- Keep your shoulders on a horizontal line - don't swing during the dance (that means sideways as well as up/down). Just imagine your follower is trying to read the fine print on your T-shirt. Or - have you seen those Indian ladies carrying tea pots on their heads? That.
- The order of things is: intention -> follower's step -> leader's step. Even though these all usually happen within half a second, you need to think of them in this order, because your reflex should not be to just walk and make your follower walk, but to make your follower walk, check if he or she did, then walk.
- When you step forward (and you will be doing a lot of that), make sure your head, your chest and the tip of your foot are on the same vertical front. If your head goes ahead, you lean forward and we already agreed you wouldn't do that; if your foot goes first, that means your follower didn't get the intention yet, has no reason to move and you will step on her toes; if your chest goes first, you'll look like a chicken. The "vertical front" movement is the safest way to ensure that your step will fall under your body, where there's no way you might find the follower's toes.
- Think at half tempo level. If you feel the tempo beat comes too fast and you have no time to perform your tricks, "overclock" your plan! - think in terms of half tempo, and the tempo will seem like all the time in the world
- Think at double tempo level. It's harder to do a trick slowly, but it helps a lot. It improves your balance and your leading skills and it forces you to manage the energy better.
- Do not abuse on the "ochos". They put an unnecessary strain on your follower and they are not a remarkable achievement by themselves. That means, at the end of two successive "ochos" there had better be a stunning trick in your plan, otherwise your follower is entitled to give you a black eye.
- Do not abuse on the sidesteps either. You know that not very meaningful Tango trick called "standing still"? Well, sidesteps are even less meaningful. So, when in an inspiration crisis, stand still, embrace your follower fondly, make a dreamy face and wait for the next phrase to begin.
- What you lead to the follower and what you do yourself are two different things which sometimes coincide (for symmetry). You should be able to lead any step (forward/backward/side) to your follower, while performing any of those steps or standing still - all as long as the embrace doesn't break.
- As far as balance is concerned, you need to mind your own axis and the follower's axis, or rather her or his space. When you invade this space, the follower is in danger of losing balance and thus so are you.
- Tango music is usually composed of 8 tempo phrases. It is nice not to tap around while a phrase ends and another begins - and it is also nice to stop walking when the music ends. Exactly when the music ends, that is. It is also nice to make a dramatic pose - exactly when the music ends.
- Don't learn steps. Learn how to lead steps. Whenever you learn a new step or trick, practice it in various sequences, try to start it in different ways and continue it differently. Many times you will learn exercises. Don't just repeat the exercise. As soon as you get the hang of it, vary it. This will also help your followers a lot.
For leaders (II)
The second installment in our series of beginner's tips for leaders. Here goes:
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