango vals music
• cultural information and tango vocabulary to make dancing tango easier

I teach this class as a mix of beginners and intermediates because it helps the beginners learn faster, and challenges the intermediates to REALLY get the material down in order to dance well with anyone. Most people take this at least twice before moving on to the Next 10 class.

 

Next 10 Tango Moves (8 PM Thursdays, intermediates and advanced intermediates)

The Next 10 Tango Moves class takes students who are moving on from the Next 10 class, and introduces them to new material each week. I cycle through the year, so that very little material is repeated more than once; many people take this class for a year or more before tackling the Monday night advanced class.

At least once a year, I offer a milonga class for one ten-week session. At least once a year, I offer a tango vals class. For the rest of the sessions, we tackle tango vocabulary:

• sacadas
• paradas & pasadas
• ganchos
• boleos
• drags
• leg wraps
• turn variations
• enrosques, quebradas and other fancy leader moves
• adornos and other follower technique to make the dance look/feel good
• using crossed system
• playing with the "outside partner" moves of tango
• traspie variations
• musicality, energy and connection
• etc.

There is a level for everyone at the Om! Also, I teach private lessons for those who would like to work in more detail, learn material faster(or slower!), or who would like to work intensively with one specific partner. Many of my students take both private and group lessons.

Sessions are six weeks long and cost $60 (or $90 for both classes). Drop in rates are $12/class for all classes. Come try it out!

Beginner's Mind Practica (6 PM Thursdays)

Practicing is not only for beginners: it is important to continue practicing at all levels, in order to constantly improve. The Beginner's Mind practica was started to create a friendly, helpful space for beginners to get out and dance socially, before heading out to milongas. However, many regulars are intermediate and advanced intermediate dancers. The rule is: no feedback unless the person wants it. That's the only rule. When someone new comes, I make it a point to introduce them to the regulars, who dance with the new folks. Every few songs, I steal the new person and introduce them to someone new. This is a friendly group who will dance with any level of dancer: we are community builders! We WANT you to start/keep dancing tango! After a few weeks, most dancers feel comfortable enough for me to stop helping them get partners. I am available to answer questions and help throughout the practica. Cost: by donation.

Using the quebrada to add power to your dance

The quebrada ("broken") is an old tango move. According to John Charles Chasteen in "Black Kings, blackface carnival, and nineteenth century origins of the tango" (in Latin American Popular Culture: An Introduction, pp. 43-60), quebrada comes from a parent dance of tango, the candombe.  Candombe was done with quebrada, which meant that there was a break in the line of the body at the waist "to generate sinuous, subtle, flowing motion, without bounding knees or flailing limbs" (Chasteen 2000:46).

In modern tango, quebrada allows the leader to twist, so that the follower can turn around a stable center that is really anchored. This makes turns and changes of direction have a lot more power, as the leader is not easily destabilized. It also looks cool! Don't we all want that "sinuous, subtle, flowing motion?"

Main points to remember:

• In the quebrada position, 70% of your weight is on your front foot, and 30% is on the back foot.
• Make sure your knees "kiss" each other, with the front of one knee pressed against the back of the other knee.
• Make a tripod with your feet: your back foot is behind and slightly sideways to your main support foot. I see a lot of folks try to do this with their feet touching, or right behind each other like a tightrope walker. Try to make a wider stance, and you'll find you have better balance.
• Continue the twist of the quebrada all the way from the floor to your embrace. The spiral in your body allows for a LOT of energy to be generated for movement, or absorbed from the follower.

Here's a clip from Body Dynamics class summarizing this in picture form.

Here's a clip of my teacher, Oscar Mandagaran, rocking the quebrada with Georgina Vargas.  Notice how many times he uses the shape of the quebrada in this performance. And, yes, it's not their social dance tango. Yes, it's show tango, BUT he uses it like this on the dance floor, too.

 

 

 

 

Lapiz: Using lapiz as a simple adorno, and in turns

The lapiz, or "pencil" is an adornment for the leader.  When used in a turn, the leader draws a quarter circle (more or less) on the ground to mark the path of the follower's back cross, side and forward cross steps of the turn.

Exercises for disassociation (to prepare for doing the lapiz and other fancy stuff)

These are exercises from Oscar Mandagaran, Luciana Valle, and Chicho Frumboli. You can use them to develop the ability to move upper and lower body parts at different times, without falling over. This disassociation of the body refers to remaining on axis, but rotating around the axis: rotating the chest to turn the follower without moving the hips, or executing an ocho for the follower twisting the lower body more than the torso.

