[Tango-L] Navigation: Now ocho cortado

[Michael]

This video wasn't attached to the message I responded from Trini in Pittsburgh. Also, Elena didn't commit her full weight to left foot. Notice that she didn't close. If she had ALL of her weight on her left foot, the next step would be for her to move her right foot. Her right foot stayed in place and her weight rocked back onto her right foot so she could cross with the left. 

Michael
I danced Argentine Tango --with the Argentines

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Don Klein 
  To: tango-l at mit.edu 
  Sent: Friday, January 14, 2011 6:27 PM
  Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Navigation: Now ocho cortado


    But look at the object video 
  <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbUai1Lv5-0>.  Elena clearly commits 
  weight left at about 22 seconds and then right to the cruzada.

  Don

  "Michael" <tangomaniac at cavtel.net> wrote:
  > The problem with not being able to execute the ocho cortado is FRAME. The man steps sideways to his right for a rock step, and then rotates his shoulders to the left with a slight lift, closing his feet. The woman should step side left but not commit her weight to the left foot because it's a rock step. This is identical to leading the woman to the cross. The lift is needed to tell the woman to keep her weight on the right foot.  If the woman's frame is too tight (pushing her right hand outward as far and as stiff as she can), she has physically locked her frame so she can't stay on her right foot. Her stiff frame pushes herself onto her left foot. Now on her left foot, the only way she can get in front of the man is with a forward ocho.
  >
  > Another problem is if the man leads a side step that's too big, forcing the woman to transfer her weight to her left foot