What angle should your body be at when you do a Corte in American Tango?
For Newcomer American Tango, from the leader's side, should I angle my shoulders and/or hips to one side when leading my partner into a Corte, or should they be facing straight forward? If so, how much of an angle should it be at, and which direction?
Answers ( 1 )
Yes, you're going to want to turn your shoulders/hips slightly during the Corte. Your shoulders/frame - and consequently your partner - are not going to rotate. If you try that out, you'll find that the follower will be pulled off balance if you try to take them into a strong rotational move. Instead, the follower will arch gently over your right hand, so you'll want to have a more relaxed hold on that side.
Its actually surprisingly hard to describe the effect you're trying to achieve through typing! As you finish the first step of the Corte, the idea is to create a "flower" or "bell of the trumpet" effect where you and your partner are close at the waist, and far at your head. Your turnout / rotation should be very slight at the legs/waist - mostly, just turn your foot out slightly. As you specify "Newcomer," I'm guessing you're not dancing with body contact yet, so there doesn't need to be anything terribly dramatic. Here's a fine youtube video that shows the move at a simple basic execution.
Going slightly beyond your question - the most important thing when preparing to lead the corte is to communicate clearly as you finish the previous "tango close" that you intend to lead it on the next step. Very often a less-experienced follower will begin to step backwards without waiting for your lead. To avoid that, have your weight slightly back on your feet as you finish your previous steps, and have your right hand firmly on their back.