Ladies embellishments part 3 - free leg above the ground

Csilla Mariposa, author of ladies technique and other articles presents a third group of embellishments. If you want to improve your technique, this is the place!

In the first category we discussed embellishments in which the free leg stays on the ground
The second category was about decorations where the free leg is not touching the ground. The leg stays above ground, decorating and/or touching the partner, staying within the frame.
In this third group we are going to take a look at embellishments where the free leg is in the air and are excluded from the second group.

1. Voleo alto / High (back) boleo:

This figure has two variations – one is led by the man and the other is used as a decoration by the follower. I don’t recommend nor leading nor using this as a decoration in crowded places. In my opinion this figure takes two, not only a leader. When my partners try to lead me voleos in crowded milongas, I have two alternatives:

I refuse to do it
do it on the ground to avoid injuries (I’ve had to stop mid-voleo – that is a great balance-practice!:) ).

Leaders fall into 3 categories:

those who would never ever lead voleos at a busy milonga
the ones who start the movement but realize the mistake in time
those who consciously lead the figure in crowded places and don’t understand why I refuse to do it

Very briefly a voleo consists of a whip-like lash of one leg to the buttock that’s opposite the free (voleo-ing) leg followed by a circular movement on the way back to the starting point. This means that if the voleo is done with left leg the right buttock is “kicked” and vice versa.
Similar exercises are found in ballet.
Kicking your own buttock with your feet is a great relaxing, loosening technique for the legs (can be done whilst jogging), and also beneficial for the thighs. Feet have to be loose! With tense foot the movement will look ugly.

Let’s put this into practice with Jannifer Bratt – LaMaleva:

This is how Jessica Tango explains:

Use a chair, cupboard or wall to aid you – Lia Selalmazidi – TangoTools:

2. Voleo adelante / High Front boleo:

Similarly to the previous voleo, this can also be led by the man or used as a decoration by the women. I like this type to be led by the man. Again, feet have to be relaxed, and you have to have a strong core.

Jennifer Bratt – LaMaleva:

Sebastian Arce & Mariana Montes:

3. Voleo en linea / Linear boleo:

I prefer to call this “linear whip”. This one is more complicated, as it is done on a straight line. This is completely dependent upon the lead of the man.

Homer & Cristina Ladas:

4. Gancho / Hook .

This can be done by both partners – one of them hooks the foot of the partner with his/her own.

Dario’s tango guide:

Jordi Moragues & Lia Selalmazidi:

5. Patada / Patadita : kicks.

There are two types – the ones that stay on the ground and the ones that go into air. There is not much to say about this. Let’s see the video:
Jordi Moragues & Lia Selalmazidi: