INTERNATIONAL TANGO FIGURES

International Tango—4 beats/measure; 26-34 meas/min

Tango originated in Argentina during the eighteenth and ninteenth centuries, and of course this was the Argentine Tango, a Latin rhythm. It reached Paris ballrooms in 1909 and quickly became popular in England and in America prior to World War I. Rudolph Valentino danced the tango in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in 1921, and millions swooned.

However, to be blunt, the Argenitne Tango was an earthy dance and many were offended. By the 1930s the tango had undergone more changes than any other ballroom dance in order to refine it enough to be able to bring it into "proper" ballrooms. Walking steps were introduced to make it progress around the room. The music was speeded up, made more aggressive, more march-like. Movements became sharper, more styalized, more snappy or jerky. A lot of the flirtation, temptation, and passion was taken out. As I have quoted elsewhere, Chris & Terri Cantrell have suggested that, "The American Tango is like the beginning of a love affair, when you are both very romantic and on your best behavior. The Argentine Tango is the next stage when you are in the heat of passion and all kinds of emotions consume you. The International Tango is like the end of the marriage, when you are staying together for the sake of the children."

International Tango is so changed from its origins that it is considered a Smooth or Standard rhythm, rather than Latin. It is a flat dance with no rise or fall, down into the knees, and characterized by a staccato emphasis on each beat, alternating rests and actions, and a lengthened stride. Take the step sharply and hold it, step and hold. Even more than this, there is no foot swivel. Put the foot where it should be, and then turn the body on that foot. Don't rotate the foot on the floor. The foot should hit the floor and stick. Tango is jerky but in a dramatic and even haughty way. Don't smile. Don't even look at your partner except maybe down your nose during a Right Lunge or at the end of a Spanish Drag.

The hold is closer than in waltz and the man perhaps more in control. Wayne and Barbara Blackford describe a technique for getting yourselves into good tango closed position. First assume your usual closed or waltz position. Then swivel a little left face, soften the knees, fit your four knees together like puzzle pieces, and shift the toes of your right foot to the instep of the left. Your steps will be a little pigeon-toed. A tap, for instance, will be on the inside of the lead big toe. (If you'd like to get this lesson directly rather than by way of my imperfect summary, see their DVDs; the link is under Videos on my links page.)

He places his right arm farther around the lady, and he brings his left hand closer, bending the left elbow a bit more. She places her left hand farther around, under his right shoulder blade, palm down and fingers and thumb together. She must put herself well into his right arm -- she is farther to his right and has stronger left sway than in other smooth rhythms. You are very close with her right hip bone tucked firmly into the pocket of his right hip. Glue yourselves together and dance as one, your trail feet stepping well between those of your partner, but let left sway separate your toplines. Keep your torsos up and proud. Again, don't look at her.

Since you have rotated a little left face, you will walk with a little right-side lead. Step forward on the outside of the left foot and roll to the inside edge, on the inside of the right foot and roll to the outside edge. The steps are a little bit crab-wise and curved a little to the left. The right-side lead does this. Walk heel to toe, skimming the floor. Wayne says to walk "sticky." Place each foot and then stop; step and stop. Judy Moore says to step as though you are negotiating lily pads -- step, be still, step, be still . . . Brent Moore says that there is much "stillness" in tango. There is no flow, no flight, no swiveling on the balls of the feet.

In the other smooth rhythms, the body is always in motion, in smooth and graceful arcs. In tango, the body doesn't move past the foot. The foot and the body move together. When the foot stops the body stops.

Some of these figure lists are long, and I have tried to organize figures in related groups rather than in alphabetical lists. To look for a specific figure, use your "find" function under the "edit" drop-down menu (in Internet Explorer). If you can't find a figure you need, try the site's new location, or just let me know.