1. Step forward with the right foot. I leave my left foot back to feel the twist of the body, but this is not necessary.
2. When you are on axis, rotate around your axis to the right (clockwise, CW).
3. After you twist to your maximum, let the twist resolve by allowing the hips to rotate until your body is in neutral again (hips/solar plexus pointing the same direction).
4. At first, this may be only a quarter turn. Remember, the follower's movement in the turn provides some momentum for the leader's pivot in a "real" turn. Do not wind up with your arms, shoulders, butt, etc., in order to turn faster. Once the mechanics are working in slow motion in a small rotation, you will find it easy to turn further and/or faster.

After this is working, add another section (preparation for enrosques, drags, etc.):

1. As the hips return to neutral in #4, don't stop them! Keep rotating your hips until they are ahead of the torso.
2. Continue the torso's motion until it is neutral above the hip's position.

I use this same motion to prepare for some kinds of drags and enrosques. In these moves, I need to lead the follower with a consistent motion, but I need to get ready for another move for myself at the same time. Using these drills helps the body memorize the feeling of keeping the torso with the follower, while doing something else. After years of working on this drill, I can depend on my body to do the movement correctly in the heat of the dance, rather than just on the practice or class dance floor.

Lapiz Technique

• The leader stands on one foot.
• While leading a turn (if the leader is standing on the left leg, turn to the right, or CW), the leader makes a quarter circle with the free foot on the floor and collects it back under him/her. I think "Noon to 3 o'clock" to get the right shape.
• For me, the lapiz does not change level.  That is, I don't sink into it and then rise again. I try to maintain the same level so that the follower's turn is not disturbed.
• Because a turn is occurring while the lapiz happens, it FEELS as if the lapiz is much bigger. Do NOT make a bigger sweep ("noon to six o'clock") with your leg to get momentum: let the follower's turn make the momentum, based on your body's disassociation/rotation around the axis.
• In the variation we learned last week, the lapiz ends with a front parada (stop) and stepover for the follower. In this case, the quarter circle gets a little tail, as the leader completes the lapiz and then extends the foot again to block the follower's path for the parada.

The lapiz itself is not difficult, but doing it while still leading the follower to turn around the leader can be tricky. The leader's chest needs to turn (as usual) to make the follower turn. The leader is standing on one leg during the turn and moving the other leg without disturbing the balance of the hips. In order for the movement to work, the torso and hips need to disassociate from one another, without losing the axis of the body.

Lapiz as an adorno

Using lapiz as an adorno is a very short clip from Body Dynamics class a few weeks ago. We learned this in the Next 10 Tango Moves class last session.

Lapiz in turns

You can also use the lapiz in turns. We learned this in the Next 10 Tango Moves class, and have been using it in longer combinations in the advanced class this past session. Here is a short clip from Body Dynamics class, reviewing what we've been working on.

 

Note to followers: The energy and precision of the follower's turn helps the leader to achieve an elegant lapiz. For me, the follower is the "motor" of this move, but does not take over. Give the leader your best turn, keeping the steps equidistant to the center of the circle (the leader). As the leader becomes more comfortable turning on one foot, this will become easier for both of you.

What is Body Dynamics class all about?

Bonnie Stockman came up to me in my technique class last December, and said, "You know, you really should call this class Body Dynamics instead of Heel Camp, because this is stuff guys need to know, too." She was right, so I changed the name to reflect the real aim of this class.

Body Dynamics is about learning to dance tango with elegant, sensuous power. It is about learning to use your body efficiently, so that you have reserves to pull out when your partner and/or the music demand more from you. It is about mastering balance, axis, breath--all the challenging parts of tango. It is about finding your own voice and energy within the dance to make it YOUR dance.

What do we do in Body Dynamics? If you look at my recent posts with videos, you can see some of what we have been working on recently. This is a serious class that yields major results in flexibility, technique and dance level, in a short time. We start with about twenty minutes of tango-specific stretches: a combination of what my teacher, Georgina Vargas, taught me; with other stretches culled from my 25 years of teaching dance. Then, we do drills and exercises for the remainder of class. Each week, I focus on something that will be used in the advanced class, so that the dancers who take both are really ready to take the underlying work and DANCE it for the next hour. I also work on something for my students who take my intermediate/advanced intermediate class on Thursdays at 8 PM.

