Ballroom Blitz #065

Back Corte in Tango - Sep 07, 2023

Transcript

Ian: Why hello there random dancer on the internet. My name's Ian,

Lindsey: and my name's Lindsey,

Ian & Lindsey: and this is a Ballroom Blitz!

Lindsey: Hello everyone, welcome back to Ballroom Blitz. We're in the Tango world today, you lucky things, and we are going to be looking at a move called the Back Corte.

[Demonstration without music]

Lindsey: Now, as usual, this figure is named for what the leader is doing. So, the leader heads backwards into this move, that means the follower gets a nice drive step forward. But by the end of it we have turned a quarter and it will be the leader facing more forward round the line of dance.

Let's have a look at the leaders steps first.

Ian: Leaders your steps can really be described as a walk backwards on the left foot, followed by a closed finish. We don't often talk just about the closed finish, we normally talk about open finishes, but it's pretty much exactly the same. So, if you've done any Tango the last three steps of this will feel very very familiar. The follow will be driving forward on their right. We've positioned ourself in a position where it's clear that they are coming forward, we're allowing them to drive. We can talk a little bit about the shapeliness of this figure, but really let's just do the footwork first. You're going to go back on the left, and then after that slow, that power absorption, we're going to do a back side and close the feet. Quick Quick Slow. Which is your traditional "closed" finish. So, as Lindsey described earlier we are turning a quarter over this figure, you will be turning a quarter to the left. So it will be

[Demonstration of Leaders Steps]

Lindsey: Now the followers steps. Now at the moment I'm going to be dancing as if my line of dance is going down that way. So my position here will sort of indicate, if we're going to continue to move largely around our bigger circle, that I'm the one with the forward work because that will take us further down the floor. I'm ready on my right foot and the leader will lead me into a forward step going slow. So, this is taking me sort of diagonally out into the floor. I follow up with another step forward but this is quicker, quick. I'm taking to the side, quick, and then led to close my feet, slow. Now if I do it this way so now my line of dance is there, you'll be able to follow along. Right foot first

[Demonstration of Followers Steps]

Lindsey: Now, there is some shaping and some drama that we can add to this move, but really it doesn't have any tricks. We're in our classic closed hold we can have our Tangoy frame. As Ian mentioned earlier we're staying nice and low nice and proud. But we're not going to come into Promenade or Fallaway we just want to stick nicely together on that hip. Followers giving the sort of driving force into it, but then letting the leaders take over at the end because they might have some different ideas about how much they turn, how far they want to step, what they want to do afterwards.

Ian: So when we're first learning this figure, probably the best way to do it is to think that there's no shaping at all. Just keep it nice and flat, get used to that slow, and then the quarter turn over the closed finish. Quick Quick Close on slow, and that way you will get your footwork working without any interruptions. What we're going to slowly add over time is that as that drive step is absorbed we're going to shape in, and then recoil out to add a little bit of that Tango flair. But as Lindsay said, don't overdo it, you're not changing the nature of your position, you're not moving to Fallaway, you're not moving to Promenade. We're just adding a little bit of inward rotation so that we can have a bit of drama for that outward rotation; a little bit of Tango snap so once more

[Demonstration with counts]

[Demonstration with music]

Lindsey: And there you have it, the Back Corte in the Tango. A very useful move [that] has some drama and it gets the leader back to a position where they can lead pretty much anything they like; they're ready to go off on their left foot. So, try it out enjoy your Tango floor, such a great dance. We'll see you next time.