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Buenos Aires Mingo and Esther Pugliese arrived. Mingo has been dancing tango since 1948 and is the last surviving member of that group of Tangueros who, in the '40s and '50s, revolutionised Argentine Tango by adapting its moves to the 4*4 time that had become the norm for Tango music and, in so doing, involved the follower as an equal partner in the dance for the first time. The group, led by Carlos Esteves - Petroleo, refined the tango embrace from the crouched, stifling hold of the canyengue to the looser, more upright, embrace we know today. They invented the giro and ochos that have become the central theme of Tango. Petroleo himself is credited with the invention of the sobre paso, giro, arastre, boleo and pique. Mingo began by telling us something about the "code" they developed to improve the feeling of tango back in the 40s: |
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On starting: |
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| Always begin, if you have free space, by stepping wide to the left on the leader's left foot. If you don't have space, but have space in front, step forward on the left foot; and, if even that doesn't work, take a shorter step back on the leader's right. | |||||||||
While walking: |
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| Walking should be just like walking along the street; your hips and legs stay facing the direction you are walking in even as you turn your torso to either side to look in a shop window here, say "hello" to a friend over there. | |||||||||
On stopping and restarting: |
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| When you stop, always start again on the other foot to that which last moved. | |||||||||
On whether or not the infamous cross is led: |
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| When
the leader walks offset, the upper body of both
partners is displaced so as to maintain their
connection. Merely turning the torso to bring the
follower back in front of him should be enough to
bring the follower into a cross - the crusada. Indeed, if the leader does not want the follower to cross, he must lead this by blocking her foot slightly to prevent it coming across. |
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In short, Mingo is clear: |
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| "Everything is led" | |||||||||
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This site is supported by Vecta Consulting Limited |
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©2002 Frank Morris |
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