Coils: Tango and Golf
- One minute read - 180 wordsI’m learning golf.
I’m also learning tango.
It’s fascinating that both of them have, at heart, the creation of a coil via twisting. Lindy Hop is much more focused on creating springy compression, but coil isn’t something I often did (was I doing it wrong?).
Golf’s coil is the famous backswing. You guide that left arm backward and around as your torso coils above your waist. Then the release: the torso swings forward, the arms follow, the wrists propel and the follow through digs the ball up and into the air (when you do it right).
Tango coils in its most basic pattern. You step back and pull the lady close. You step left and bound her by coiling to the left, you keep her coil bound by sliding your right foot to the outside of her, and hold the tension one more step with the left. You shift your weight and release the coil, her legs cross into the famous tango step of the same name. And then a slow, careful box step unwinds (yep, it’s a sexy dance).