The outside swivel is a basic yet technically demanding figure in tango due to its subtle body alignment and footwork requirements.
In this 10-minute video, George and Wendy cover the 5 most common mistakes we see when social dancers perform this figure. Our goal is to help you avoid these common errors to look better on the dance floor.
The Outside Swivel
This figure starts from an outside partner position, maintaining a right-side-to-right-side connection between partners. The key principle is that the body position remains unchanged. Specifically, the belly button stays oriented toward the partner’s side, while the feet adjust diagonally to step outside. A common problem is that both the feet and body turn together to point in the same direction, but correct technique requires the body to maintain connection while the feet shift direction.
Mistake 1. Misalignment of the Body
Many men mistakenly turn their belly button in the same direction as their feet, causing their hips to align right beside the lady’s hips. This breaks the intended right-side-to-right-side connection and misaligns the partnership.
Mistake 2. Leading with the Arms Instead of the Torso
Men often try to lead the outside swivel using their arms, which pulls the lady out of position and off balance. The correct lead originates from the torso (specifically the belly button rotation), with the arms naturally following.
Mistake 3. Failing to Signal the Stop
Some men continue forward momentum without clearly signaling the stop needed for the outside swivel. This confuses the lady and prevents her from settling into her hip, making balance and timing difficult.
Related to this, and possibly because of it, dancers often step too big as they create that last outside partner step. Overstepping creates a gap between partners and forces the lady to extend too far. A more compact, check-like step allows both dancers to stay connected and balanced.
Mistake 4. Lady Projects Head Weight Backward
A common error for the lady is letting her head weight fall straight back behind the body when she stops, which causes her to become back-weighted. Instead, she should maintain a forward projection through the rib cage while keeping the head diagonally to the left.
Mistake 5. Lady Takes Two Steps Instead of One for the Swivel
Rather than taking a single forward step onto the right foot, some ladies mistakenly close their feet afterward, disrupting the timing and putting them on the wrong foot. The correct action is one forward step with a continuous, flowing motion of the left foot as it swivels and passes through.
There you have it: the most common mistakes in the Tango Outside Swivel. If you’re interested in learning to dance, check out our group classes or contact us for private lessons or more information.
The post Video: Common Mistakes in the Tango Outside Swivel first appeared on Delta.Dance.