Argentine Tango exercises
The list of exercises below is for people who attend our classes and would like to do a conditioning workout at home to accelerate their progress in the class.
We begin each class with a sequence of exercises designed to improve balance, condition the spine, and prepare the joints for the twisting movements involved in dance. The following is a brief list of those exercises. We strongly recommend practicing this exercise routine daily. Performing each exercise once is sufficient. Consistent daily practice is more crucial than the time spent on each exercise. If you go through this list once every day it will tremendously aid in preparing your body for all fun steps of Argentine Tango.
NOTE: For all exercises with inhaling and exhaling, breathe at a natural, comfortable pace. There is no need to hold your breath during these exercises.
Stretch your spine
- Feet - to V-shape.
With inhale, raise your hands and stretch up as tall as possible.
With exhale, lower your hands, relax.
- Same as previous but with a turn to the right.
Repeat with a turn to the left
Connect to the Floor
NOTE: Keep your body straight up in this exercise!
- Feet - to V-shape.
Grab the floor* with both feet, move your weight forward, bend knees slightly.
Roll weight back to the heels
Repeat grabbing the floor with both feet and rolling back
- Grab the floor with your left. Relax your right leg
Repeat with your right...
- Grab the floor with your left, make small circles with the right foot caressing the floor.
Repeat with your right...
- Grab the floor with your left, make semi circles with the right caressing the floor
Repeat with your right
- Grab the floor with you left, and make more dinamic semi-circles, bumping legs at each other at the ends of the trajectory
Repeat with the right side
- Same as previous but the free foot behind goes in "heel first" and have the sole rotated OUT
Repeat with the right side
Balance Challenge
NOTE: Make turns at a natural pace of slow breathing!
- Take a stick to assume embrace position of hands.
Grab the floor with your LEFT, bump your free leg behind and keep it there
With inhale: turn to the LEFT while holding your weight on the left ball of the foot.
Return with exhale.
Next, inhale-turn to the RIGHT. Exhale-return.
- Grab the floor with your RIGHT, bump your free leg behind and keep it ther.
With inhale turn LEFT; exhale-return.
Next, inhale-and-turn RIGHT.
Exhale-return.
WATCH for staying balanced on one foot!
KEEP your spine straight and up!
Make sure your shoulders remain HORIZONTAL! Watch level of your stick for that (or a mirror) - Grab the floor with your LEFT, bump your free leg behind, then in front and keep it there
Inhale-turn-left, exhale-return.
Inhale-turn-right, exhale-return.
Repeat on the right side
NOTE: In balance challenges: try to relax your NECK and SHOULDERS. Only turn in the waist!
Leader's Twists
Picture your partner IN FRONT of you. Hold a stick to mimick the embrace.
- Grab the floor with your left; bump your free leg behind, then in front
with INHALE: sweep the floor to bring the foot back to 90-degree position
Continue to keep your balance on the left!
Keep your embrace facing the same direction (you follower should NOT notice what your feet are doing)
exhale-return.
Repeat with your right side
- Grab the floor with your left; bump your free leg behind,
With INHALE - push with the right foot toe to help you twist your standing (left) foot to the 90-degree position WHILE keeping your shoulders FACING your partner in front
Your knees will touch - and this is the end point of the twist
With exhale, return the left foot to forward orientation; bump the right behind
Repeat with your right side
- Grab the floor with your left; bump your free leg behind, then slide it forward
With INHALE - push with the right foot toe to help you twist your lower body to 180-degree orientation WHILE keeping your embrace forward and FACING your partner in front
Your knees will touch - and this is the end point of the twist
With exhale, return the left foot to forward orientation; bump the right behind
Repeat with your right side
Follower's Pivots: Back Cross
Come to a sturdy wall and where the floor is smooth and allows easy pivoting. A big fridge in a kitchen will do! :)
Picture your partner IN FRONT of you. Place your ELBOWS and palms in front of you on the vertical surface.
Do NOT LEAN.
- Grab the floor with your left; bump the right behind
Take a side step - bump the other foot behind
Do NOT LEAN on the wall!
- Add a mental picture of a large wheel in front of you: Rotate CCW in the direction when you step right, and CW when - left
Bump your free leg behind.
- Add a
push with your left hand when stepping to the left to power an overturn of your feet.
Use the right hand to get out of this position
Do the step to the left (mirror position)
Follower's Pivots: Front Cross
Same place, everything the same except that the wheel will be turning in opposite direction when the free leg bumps behind
- Grab the floor with your left; take right step - bump free leg and rotate the wheel CW
- Add a push with right hand on the step to the right to rotate your free foot from back to front
Bump in front
Rotate the wheel back, to get back and bump free foot behind
Take a step to the left and do the same in mirror position
NOTE for both exercises: Do NOT LEAN on the wall! Only push away with one hand to produce a pivot!
Good enough for today!
See you in the class! :)
*) "Grabbing the floor": spreading your toes inside a shoe and then trying to "grab" the floor while moving weight onto the ball of this foot. Think of a big cat placing a paw on a soft ground...