Ballroom Blitz #043

Video

youtu.be/Lcec1TVRkQw

Transcript

Ian: Hey random dancer on the internet. My name's Ian,

Lindsey: and my name's Lindsey,

Ian & Lindsey: and this is a Ballroom Blitz.

Ian: Welcome back blitzers. Today once again we are going into the realm of Tango with a super quick, super easy and incredibly useful move the Progressive Link. Let's get into it.

[Demonstration without music]

Ian: As you can see there, a super easy figure and really really useful as it takes us from our Closed Position to a Promenade Position. As Tango, out of all the ballroom dances, really loves moving through Promenade and Fallaway much earlier and much more frequently than our other ballroom dances, this one will be super useful and probably the first one you learn to exchange those two positions.

As we have said, it's only two Quicks to perform, and really all the action happens in the second step. So, the first step is going to be all about basically letting the follow know, with our frame, and our direction of travel, and our speed of travel, that something different is coming. Then all the action and rolling around into that Promenade Position, we're going to do that in the second quick; so, let's split this figure in half and get it going.

If we have arrived in our Closed Position ready to do the Progressive Link I will have all my weight as the lead on the right foot and my follow will have all their weight on the left. I'm going to step across and into their space in our classic Tango way, taking a contra body step, moving thusly. With a quick step but, as you'll note I haven't changed my position. I haven't started to put us into Promenade just yet. But if we were to compare that to a slow walk or a different figure with some turn, we will have indicated to the follow that something different is coming. That's step one.

Lindsey: So followers, as you could see I was taking a backward step on my right, it will be very much across myself, but really I am trying to wait and see where the leader is putting it. Because our Tango hold is so close we will feel a lot of physical contact, which is brilliant it takes all the guesswork out and means that we're in a nice stable position, still nice and balanced together at the end of that first step.

[Demonstration of step one]

Ian: So that is step one. We've done all the things we need to to let the follow know that we're not going to do more of whatever we've just done and we haven't yet taken the plunge and actually started to shift into Promenade Position. Now leads this is where your frame and your control surfaces come in. If we have a good strong Tango frame, as Lindsey said just a moment ago, this will take all the guesswork out for the follower. That's up to you to make sure that we can maintain that in a comfortable way, and then you're going to mix the lead with your left hand, your right hand, and your right hip, to roll the follower around into that Promenade Position. Here really the key is you, in your mind, you really need a clear idea of where you want to Promenade. If you have a little bit of indecision about exactly where you're going to be pointing, that will flow through your frame and infect your follower, and if they are not certain and can't rely on your frame, you won't get the desired results. So be bold, go where you're going to go; and even then if you stuff it up entirely you'll stuff it up together and you'll probably have the best chance of a quick recovery.

So we're going to be in a closed position, I have been dancing this way or I've ended up facing this way, and I'm going to Promenade to you in the camera. We take our first step one or quick, now all the action happens. I move my left hand, I apply tension. I move my right hand I apply the same tension to roll the follow around my right hip. I get on the inside of their left leg, quick, and we are now in a Promenade Position; very definitely going that way.

[Demonstration with counts]

Ian: You will notice here in our Promenade Position two very important things, and we've removed our arms so that you get a good view. First of all our feet are not daintily pointing, they're not like a Spanish line or something like that in a Paso, It's not the toe that's pressing on the ground it's side of foot. It's low and it's strong. And then you will also note that profile from that direction you will see three legs not four. This is because I have rolled the follow around the back of my right hip, and so as we Promenade forward her inside leg her left leg will stay behind mine. This enables us to keep to our Tango frame and be a lot more compact but not uncomfortable.

[Demonstration with music]

Ian: And that is it. It's as simple as that. Two Quicks for your Progressive Link. A stupidly stupidly useful and really really easy figure. Nail it down, use it to get into all your Promenade figures, be balanced and strong, and that will make all your subsequent promenading figures have the best start that they can. Use it in your Tango, let us know if it has been useful, let us know if you would like to know anything about the rest of these Tango figures and what should come next, let us know what you like about our blitzes. Throw that all in the comments and we will see you next time.