The simplest of movements in tango can be complex. And not just complex in the legs intertwining and heels flying every which way kind of way, but complex in the number of variations, big and subtle, which can occur. The beauty of tango is that every movement contains an inner world of depth and richness. We need not look further than the ways two basic tango steps can be put together to create a basic sequence to see the endless creative possibilities that tango has to offer.
The follower can step forward, side, or back, and they can step with the right or left foot. They can also start the step with their hips neutral (squared) to their shoulders, or they can start with the free hip close or far. The basic walk is repeated back steps with the hip neutral; back ochos are repeated back steps with a far free hip, and front ochos are repeated forward steps with a close free hip. The basic follower step choices are:
- Follower direction:forward side, back
- Follower leg: left, right.
- Follower hip position: close, neutral, far.
For 3 × 2 × 3 = 18 total possibilities.
The leader can step forward, side, or back, and they can also step with the right or left foot. We tend to relate the leader steps to the follower steps and talk about parallel and crossed system. Parallel system is when the couple steps with opposite feet (leader left to follower right), and crossed system is when the couple steps with the same foot (leader left to follower left). The basic leader step choices are:
- Leader direction:forward side, back
- System: parallel, crossed.
For 3 × 2 = 6 possibilities.
The follower choices can be paired with the leader choices for 18 × 6 = 108 possible steps. These are few enough steps that it can be a nice exercise to take a practice to iterate through each. We can link two steps together to create a sequence. Any two steps can be linked, so we have 108 × 108 = 11,664 possible sequences of just two steps!
There are all sorts of interesting possibilities within these two steps to explore. We tend to do ochos in crossed system, but leading ochos in parallel system is possible, and produces a nice dynamic effect. We usually do ochos with the leader taking side steps, but why not with forward and back steps? Why not do ochos at the same time? Or why not be cheeky and have the follower do side steps while the leader does their own ochos? What if you lead the first half of a back ocho (say follower back left with away hip and then pivot hips), but instead of completing the second back step you lead a side step? Or a back ocho to a forward step? Or what if you did the first half of a front ocho but after the pivot, instead of leading the second front step, you led a side sacada? Maybe as a follower embellishment for the ocho cortado, instead of doing two side steps before the cross you convert them to two forward steps? This adds more hip movement and gives a different feeling to the movement. Or maybe as the leader you play with leading the ocho cortado this way? There is a whole world of possibilities to explore. Even if you don’t like 10,000 of the possibilities, that still leaves 1,664 sequences to play with!
Some options may seem to not work, such as stepping with the same leg twice. But you could always do a quick weight change or do one step to your partner’s two. What at first seems like an impossibility is just an excuse for creativity. It can be good to play with combinations of steps that may at first seem unusual. You may find that leading and following unusual sequences of simple movements are not easy, but are a lot of fun. And if you have trouble coming up with sequences to try, then randomly pick a few and see what happens. If you are computer minded (as many of us tango dancers are), then you can always get the computer to generate random sequences of steps to try for you. Or you play around with my very simple app here https://sericson0.shinyapps.io/TangoStepGenerator/ (Yay couple of hours learning R Shiny on a weekend 😉). Whatever works for you to explore new movements and new possibilities.
And we have just talked about the possibilities for what the steps themselves are—the what questions. We can also ask the where questions of direction and navigation. We also have the how questions—the size, timing, style, and dynamics. Do we go toe first or heel first? Are we smooth or staccato? Do we accent the beginning, middle, or end, or not accent any part? Maybe the most important question to answer is the why of the step. Are we expressing confidence, doubt, gentleness, compassion, connectedness, dissonance, sensuality, sexuality, joy, anger, hurt, hope, happiness, love? Are we telling a story or sharing a joke? Or maybe we are feeling the metaphorical wind through our hair as we move in space? Or maybe our attention is on appreciating the sensations of moving and connecting to another human being; Sharing some precious moments of our precious time on this earth.
Once all these dimensions are considered, there surely must be more than a million ways we can take two steps. And by the time we get to the combinations of steps that can be done in a single phrase of the music, then the number of atoms in the universe are small in comparison. So the next time you find yourself repeating the same patterns in the same way you did in the last song, in the last milonga, maybe for the last ten years, take a moment to stop. Remember the world of possibilities in just two steps. Take a moment to dive into that world of possibilities and see what you come up with. I promise it will be worth it.