Argentine Tango Lesson 6: Leaders Walking

Sorry for the bad audio :/

In the leader's walk, I want us to move in a way that is most natural but still dancing. When we walk down the street, we generally hit our heels first, even if just for a split second, then we roll through the foot to project ourselves forward. This is the same process I want to take when walking in Tango.

After about 12 years of dancing tango, a teacher I respected told me to walk toe first instead. I spent two years walking toe first and I developed a pain in my ankle and they began to click when I walked. I realized that I had been putting so much pressure in the wrong direction of my feet so often that I was injuring them. My knees were also hurting and I linked that to the toe first walking but couldn't know for sure. I began walking heel first and all those problems went away. I tell you this only to hopefully prevent you from making the mistake of walking toe first.

For you non-beginners watching this video: If you like the look of walking toe first, do it in a performance during the slow moments, but when you're dancing socially or performing at a regular tempo I suggest you move heel first to prevent injury.