FIGURE AND COUNT	STEPS	In Freestyle, You Could Try This
Walk Two ss;	fwd, -, fwd, -;	In the Childers' Just A Tango, part A begins with walk two; link and closed promenade;; to a fwd & right lunge;
Run Three qqs;	fwd, fwd, fwd, -;	walk two; run three to semi; criss cross;;
Maneuver s	In semi-closed position, trail feet free, step fwd, man turns RF 1/2 to closed position facing reverse, -,
Pickup s	In semi step fwd trail feet woman turns LF 1/2 to closed position facing line, -,
Pivot Four phase IV ss; ss;	In closed position, reverse line of dance, soften knees, step back L (woman forward R), turn 1/2 on ball of foot. Stay in tight closed position. On the second slow, the man steps forward R and turns 1/2. Repeat for a total of two full turns. It helps if the one stepping forward R does so with some power and that he or she makes sure to drive down line well under his or her partner. If you don't drive and turn as one, you will fall behind and not make the full turn. If you do focus on taking each step down line, you can pivot over and over, with smooth progress.
Tango Draw qqs;	In closed step fwd L, sd R, draw L to R no wt, -;	In closed position, line of dance, walk 2; tango draw; walk to center, maneuver; back tango draw; corte, recover; for semi, PU; tango draw;
Corte s	In closed position step back & sd on lead foot lowering, -,	In the Chicos' Besame Tango, there is a forward to a right lunge; recover, tap, side, tap; corte, -, recover, -; walk 2; tango draw;
Side Corte s	In closed position, lead feet free, step to the side, flex the supporting knee, and turn RF (woman LF) to reverse semi-closed position. Leave trail leg extended, toe pointing to the floor.
Advanced Corte phase IV qqs;	In closed position, step back and side L (woman R) and lower into the lead leg. On the second beat, draw the trail foot to the lead and turn to semi-closed position. On the slow, step thru with the trail foot.
Recover s	Replace weight on unweighted foot, -,
Basic ss; qqs;	In closed line step fwd L, -, fwd R, -; fwd L, fwd & sd R, draw L to R no wt, -;	This is a walk two; tango draw; If you blend to semi on the draw, you can then do a criss cross;; whisk; pickup tango draw.
Criss Cross ss; qqs;	In semi line step sd & fwd, -, thru turning in, -; swivel to reverse step thru to rev, sd to closed wall, draw lead to trail no wt, -;
Gaucho Turn Four qqqq;	In closed rock fwd turning eighth LF, bk trn, fwd trn, bk trn;	gaucho 8 would make full turn
Outside swivel twice phase IV ss;	In bjo line step bk L lady fwd R swvl RF to semi, -, thru R lady thru L swvl to bjo, -;	open rev turn; open finish; outside swivels; tango draw;
Promenade Sway phase IV ss;	Step side and forward L (woman R) turning to semi-closed position and looking over your joined lead hands, -, relax your lead knees, -;
Oversway phase IV s	In closed position, step side L (woman R), relax the L knee, stretch the left side, leave the R leg extended, and turn slightly LF. A slow oversway might use a full measure.
Same Foot Lunge phase VI s	Begin in closed position with trail feet free. Since this is a "same foot" figure, we have to do a transition. Often, the cue is "prep for a same foot lunge." The "prep" is a slight rise and right face rotation causing the woman to rise to her toes and change weight to her left foot. She has rotated a little RF but not as far as to semi-closed position—you are still closed. Her right knee is tucked just behind her left knee. Her left hipbone needs to settle into the hollow of his right hipbone (inside his right hip). Both now have right feet free. Now we can do the figure. Lower in the left leg, push, and step side and slightly forward R with right-side stretch and looking right. Give her your right side—that will close her head (woman steps back R turning LF and looking well left—very like a contra check step for the woman). The man's left leg will be extended to the side, straght and strong. The woman's left leg will be crossed in front of her right and extended on the same diagonal as the man's. Keep your hips well in to your partner. Again, you are in closed position (not an L-position).
Serpiente qqqq; qqqq;	In closed position facing wall, step sd L, behind R (woman behind L), fan L counter-clockwise no wt (woman fan R CW), bhd L; sd R, thru L, fan R no wt, thru R; Actually, the serpiente is used with a variety of thru, side, behind, rondes. Another pattern is sd L, XRIB, flare L CCW (woman mirror image), -; XLIB of R, sd R, XLIF, flare R CCW; Notice that this sequence leaves the trail feet free. The choreographer might add a third measure and finish the figure with a thru, face, close, -; Another pattern that is used is a sd L, tap R, sd R to RLOD, flare LIB of R; behind L, sd R, thru L, flare R CCW;	You might step forward to semi, thru; serpiente;; whisk; pick up, run 2; tango draw; In the Woodruffs' Seargent Preston, she has a Sd L, XRIB (W XIB), pt L to sd, flick LIB; XLIB (W XIB), sd R, thru L, flare R CCW; and follows this serpiente with a thru, side, behind, -; and roll 3;
Whisk qqs;	In closed position facing wall, step fwd, fwd & sd, XIB to semi line;	In the Woodruffs' Seargeant Preston, part B begins with a walk 2; open reverse turn; closed finish; whisk; thru face close;
Right Lunge phase IV s	In closed position, trail feet free, lower into the left knee and step side and forward onto the right, keeping the left side in toward your partner and your body upright. Don't lean over your partner. As you take weight on the right, lower into the right knee and turn slightly LF to close her head. Look at her.	In Doi's El Choclo, there is a reverse turn; back contra rocks;; closed finish; forward righ lunge; rock turn;; corte and recover;
Leg Crawl phase IV ss;	From the right lunge position, step back L keeping R leg extended to side (she steps fwd R & lifts left leg up his outer thigh, her L toe pointed down). On the second slow, take a small back step to closed position.	forward, rt lunge; leg crawl; tango draw; open reverse turn; closed finish;
Spanish Drag phase IV s	From right lunge position recover L with soft knee and R extended, rise drawing right foot in and stretch right side to change sway, (one wt change) The spanish drag can be done over a whole measure, even a measure and a half. She looks down her nose and a little askance at him, distainful, "no you don't, buddy." Then at the end of the drag she might relent a little and look directly at him -- "well, maybe."	fwd, rt lunge; Spanish drag, back; tango draw; Viennese turns; tango draw;
Rock Turn phase V qqs; qqs;	In closed position diagonal wall, step bk L turn RF, rec R trn RF, bk L trn RF, -; bk R trng LF, sd L, cl R to DLW, -;	fwd & rt lunge; rock turn;; rev turn; cl finish;
Reverse Turn phase IV qqs;	In closed position diag cntr step fwd L trng LF, sd & bk R cont trn to RLOD woman heel turn, bk L to closed, -;	In the Worlocks' Blue Skies, there is a forward & right lunge; spanish drag; back corte; reverse turn; back rock 3 twice;; back corte; and walk 2 to line;
Open Reverse Turn phase IV qqs;	In closed position, step fwd l trn LF, fwd trn woman heel turn, bk to bjo, -;
Reverse Fallaway phase IV sqq;	In closed position, line of dance, step forward L turning LF 1/8 to 1/4. Step side R, and then cross the L in back of R (woman R in back of L) to end in semi-closed position facing reverse. The "fallaway" is actually the last step; fallaway is stepping back in semi position. May be done from semi position: step thru R (woman L) beginning to turn LF, -, fwd L turning LF, recover back on R to semi reverse;
Develope phase IV sqq;	In sidecar postion, the man steps forward L, checking, and holds. The woman steps back R and stretches her body up, -, raises the L up the right leg to the outside of the right knee, and extends the left leg forward in a controlled kick as high as is comfortable. One weight change. The develope action is the raising of the knee and the kick. It can be done in banjo, beginning with the trail feet. It is done from other positions, the woman swiveling into position before the develope. Sometimes both develope.
Closed Finish phase IV qqs;	in cl or bjo rev bk r trn l, sd& fwd l, cl in closed,_;	A common pairing is the open reverse turn; closed finish;
Open Finish phase IV qqs;	in cl or bjo rev bk r trng lf, sd & fwd l, fwd r to bjo line;
Viennese Turns phase IV q,q/&, q,q/&;	fwd trn, sd & bk/xif, bk trn, sd& fwd trn/cl she xif;
Telemark to Semi phase IV qqs;	In closed position, line of dance, step fwd L (woman back R), and begin to turn LF. Step side R continuing to turn to closed reverse. In these first two steps, you should exactly trade places. On the slow, step side and forward L to a tight semi-closed position, facing line and wall.
Closed Promenade phase V sqq; s	In semi-closed position step side and forward with lead feet, -, thru, sd & fwd woman sd & bk turning RF to closed; cl, -,	closed promenade, walk two, open reverrse turn, open finish checking, corte;;;;; rec,_, side stairs 6;;
Open Promenade phase V sqq; s	In semi-closed position step side and forward with lead feet, -, thru with trail feet, sd & fwd woman sd & bk turning RF to closed; forward R (woman back L) to contra banjo, -,
Promenade (to semi) phase V sqq; s	In semi-closed position step side and forward with lead feet, -, thru, sd & fwd ; close, -,
Side stairs 10 qqqq; qqqq; qq,	in closed sd, cl, fwd, cl; sd, cl, fwd, cl; sd, cl,	side stairs 4 diag wall; gaucho 4 diag cntr; viennese turns;
Stalking Walks phase V ss; ss;	in semi sd & fwd l,_, draw r face ptnr and point toe thru,_; thru r in semi,_, draw l and pt,_;
