Gyrotonic® is the perfect companion to your tango journey, taking your dance on a fast-track to the next level.
Here’s why.
What is Gyrotonic®?
Not many disciplines can assist your tango as deeply as Gyrotonic®.
A holistic movement system created by a professional dancer especially for dancers.
Practiced by top ballet dancers such as Misty Copeland and elite athletes like Andy Murray and Tom Daley, what is it about Gyrotonic® that makes it a perfect fit for tango?
Improved Posture & Grounding
How often have you been told by your tango teacher to stand taller yet stay grounded? You’re not alone in finding these two techniques tricky to juggle.
Using a pulley mechanism, Gyrotonic® has movements which are specifically designed to lengthen your spine whilst helping you feel connected to the floor.
Posture is so important in tango. Yes, it makes us more elegant, but it goes much further than that. Posture is a vital part of dancing in a more present, expressive way. It helps us create a better embrace and feel more connected with our partner.
Dissociation and Spirals
Just like tango, circles and spirals are intrinsic to Gyrotonic®.
When we take our first tango class, the movements appear mainly to be lineal: forward, side, back … But pretty soon our lines start to curve as we circle our partner. And our body starts to spiral as our upper body and lower body take on different directions.
But while we’re spiralling and circling, we are also focusing on all the other ingredients that go into dancing tango.
It is hugely beneficial to work on these circular and spiral movements movements in isolation, in an organic, focused way. Gyrotonic® will improve your spinal mobility, increase your dissociation for tango, encourage use of your breath, all the while enhancing your body awareness.
Elastic Movements
It is often said that the walk – the “caminata” – is one of the hardest techniques to master in tango. Yet it is also one of the most rewarding. A gliding walk in harmony with your partner and music is an incredibly beautiful experince. The tango walk is characterised by legs which stretch and seem to go on forever.
If we think in terms of straightening our legs, we can create rigidity. Instead we prefer to think of our legs as elastic, alternately stretching and releasing them to create fluid movement.
Like all skills, this takes time to perfect. Most tangueros are ready to put that time in but complimentary exercises can streamline your progress.
Gyrotonic® training can help you increase the sensation of elasticity in your legs, the pulleys facilitating your movement whilst also helping you work harder.
Injury Prevention/Recovery
One of the wonders of tango is that is can be danced at almost any age. One of our most agile students happens also to be our eldest. At 84 years old she still enjoys hours of dancing every week. And we’re sure that the dancing helps to keep her young.
A lot of people regret not start dancing at a younger age but are reassured to know that – unllike most other dances – there are no upper age limitations on dancing tango, provided we take proper care of our bodies.
Tango is wonderful both for our physical and spirtual wellbeing, but excessive tango can of course take a toll on our bodies.
As we all intend to dance tango for the rest of our lives, early measures to maintain healthy joints and prevent injury is the way to make this happen. Gyrotonic® is ideal for this and is also fantastic as an aid to recovery from injury.
Learning with Us
Book a session with Gyrotonic® trainer David Benitez, as a warm-up to dancing tango or as the perfect wind-down. David’s wealth of experience as a tango teacher will ensure your session will perfectly chime with and enhance your exploration of tango. Sessions can take place in Spitalfields, Kings Cross or Crouch End.
Click here to book your session.
Tango has finally found its perfect partner.
