Every move you make should affect the follower. Whether physically or emotionally. There will be moves that seem useless or ineffective but they simply need only to be replaced for superior variations.
Which is better? Heel walking or toe walking? I’ve heard arguments for both sides. The heel is more natural, elegant and relaxed. The toe is more powerful, controlled, and smooth. Javier Rodriguez is a heel walker. Gabriel Misse is a toe walker. Many of the pros all split right down the middle. And then when you ask them why, their answers are all over the place. Who’s right and who’s wrong? Which one is better for you? I HAVE NO IDEA! Continue reading
My short hour-long experience with Geraldine Rojas and Ezequiel Paludi at DIVO in Santa Monica was quite a humbling one. Geraldine and Ezequiel pretty much laughed at us and made fun of us for an hour. They poked fun at the way we walked, did ochos, and ESPECIALLY the way we danced. At one point they asked us, “Do you want to learn tengo? Or TANNNNG-O?” (mimicking the American accent on the latter pronunciation).
Everyone yelled in unison, “We wanna learn tango!” And so they began… Continue reading
That Gabriel Misse guy is SHARP! Well grounded, super sharp, and incredible footwork. Speed, precison, power, balance, everything. You can’t help but notice what an athlete he is. His partner Analia is also quite athletic to be keeping up with him. She looks soft but actually feels quite strong and dare I say, muscular.
So here’s what I got from a quick hour lesson in a Gabriel Misse and Analia Centurion tango workshop. Here’s what he taught at the workshop: Continue reading
Guillermo De Fazio – the milonga comedian!
Guillermo is probably the funniest tango teacher I’ve ever met. My brother told me Guillermo and his brother Enrique used to get kicked out of tango class everyday because they kept cracking jokes during class. It was amazing to see him in action. He is definitely the funniest milonguero/tango-personality I have ever met. And a DAMN GOOD milonguero.
Well I thought I did. I mean, when you’ve been doing something your whole life you like to think you’re a pro at it. One day my brother said, “Show me how you walk.” And so I did.
I made 4 steps across the kitchen when he blurted out “TERRIBLE!” Apparently, everything I did was wrong. The posture, the foot placement. Etc, etc, the list goes on forever. It’s been a couple months since that day and my walk hasn’t improved much but I still remember the basic rules for walking.