12 Ways to make an Ocho Pivot in Tango

I know 12 ways to make an ocho pivot in Argentine Tango.

What are they?

Sorry, I have removed the description of what these 12 ways are. I'd be happy to show it to anyone in person. Then, practicing them yourself with me, you will understand it and understand the imporance of knowing them all. Sorry for inconvenience. All these 12 ways are essential to know if you want to dance in a variety of ways: from Canyengue and Orillero to Salon and Nuevo. I believe two of them are especially useful for men.

If you want to know more about it, please, visit my workshop "12 Ways to make a Pivot in Tango".

In any pivot almost all 12 methods work altogether. Therefore it is important to know all of them. In specific styles some methods are more prominent. It goes for men as well as for women.

A partner is not used neither to push from nor to maintain your balance: practicing against the wall is useless and dangerous for fixation of some bad habits like pushing from a man to make pivot. Practicing against the wall can easy lead to obtaining a habit of breaking the embrace. Breaking the embrace is one of the gravest mistakes a dancer should never make.

Even if a lady performs ochos well, sometimes a man can give her more energy, as a supplement, to make the dance more interesting. It goes for Orillero as well as for Salon. Whatever she uses for pivoting, her partner feels it. It is perfection of her movement, sensitivity to the lead, acceptance of energy, and her own energy splashing in her body which make the dance great. Whatever energy a woman received from a man, it must be redirected to her method of pivoting so that it is not lost. For example a man's energy can be used to "charge" the "spiral" which then unwinds in pivot. That is the great skill a woman should look for.

Sometimes, especially in apilado, a man completely takes responsibility for pivoting a woman. She'd better accept it - it feels great. A woman must maintain "alertness" in the body allowing the energy to transfer directly to the ball of the foot without dissipation. Or, on another hand, she can drag the free leg in boleo behind her scratching the floor to produce more resistance. That also feels great. Or she can "wind" the "spiral" but not to release it, stopping a man.

A molinete sometimes viewed as a single pattern is in fact is a combination of forward and back ochos and side steps. Several pivots are used and they are all different. Knowing many ways to produce them is essential to understanding of such complex element of Argentine Tango as Molinete which is made differently in every style.

11 of these pivots are done by a singe dancer on a single leg. There is another type of the pivot which falls out of this category, but I'd like to mention since it has great importance: when another, free leg is touching the ground and is used to make the pivot. Applications are innumerable and that is one of the first things beginners should know.