Contra Check phase V s or q	In closed position, the man lowers on his right foot and steps forward on his left or actually slides his left forward and the woman steps back on her right to contra banjo. Turn the toes of the left foot out a little for stability. The word "contra" means that as you step forward with one foot (the left here), you turn your body so that the opposite side is leading or going forward (here the right side). That is what contra is: the left foot goes forward, but the right side of the torso goes forward. A contra action twists the body a little so that the legs are not side by side, but the thighs are crossed. Keep your body upright; don't lean over your lady. By the way, the word "check" means that you will stop your forward movement and get ready for the next step, which will be back or recover. "Check" means to stop and get ready to move the other way.
Contra Check and Slip phase V sqq;	Lower, rotate a little LF, and step forward L into a contra check, as described above. On the two quicks, recover R (woman recover L), and slip the left past the right turning a little LF to closed position.
Contra Check and Switch phase V sqq;	Lower, rotate a little LF, and step forward L into a contra check, as described above. On the two quicks, recover R (woman recover L) beginning to turn RF and leaving left foot in place, and step back L with soft knees throughout. End in closed position; amount of turn varies.
Brush Tap phase V qq&s;	In closed position, step forward L turning about 1/8 LF, take a small side step and brush the left to the right (woman right to left), and then tap the left to the side with the inside of the big toe on the floor and the left knee turned inward. The "tap" itself is the sharp placement of the lead, big toe on the floor without taking weight, knees flexed. The toes are turned in and the heel is out in a "pigeon-toed" sort of stance. The tap is used in other ways than in a Brush Tap. You might be cued to "close/tap" or "recover/tap" Such "taps" often turn you to semi-closed position, rather than closed position.
Progressive Link phase V qq	In closed position facing diagonal line and wall, step forward L a bit wide toward her R elbow (woman back R), then close R to L turning to semi-closed position.
Natural Pivot Turn phase VI sqq; s	In semi-closed position facing LOD, step side & fwd L (woman sd & fwd R) down line, -, fwd R turning RF to closed position facing RLOD, side and back L pivoting RF to closed facing LOD; fwd and side R with a slight lunge to end in closed position, -, This figure begins in semi, turns 3/4 to 7/8 RF, and ends in closed.
Natural Promenade Turn phase VI sqq; s	In semi-closed position facing LOD, step side & fwd L (woman sd & fwd R) down line, -, fwd R turning RF to closed position facing RLOD, side and back L pivoting RF to closed facing LOD; fwd R to semi-closed position, -, This figure begins in semi, turns 3/4 to 7/8 RF, and ends in semi.
Natural Twist Turn phase VI sqq; sqq;	This one has about the same result as the Natural Promenade Turn, but it is accomplished with a twist turn rather than a pivot. In semi-closed position LOD, step sd & fwd L (woman sd & fwd R), -, fwd R blending to CBMP, turning RF sd L across woman's line of dance (she steps fwd R between man's feet); XRIB of L without taking full weight (woman fwd L with left shoulder lead), -, twist RF to semi-closed position facing DLC (woman fwd R to banjo position and swivel RF), shift weight to R in tap position (woman sd and bk L),	In the classic, Tango Capriccioso, by the Wards, part A starts with a natural twist turn;; closed promenade and progressive side step;; walk two;
Natural Fallaway Twist Turn phase VI? sqq; qqs;	This figure is like the Natural Twist Turn, but the woman stays in fallaway position rather than blending to banjo on the second step. She is also in fallaway position at the beginning of measure two. On the other hand, we end in banjo rather than semi. In semi-closed position LOD, step sd & fwd L (woman sd & fwd R), -, fwd R still in semi beginning to turn RF, sd & fwd L to momentary closed position facing diagonal reverse and wall (woman fwd R between man's feet); XRIB of L without taking full weight (woman turn RF and step side & back L into tight fallaway or semi-closed position facing reverse), unwind RF (woman step back R or XRIB of L), take weight on R (woman sd & fwd L) to banjo position man facing LOD, -;	In Tango Capriccioso, part B starts with a fallaway twist turn;; outside swivel forward tap; promenade to semi and forward;; pickup tap four step and promenade to semi;;; In the DeChennes' 007 Tango, part B begins with a double open promenade;; outside swivel thru tap; natural fallaway twist turn;; back and prep to a same foot lunge;,,

