Ah, Argentine Tango! You don't make anything easy for us, do you? Even your most fundamental step sequences contain technical elements that will keep devoted students sweating (and cursing) for years!
The cross (Cruzada) is a good example. This common and widely performed movement is part of one of the first sequences that beginning tango students learn (the 8-count basic or salida).
If you're not familiar with the term, the movement itself is easy to visualize. While walking backward, the follower momentarily crosses one foot (usually the left) over the other, transfers her weight onto the crossing foot, and then takes a step with the foot that is now free of weight.
How Hard Can It Be?
It's fairly easy to show someone how to cross their free leg over the weight-bearing foot and transfer their weight to the crossed leg. In my beginner classes, I used to have the followers practice these movements until they could execute the cross several times in rapid succession. Most people can do this after a few minutes of practice.
But here's the root of the problem. If you teach the follower to cross her legs automatically at a specific point in a sequence, she's no longer reacting to the lead, at least for that moment. What if the leader wants her to do something else at that time, something less typical? She'll do what she was been trained to do instead of following the direction of his lead. Expectations will be missed, and spirited discussions may ensue.
The leaders will have their own challenges. If you teach followers to cross automatically, the leaders aren't learning how to lead that movement. The lead for the cross is tricky. Learning to lead the cross effectively requires lots of practice, lots of trial and error with followers who have their teacher's assurance that they can provide honest feedback in class and at practicas.
Followers who cross automatically won't provide the level of feedback that leaders need in order to improve. When the feedback says, "Hey, look! I'm crossing. You must be doing it right!", the leaders assume that everything is working properly.
When those leaders go out to the milonga, and the followers there don't cross as expected, the leaders will become frustrated. Typically, their lead will force the follower to continue to walk backward.
Balancing Student Expectations With Their Capabilities
The solution to all of this sounds straightforward. Just teach the students to lead and follow the cross. Teach them to do things right from the beginning. Unfortunately, that may not work either.
Leading the cross is challenging and may be too much for some beginners. It's important to encourage beginner students. If you give them material that's too demanding, they may give up and stop coming to classes.
Further, students come to class with the expectation that they are going to learn step sequences. If you focus the class on exercises but don't let the students take away "moves" that they can demonstrate for their family and friends, they'll feel frustrated, and they may not return to take more classes.
Weighing The Alternatives
One approach, and many teachers prefer this, is to just go ahead and teach followers to execute the cross automatically. Yes, this leads to all of the problems and frustrations listed above. Dedicated students eventually will need to revisit the technique of the cross and learn to do it properly if they want their dancing to progress to higher levels. At least the beginners will be happy, even if they aren't leading and following fully.
Personally, I don't care for that approach. I don't want students to develop bad habits that they'll have to revisit and un-learn in the future. The cross isn't impossible. I've taught the technique to lots of beginners. It did take some patience on their part as well as mine, but we got through it, and they were better dancers for the effort that they invested.
My approach was to defer teaching the cross for a few weeks. There are lots of other topics to cover in those early classes: walking to the beat of the music, walking together in a comfortable embrace, leading and following weight changes and side steps, rock steps, forward ochos, and simple patterns built from these components.
After two or three weeks, most students will have the skill and confidence required to start working on the cross, not as a step in a memorized sequence, but as yet another step that can be led and followed from anywhere, even from simple parallel or cross system walking in the line of dance.
In the following sections, I'll break the lead for the cross down into its component parts and discuss common problems and prescriptions for their resolution.
Technique for Leading The Cross
The lead for the cross has three components. Each component has to be led at the right time and with just the right amount of emphasis.
1 - The line of dance component that leads the follower to continue to walk backward.
2 - The lateral component leads her to move her center of gravity sideways (in the direction of her right shoulder). This is what encourages her to cross over the other foot.
3 - A brief but well-timed pause in the movement gives the follower a moment to transfer her weight onto the crossing leg.
Typical Problems and Solutions
1 - If the line of dance component of the lead is too long or too forceful, the follower cannot cross.
Symptom: The follower has to take a step backward, or she'll risk falling to the floor. She can't even fake a cross.
Solution: Leaders, think of the cross as a step that's half of the length of a normal walking step. Make your own step short, and don't ask the follower to step back too far. When the step is the right size, the cross will come much more easily.
2 - The lateral component isn't long enough.
Symptom: The follower steps beside her standing foot without crossing it.
Solution: Leaders, think about leading her belly button to cross (laterally) the toes of her standing foot. That image should give her enough impulse to cross over to the other side.
3 - The pause isn't well timed, or it's not long enough.
Symptom: The follower will seem rushed or off balance at some point. The exit from the cross will be rough.
Solution: Leaders, be aware of each follower's pace or movement. Not everyone crosses at the same speed. Advanced followers will tune into the lead for clues as to how quickly or slowly they should cross, but less experienced dancers will move at their own pace. Be aware of when they change their weight. Never move until they have completed the transfer. When in doubt, slow down.
The Value of Instruction
Teachers need to weigh their students needs and expectations. Many times we are called upon to teach tango to a roomful of people who have never danced before and who are unlikely to pursue the dance beyond that event. In these cases, do what you can to encourage them and to show them a good time. You don't need to break down the technical components of each movement.
But when you work with students who are eager to learn and who plan to spend more than a few weeks in your classes, it's best to err on the side of doing things the right way. I don't want to look a student in the eye and tell them that I took money from them while teaching them short cuts that were fun but were of limited utility.
I assume that students come to classes to learn and to improve over time. I prefer to teach them in a way that will support their long-term development rather than showing them fun bits that won't do much to help move them forward.
¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!
Daniel
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