For example, one week last session, we worked on lapiz for the leaders. My advanced intermediate class then learned to use lapiz in a turn with a parada, while the advanced class incorporated it into a three-turn combination with an enrosque and leader adornos. That week, we focused on back pivots for followers, to make both turn combinations work with more power. We also learned a fun adorno for giros that helps the follower stay aligned better on tight/fast turns.

It's not too late to join the current session, even though it's the second week of the session. Sign up for Body Dynamics and the advanced class at 8 PM for $90, or take either session for $60 for six weeks; or drop in and check it out for $12. The Om Studio is at 14 NE 10th, just off Burnside. See you there!

Adornos in Body Dynamics class

Last week, we worked a lot on adornos.  Here is the video summary of class--yes, I think I finally figured out how to convince my computer to talk to YouTube (by NOT using my video editing program :-() and YouTube to talk to my blog!

 

 

 

Adornos we worked on:

• lineas (lines)
• circles (circulos or firuletes)
• amagues
• "the elevator"
• "shine your shoes"
• "double Georgina"
• "raise and lower" (sube y baja)
• "floor caress"
• toquecitos (little touches)

YouTube has refused to save my video as unlisted, so any of you who know how to convince it otherwise, let me know!

Ganchos and leg wraps 101

The big picture: a gancho is a hooking of one partner's leg around the other person's leg, and then releasing it. This can be done by the leader or the follower.

Technique pointers: Leaders

• Create a tall, skinny window for the gancho.
• Only use your chest rotation to lead a gancho: keep your hips anchored, or you will fall over!
• The leader's arms help contain the follower: don't use them to push the follower into a gancho.
• Correct foot placement is tricky, but makes the difference between almost doing a gancho, and leading a beautiful gancho.
• It is OK to pause to ensure correct placement before completing a gancho: it's not about force or momentum as much as placement and timing.

 

Technique pointers: Followers

• Keep your leg loose/relaxed, from the hip joint down.
• Did I mention keeping your leg loose?
• When doing a gancho/leg wrap, make sure to maintain your axis. Although some ganchos can be done off-axis, this is rare, and not a part of Ganchos 101; let's save that for about Ganchos 301!
• Don't help the leader do the gancho: let it be led! Leading a gancho is a issue of timing, not force, and the leader needs practice to fine-tune it.

Ganchos from overturned back ochos

When I studied these ganchos in Chicho's teacher training class, back in 1999 or 2000, he told us, "Always make the follower come to you, rather than going to the follower." This is expecially true for the gancho from an overturned back cross: if the follower moves even a bit too far away, or does not pivot well, it is impossible to do this step. If the follower is rotated around you so that your bodies are touching, this step is easy.

1. Set up the step. I prefer to use a side step into a back cross, rather than a big giro to wind up, because many followers assume the back step will be fast, and tend to rush the step, making it smaller and too far away.
2. DO NOT PLACE YOUR FOOT UNTIL THE FOLLOWER'S FOOT IS IN PLACE! Preparing early will simply move the follower further away. Wait until the follower's back foot has touched the floor, and then adjust your body and leg to get in position for the gancho. You can always slow the follower down :-)
3. Make sure the leader's hips anchor facing the follower's step BEFORE the gancho. This way after the gancho, the leader is ready to receive the released leg and be in charge of the next step.
4. Wrap your instep and ankle as much around the instep/ankle of the follower as possible. You want to find the follower's axis so that you can ensure keeping the follower on balance during the gancho. We are not going to tackle any off-axis ganchos in this round.
5. Gently rotate your chest with the follower's leg, to make it wrap around your thigh and unwrap. Remember, this is like a rebound: the follower's leg does not grab the leader and hold on!

Followers:

1. This move will not work unless you have a pristine overturned back gancho. Think "butt towards leader" as you rotate, in order to remain as close to the leader's axis as possible. This will make the actual gancho easier for both of you.
2. Do not auto-gancho: wait for the lead. If you don't get a good lead, don't do a gancho!
3. If the leader leans into your space, let your leg release across your other leg (an amague), rather than risk falling over.
4. Let the entire leg stay loose. Think floppy. My first teacher, Daniel Trenner, once told me: "You are going to have to get messy before you get elegant" because I was not letting my leader use my leg. Face it, followers: you are not leading the step :-)
5. Focus on your basic steps, not on the free leg. Roll through your heel on the back step. Arrive on axis. Work your axis, not your free leg.

This move is also fun using the leader's other leg (i.e., the right leg when turning the follower to the leader's left). In this variation, the leader needs to keep the same timing, but pivot to face 180 degrees away from the follower to accept the gancho through the BACK of the leader's thigh (the outside of the thigh in my thought process, as opposed to the inside of the thigh for same side/same leg version).

 

Ganchos from a rebound/rock step

These appear to be the most used type of gancho in Portland. I prefer the other versions I taught in this class, but these can be a nice thing to do, too.

1. Lead into a front parada and front pasada. I suggest using the same kind of setup I listed above, with the leader's instep wrapped around the follower's axis like a grapevine up a pole. If you use a different kind of parada, you will need to adjust the leader's foot in order to get a good gancho.
2. When the follower has COMPLETELY put weight on the front step after the front pasada, lead a back rebound.
3. Because the leader's leg is in the way, this creates the gancho, rather than a back-to-side step.
4. Remember: tall, skinny window! Do not squat to lead this move!

This move can be done to both sides, using either leg of the leader to create different effects.

 

Leader ganchos

There are a ton of leader ganchos, most of which are used in stage dancing or open embrace. A few are also possible in close embrace, as long as you dance in the V embrace I prefer, with a rolling point of connection, rather than a static point.

We only did one leader gancho in Ganchos 101:

1. Walk the follower to the cross, BUT leader does not change weight onto the right foot; stay on the left!
2. Make the follower walk forward with the right (make sure the cruzada gets untangled!), and the leader steps back with the right. Try to make the follower step almost against the inside of your left thigh. Stay close!
3. Take another step RLOD (leader's left, follower's left), but don't let the follower complete the step. Use your embrace to put the follower into a bit of a lunge. Do NOT lower your own body, or the gancho will be difficult!
4. Standing on your left leg, pivot your body until your right leg can gancho through the follower's lunge (the leader turns away slightly from the follower).
5. Return to regular position and exit, perhaps to the cross.

Remember that a gancho is NEVER about getting your ankle up, or you will kick your partner in tender places. The knee drops down and the leg swings gently as a whole, not just from the knee. You could theoretically kick your partner in the lower back here if you are flexible enough; but most of us are not.

 

Leg wraps

As this is Ganchos 101, we only did one leg wrap. To me, a leg wrap is a gancho that then travels somewhere to make the hook unwind. The easiest one (in my opinion as a follower) is led from the circular ocho cortado.

1. Lead the first part of the ocho cortado. I cannot stress enough times that the circular ocho cortado does not rotate in the first three steps of the move!! Yes, some folks teach it that way, but this works much more easily for the follower, so stay in a linear formation.
2. In the second rebound of the ocho cortado, lead the follower to do the regular rebound and close in the X EXCEPT that the leader's leg will be in the way, creating the leg wrap.
3. As the follower does the second rebound, the leader places the right leg in against the follower's right leg, with ankle and knee relaxed: you are trying to get as close to the follower's axis as possible, on the inside surface of the follower's leg. Do not stop the follower's rebound!
4. Stay in place while leading the follower to cross. This should wrap the follower's left leg around the leader's right leg. Immediately, the leader should complete changing weight onto the right leg in place, which should release the follower's leg, allowing both dancers to have the left leg free for walking to the cross in crossed system (my favorite ending to this as a follower).

Having said that, many of you leaders have told me you are having trouble getting the follower to do this. I've watched you on the dance floor, and here are the main two problems:

1. The followers have their hips IN rather than OUT in the correct alignment. This sends their leg behind them, even in the regular ocho cortado. They are used to being cued, "Hey, this is an ocho cortado!" and then auto-leading themselves. Give them a chance to get used to the correct lead :-)
2. The leaders are stopping, not doing a rebound to get into the leg wrap. This makes the followers tighten down the hips, knees and ankles. This does not result in a relaxed leg wrap. Make sure you are leading at least the follower (and hopefully yourself) into a rebound step.

 

Other little notes

As many of you noted, ganchos and leg wraps are easiest with someone about your own size. If your follower is a lot taller, go for the leg wraps. If they are a lot shorter, go for the ganchos.

I am going to leave the crazy double gancho for both people out of this entry, as no one in class is ready for it (sorry, my bad!). Let's focus on more social dance floor types of ganchos. Go practice!