Bailongo

Practise both rols with Theresa

I organize a practica für women who practise leading (almost weekly), and a practica for men who practise following (almost monthly)

Workshops for women in leading, for men in following, and workshops on specific topics

Intensive workshop: Leading for women - relaxed leading without force (and: relaxed following through active interpretation of the leader's impulse)

Leading does not work with mechanical force, but with the own movements. These mmovements are designed in such a way that the follower is invited to move herself. This works perfectly when the follower actively takes the movement possibilities offered.

The workshop hs two parts.

In linear movements in the parallel and crossed system both partners perform the movement synchronised and in mirror-image. Leading here simply consists in doing the own movement in a clear and well-determined way, and the active follower will synchronise. We will analyse and practice what "clear and well-determined" means technically.

In rotated movements the steps are no longer in mirror-image and with the same timing, instead a space is opened up for the follower to enter. In doing so, the follower seeks to arrive in front of the leader, which results in a turned movement. From this turning, the leader fluidly invites to the next movement. The follower has a significant influence on the energy and timing of the movement, and the leader adapts all the time while completing the step. This is the basis for a real dialogue in dance.

This workshop is not only for beginner leaders, but also for women who realise that leading takes them a lot of energy and causes stress. This is not necessary.

Intensive workshop: Following for men

In addition to how comfortable it is at events to be able to dance both roles and thus have many more options in each tanda, it is both enjoyable and useful for men to acquire skills in following. Enjoyable, because following in tango can be a great pleasure, and useful, because men who have studied the following role will also significantly improve their leading. They become aware of how exactly the follower's movements are and which impulses are needed, and which "leading" actions are rather an obstacle for them.

In this three-hour intensive workshop in following, I cover techniques and attitudes of following: firm arrival in the axis without anticipating what might come next; active following by mirroring (for linear movements) or on invitation (for rotated movements), typical movements of the follower (walking backwards, ochos and molinete), timing and shaping of movements and their repercussions on the leader.

Intensive Workshop: The folllowing role – technique and attitude

In this workshop of the following role we work on improving basic technique and dialogue.

We all are familiar such magic words like "active following", "to dance from the ground", and the – for me completely absurd – idea "the follower should stop thinking". In this workshop, I will show what is actually behind such sayings (or could reasonably be behind them) and we will practise techniques for following well.

The leading role will be automatically practised as well because we are constantly changing roles (and partners).

These are the contents of the workshop:
- To arrive, the axis, to step "from the ground", to pivot;
- Reacting to the leader's invitation: "to wait" when and how, own timing when and when not?
- Molinete: correct pivoting and timing;
- The free leg: relaxed and shaped at the same time; projection; the free leg in sacadas.

Workshop "Sacadas":

We explore the concept of a sacada and we practice some popular sacacas in rotated and linear movements, in the parallel and crossed system, and perhaps also a nice passive sacada through invitation of the follower. Participants should have basic knowledge of the crossed system and of turns.

Workshop "Cross and ocho cortado"

We study the cross in both systems and with various continuations, and the ocho cortado with two different cross endings and  and some nice extras.

This class is designed for the participants of my beginner's classes in leading in which I had omitted the cross on purpose. Of course other people interested in the topic can also participate.

Workshops in exploring and dancing the music

"Rhythms in tango" – Workshop in two parts

Beat and rhythm are basic elements of the music, they give it a time structure, and they help the dance partners to coordinate their movements.

Tango has a variety of rhythms and, unlike other dances, does not have a fixed rhythmic pattern that runs through an entire piece. Therefore, tango doesn't have a basic step for a good reason, the timing of the steps can be chosen freely (but should of course have something to do with the rhythm).

Some rhythms are particularly typical for tango, they appear in many eras and styles, In order to be able to play with them when dancing, it is helpful to know the most important rhythms, even if you can't necessarily identify them by name.

In particular, the rhythm of the music is an important element for the connection and the dialogue between dance partners. The follower plays a decisive role in this, which we will work on in the class.

The workshop has two parts, which can be attended separately.

Part 1 is for people who want to study beat and music from the very basics; and there will be a detailed "Introduction to the world of sixteenth notes", i.e. the more complicated rhythms.

Part 2 is the continuation of part 1, but it can be attended seperately by people who already feel confident to dance to different rhythms. We present various types of sincopation and dotting, as well as the famous "3-3-2" rhythm.

In both parts I present for each type of rhythm many musical examples and steps to exercise. We study variants of rhythmical actions with and without change of weight, lead and unlead. And we also practise the option to dance with confidence slow steps to quick notes.