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A while ago, there was a long, threaded discussion on the Dancescape site on how the different dance rhythms should feel. They asked, what sort of "look" should you be trying to convey? Here are a few of those comments.

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Tango - intense sexual desire expressed by an uncaring, haughty arrogance.

This is the description that I have heard regarding the 3 styles of Tango:
1. American Tango: The cheesy beginning of the relationship. Little bit of flirtation carefulness, etc
2. Argentine Tango: The passion of a full-fledged relationship. the lust the passion, etc.
3. International Tango: A couple that has been married for thirty years. Can't quite look at each other but at times there just might be a nudge of passion.

Or how about this (Terri Cantrell): The American Tango is like the beginning of a love affair, when you are both very romantic and on your best behavior. The Argentine Tango is the next stage when you are in the heat of passion and all kinds of emotions consume you. The International Tango is like the end of the marriage, when you are staying together for the sake of the children.

LOL No, no, the look in international is as if you're lusting after each other but you'll be damned if you're gonna admit it!

Here's another take on Tango: You may want it, but you're not going to get it!

Maybe the man is dominating the woman, and the woman is letting the man think he's doing the dominating, but of course she thinks she's got all the power.

Originally it was done between men in the slums of Argentina so there was the feeling of two roosters circling, challenging, and preening. When that very rare commodity, a woman, appeared, the men were trying their best to show her how strong and virile and desirable they were, yet covering up their desire/desperation with a haughty air, while the woman knew that she had all the power with these men since she could pick and choose as she pleased.

"I do not like the woman to talk to me while I dance Tango. And if she speaks I do not answer. Only when she says to me, 'Omar, I am speaking,' I answer, 'and I, I am dancing.' "