The Anchor movement in tango, an overlooked element
Following our discussion on how to feel freer on the closed side of the embrace and how to help induce a positive state in our partners when dancing tango, let’s discuss now the anchor movement.
‘Finally, you need to use an anchor movement,’ he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
What the heck is an ‘anchor movement’?
A few minutes earlier I asked a question that was troubling me: What do I need to know about transitioning from linear movements to circular, and vice versa?
I often found myself a bit imbalanced when going from walking to a giro. Some other times I felt that getting out from a giro wasn’t a smooth transition. I knew I was missing something, and now…
‘You need to use an anchor movement.’
‘I have no idea what that is, so Beam me up, Scotty!’
‘Let me explain.
Going from circular to linear movements requires a change of dynamics. And this is one of the hardest things for the followers, most often because the leader is not so skillful in transmitting the change of dynamics. Take for example a transition from a fast giro (circular) to a walk (linear). The fast giro usually is done with small steps and small pivots due to the time pressure. Then suddenly, the follower needs to do bigger steps or big pivots. If this transition is not communicated properly, she will realise it a bit later. To change from one to the other we need the “anchor movement”, a movement that communicates an upcoming change of energy. If we miss that we tend to go with the same energy and don’t stop.
And the same is true for any transition from circular to linear movements. For example, as a leader you might want to prepare her to understand that the next step is going to be the last step of the cadena. (If you don’t know what a cadena is, you can take a look on this video on Youtube.) You can use a slight push down coming from your embrace. Another potential anchor movement you might want to use is the rotation of elbows. Very often, your anchor movement might be changing the tension of the embrace or changing your axis from front to middle to back. Those movements indicate that there is a change coming.
This indication helps the follower prepare for the change, making everything smoother.’
Practising a few anchor movements created a huge change in my dance, and I believe it can do the same for you. At this point, I would recommend asking your teachers to help you practise transitioning from a very circular giro to a more square one. Or from a very circular giro to a straight walk. You can even practice going from movement to stopping, another transition where anchor movements are useful.
Just make sure to focus on the anchor movements during the training.
If you feel that your teachers are not so well informed about those anchor movements, I would recommend contacting Niko Carambas and Belén Martínez for an online private class. I found their explanation on the topic enlightening.