Tango: How to Dance a Corte

There are many different steps to choose from when dancing Tango, from very simple and easy to very complex and difficult. The more Tango steps you learn, the more you can mix them up to keep your dance interesting. With time and practice, you can learn make your dancing look as though you have choreographed it to the music by the steps you choose. The corte is the first "picture line" most people learn in Tango. A picture line, just as it sounds, is a step that makes a pretty picture. It can be quick and easy, or it can develop into a deep dip. The corte in Tango is a fun, cute step and very popular.

The count for the corte step in Tango is slow, slow, quick, quick, slow. A slow counts for two beats and a quick is one beat. It is important for both dancers to maintain good posture throughout the step, particularly in the "dip" part of the step. The man should suck his belly button to his back, and the lady must step forward with the right side of her ribcage forward and her shoulders back. The man can either look at the lady or over her head during the dip. The lady can either look up at the man or over her left wrist, as long as she does not look down.

To take a closed dance position for Tango: put the lady's right hand in the man's left and hold them at about eye level. Place the man's right hand under her arm and on the middle of the lady's lower back. Place the lady's left hand on the man's arm between the deltoid and bicep muscles. The lady should dance slightly to the man's right.

Consult your physician before starting any new physical activity.

Man's steps

Start by standing in closed dance position, on your right foot with your left foot free.
Counts 1, 2 ( "slow" = two beats): Step straight back on your left foot, turning it 90 degrees to your left. Bend your left knee and point your right foot. Do not put your left foot behind your right; make an L with your feet.
Counts 3, 4 ("slow"): step forward with your right foot.
Count 5 ("quick" = one beat): step forward with your left foot.
Count 6 ("quick"): step to the side with your right foot.
Count 7, 8 ("slow"): drag your left foot to your right without putting weight on it.

Woman's steps

Start by standing in closed dance position, on your left foot with your right foot free.
Counts 1, 2 ("slow" = two beats): step forward with your right foot, aiming to step toward middle of the man's left thigh.
Counts 3, 4 ("slow"): step back with your left foot.
Count 5 ("quick" = one beat): step back with your right foot.
Count 6 ("quick"): step to the side with your the left foot.
Count 7, 8 ("slow"): drag your right foot to your left without putting weight on it.