My favorite move is simple but requires technique and discipline on the part of the tanguera. I call them baby ochos. It is my experience that even ladies well-versed in the fundamentals: front, side, back, pivot, in place and pause; have trouble following this lead.
As always, it could be me. The lead is very subtle and sometimes I get lazy when I am dancing with newbies who are still working on the basics.
The rhythm I like us to move to is: slow-slow-quick-quick-slow. It is pervasive in tango music. Often the attempt fails. A common mistake, I believe, on the part of the tanguera, is to do rapid-fire 'quick-quick-quicks'. I am leading quick-quick-slow and she is doing quick-quick-quick-quick. She has a vision in her mind of what she should be doing instead of following my lead.
On my recent trip to Taos, almost all the tangueras I danced with followed my lead to this rhythm. I had been worried that I wouldn’t be able to intend adequately, because it had been months before any women picked up on it successfully.
A leader always has to ask himself, “Is it me?” Taos proved it wasn’t me.
These tiny ochos, or baby ochos as I like to call them, require a certain technique in order for the follower to switch rhythms quickly and in sync with my instructions. I don’t know how they do it, all I know is I love it if it is done right, and so do they.
Baby ochos are not embellishments, they're hors d’oeuvres. Hors d’oeuvres are different from embellishments in that they feed the leader instead of whetting his appetite. They are rewards. Ring the bell, feed me some baby ochos and I will be back for seconds…forever:-)
Ganchos and boleos are also hors d’oeuvres but their execution determines the quality of the appetizer. Poorly executed hors d’oeuvres are like those blocks of cheese you see at almost every milonga. I’m wearing twenty pounds of that cheese right now and am working hard to lose it. I don’t need anymore cheese but sometimes that’s all I get to eat.
Delightful tango hors d’oeuvres, like the well-executed baby ochos, are those appetizers you find that have been meticulously prepared by someone who has spent hours making sure the snack table was a fulfilling stop for the dancers. My friend, Fanny, makes tiny quiches that come to mind, and serves them at the semiannual milongas sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Tango Society. She fills each tiny edible cup with filling made from a secret recipe that will only be handed down to her daughters and granddaughters.
Ladies, you’re dealing with men. There is not much going on in our minds. The key to a man’s heart, and dance card, is through his stomach. You can feed him with real food or tango food. Hopefully, whatever it is, it will be good food.
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