Ochos. You learned these steps as a beginner. You can lead or follow ochos without much thought or effort. Simple technique. Everybody knows how to do them. Not even worth discussing, right?
Absolutely NOT!
There are many ways to execute ochos, but most social dancers know only the simplest combinations. Those who explore the structure and the possibility of ochos more thoroughly are ahead of the curve.
Ochos Defined
An ocho is a repetitive step sequence based on either the forward or the back step of the turn (molinete) followed by a pivot on the arriving leg which changes the direction of turn for repetition.
(Note: The forward and back steps of the turn are also known as forward cross steps and back cross steps, but so as not to introduce confusion, it's easier to imagine them as components of the molinete.)
For example, a Forward Ocho consists of:
- the forward step of the left turn (left leg)
- followed by a pivot to the left on the left leg
- the forward step of the right turn (right leg)
- followed by a pivot to the right on the right leg
- Repeat from Step 1.
The Forward Ocho can begin with either the right leg or the left. I began with the left step in my description arbitrarily.
The Back Ocho has a similar structure based instead on the back step of the turn.
The Common Ocho
If you ask a couple or tango dancers to show you a Forward Ocho, they'll most likely switch to cross system. (Cross system is when both partners step with the same leg at the same time, i.e. both step with the left leg, or both step with the right leg.) The follower will be led to execute the step pattern described above while the leader takes side to side open steps.
If you say, "No, no, please show me another way to dance Forward Ochos," I can predict with some certainty that your demonstrators will be confused. "What other way to do Forward Ochos?"
There are many ways to do ochos. They just aren't commonly taught or demonstrated, so most dancers adopt these possibilities into their repertoire.
Categorizing Alternative Sequences
We know what forward and backward ochos look like. Creating alternative ocho sequences is more about varying the steps of the other partner than varying the ochos themselves. The amount of pivot in the ochos might vary, but otherwise the sequence stays intact.
The ocho sequence is commonly executed by the follower. Let's adhere to that model for the moment and discuss the switching of roles later in the discussion. We can reverse the roles in any or all of these sequences if our leading and following skills are well developed. For now let's assume that the follow is the primary performer of the ochos, and the leader is doing some variable step sequence that may or may not include ochos.
Let's consider some possibilities for the leader while the follower performs ochos. Again, the roles can be reversed once we understand the structure of the combinations.
- Repeating open side steps, as in the Common Ocho
- Alternating forward and back cross steps with no pivots (changes of direction) in between
- Simultaneous forward or backward ochos
- Complex steps, e.g. forward cross steps alternating with open side steps
- Rhythmic complexity, e.g. taking two steps for every one of the follower
- Stationary lead, i.e. leading with the upper body only while standing in one place
Option 1 - Ochos with Repeating Open Side Steps
The Common Ocho in Cross System
System: Cross (both partners step on the left foot at the same time, or the right at the same time)
Follower: Forward or Back Ochos
Leader: Open side steps
Difficulty: Easy
Ochos with Open Side Steps in Parallel System
System: Parallel (when one partner steps with the left, the other steps with the right)
Follow: Forward of Back Ochos
Leader: Open side steps
Difficulty: Moderate with Forward Ochos, Challenging with Back Ochos
Option 2 - Ochos with Alternating Forward and Back Cross Steps
As an example, imagine going to step 3 of the Basic (Salida). The leader has just taken a forward cross step with his right leg. It's a cross step because his intention is turned to the follower who is now beside him rather than directly in front of him.
The leader will pivot the follow to the right as her weight remains on her left leg. He will now step back with his left leg to the position where his last step (step 3) originated. The follower will take a back step with her right leg as the leader goes back with his left. He'll pivot her again, and her back ochos will continue and he continues to alternate forward right and back left.
System: Parallel
Follower: Forward or Back Ochos
Leader: Alternating forward and back cross steps without pivot
Difficulty: Easy
Keep in mind that the leader's step must change depending on the follower's position with respect to him. If the follower is to his right, the leader will need to step forward with his right leg. If she's on his left side, he'll need to step forward with the left.
This combination can be done in cross system as well, but it becomes more challenging to manage the distance between the partners.
System: Cross
Follower: Forward or Back Ochos
Leader: Alternating forward and back cross steps without pivot
Difficulty: Moderate for forward ochos; challenging for back ochos
Option 3 - Simultaneous Ochos
Simultaneous ochos come in two varieties. In pure simultaneous ochos, both partners take a forward step or a back step at the same time. In mixed simultaneous ochos, one partner steps forward while the other steps back. The mixed combinations are less challenging in both parallel and cross system.
Mixed Simultaneous Ochos in Parallel System
System: Parallel
Follower: Back Ochos
Leader: Forward Ochos
Difficulty: Moderate
System: Parallel
Follower: Forward Ochos
Leader: Back Ochos
Difficulty: Moderate to Challenging
Mixed Simultaneous Ochos in Cross System
System: Cross
Follower: Back Ochos
Leader: Forward Ochos
Difficulty: Challenging
System: Cross
Follower: Forward Ochos
Leader: Back Ochos
Difficulty: Highly Challenging
Pure Simultaneous Ochos
Pure simultaneous ochos in parallel system are challenging, but worth the effort to master. Both partners will benefit from the balance and and technical precisions required. Plus it looks really cool!
System: Parallel
Follower: Forward ochos
Leader: Back ochos
Difficulty: Moderate (requires lots of flexibility in the embrace)
System: Parallel
Follower: Back ochos
Leader: Back ochos
Difficulty: Challenging (requires balance, stability, and the ability of the leader to pivot smoothly)
Pure simultaneous forward ochos in cross system are beautiful and should become part of any dancer's repertoire. The shape is very similar to the sacada to the forward step in cross system and can serve as a bridge to learning this sacada for both leaders and followers. The primary challenge for the leader is to get the follower to pivot at the right time and to the right degree.
System: Cross
Follower: Forward ochos
Leader: Forward ochos
Difficulty: Moderate to challenging
Pure simultaneous back ochos in cross system are extremely difficult and should be treated primarily as an exercise. I recommend against trying to execute this combination in a milonga, even with a regular practice partner. In fact, unless you're an absolute die hard for difficult tango techniques, and unless you are extremely flexible, it's probably better to leave this technique to the imagination.
System: Cross
Follower: Back ochos
Leader: Back ochos
Difficulty: Extremely challenging/Borderline impossible
So you see, ochos aren't as simple as you thought they were!
This ought to give you enough to work on for a while. I'll cover the other possibilities in a later post.
Practice hard! I want to see ochos that kick some booty out on those dance floors!
¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!
Daniel
Copyright © 2013 The Exploring Tango Blog
exploringtango.blogspot.com
All Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment