Ariadna Naviera and Fernando Sanchez!

The Naviera family name is synonymous with Tango. Ariadna's mother is a famous teacher of the teachers in Argentina, and her brother is a tango master as well! 

This couple has been fun to watch over the years. They have been performing together since they were dating and are well known for their musicality, playfulness, fluidity and control, especially during giros and boleos. In this first video, we can see them as tango youngsters when they just started their career as teachers. This is one of the first times we see Ariadna show her playfulness by pretending she stubs her toe during the performance. They often exaggerate or animate their movements for a humorous effect and then laugh while they are dancing, and really remind us this is all about enjoyment.  There style is a sharp contrast to some performers who take themselves way too seriously!

The next clip is from a performance in Moscow where they dance milonga and switch roles for a minute where Ariadna takes the lead. At the opening of the video, the audience is calling out requests for the kind of music they want the couple to perform to, so the music and performance was not planned, but impromptu.

The following clip is a waltz performance where they do some of their signature moves, such as a multiple boleo and spin combination (at which point the audience claps) and back ochos that are so rotated (probably 360 degrees) that they actually move forward. At running speed, the followers feet step between the leaders feet pushing them away, and the whole while she keeps her chest facing him as though she were not moving her lower body at all! At that point in the video, there is actually another screen that opens from the top view so that we can see how complex and fast these moves are!

If you've been pregnant, you know sitting and standing and walking are difficult. But She makes tango pregnant look effortless.

And finally here they are in 2017. Apparently it takes three to tango!

Choose one clip and watch again to study a bit! For leaders, note Fernando leads with his legs (weight change) and core/torso,chest and not with his hands. He doesn't even need his arms as we can see when he holds a baby when he dances! And for followers, note how active and strong and dynamic Ariadna is. It may be hard to conceive as following being an active role, but the follower does half the dance! 

For everyone, see where you can find steps you know. There are pivots and crosses, walking. (Even your favorite, ochos, are just walking and pivots!) Try to watch either the leader or the follower, and name the direction of the steps they take. All steps will be side, front and back steps, pivots, or weight changes on the spot. Become familiar with these components! If you cannot recognize and name them, you'll know this is something you can work on, as it will greatly help your tango. The steps are your ABC's of tango and to write words, sentences, and poetry, you first need to know how to read the letters!