[Tango-L] Expanding social dancing to exhibition level?

[WHITE 95 R]

> The automatic crossing was what I found a little curious. 
> When I started tango many moons ago, automatically crossing 
> was the norm. In the States it is not for the most part. 
> However, Jon indicated that in BsAs, it was still the norm. 
> Any comments about this? 

Trini,

Many very respected teachers have taught me the same thing.
The tango has a code which is that the woman dances around the man with the 
grapevine pattern (open, cross front. open, cross back, etc.). when the man steps 
outside of the line, he becomes the center of the circle. In the typical sacada of the
8CB, the woman begins her giro with a side step to the right. Since the man
is going forward along the LOD, the nest step is obviously a back step. The next step 
is an open or side step but since the man is guiding the woman along the LOD, it 
looks and acts like another back step. It is not, it's an open step... If one obeys the code, 
the next step of the woman is a front cross...... It's inevitable, the cross at the 5th step 
of the woman is the logical sequence of the molinete or giro.

For some reason, the Americans have mystified the front cross and many teachers 
teach all kinds of crazy contortions to cause the front cross and they also teach that 
the front cross must be led in some mysterious way or the woman will just continue walking 
backwards without crossing. This is wrong, it would be like having to lead every crossed and open 
steps of the giro and that's obviously not the case.

Regards,

Manuel