Todaro sequences presented by Liz and Yannick, 13 February 2025

Learned from Gabriel Angio and Natalia Games. Main website

Also Los Totis, Christian Marguez and Virginia Gomez, and Fabian Peralta and Josephinz Bermudez.

General comments on Todaro’s style

Todaro used a great deal of interaction between the partners, for instance using the partners weight to counterbalance fast pivots, stop steps, power turns, etc. There are fewer pauses than in modern tango.

Sequence 1

  • Leader side L, starting in close embrace: follow side R

  • Leader front R, expanding to open embrace and accepting the follows weight on R hand: follow back L, side R. As the follow does the side step, the leader does a Tika, tapping back, by throwing weight back slightly. This accelerates the follow into the side step.

  • Leader sacada front L of follows front L.

  • Leader pivots L on L, making a 1/2 turn enrosque and changing to R to follows side R

  • Leader lapiz L to follows back L side R forward L

  • Ending in a follow pivot and front parada L.

  • Follow does not pause but steps over R.

  • Leader side L, onto parada foot, to pivot follow.

  • Leader back to R to dynamically pivot follow into a front cross, L in front, with weight change.

In modern tango style, the leader’s enrosque and lapiz are powered entirely by the leader. In Todaro’s style, they would be powered more by the follow.

Connecting back ochos

  • Leader side L, change feet: follow back R

  • Leader side L, change feet and pivot L: follow back L and back pivot

  • Parallel back steps, leader L, follow R: leader pivots to face follow and changes feet, follow pivots

  • Leader side L, follow back L.

Sequence 2

  • Leader R parada of follows L as follow starts a giro to the R with a back step R.

  • Follow continues the giro side L, front R, side L, back R, all fast steps, driving the leader’s pivot: leader leaves L back and pivots on R as a block (no contrabody twist) and gradually catches up with the follow so that

  • as the follow takes the back R, the leader L touches follow L and leads a barrida of follow L side step.

  • Follow closes to a sandwich.

Todaro does the sequences in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFBV_7HZJWc

The first sequence at time 1:40.

The second sequence at time 1:30.

This includes a simpler and possibly more characteristic entrance.

  • Walk to cross

  • Leader front L pivot to L, follow back R

  • Leader side R, follow side L

  • Leader back L, change feet and pivot 1/4 to face follow: follow back R and pivot 1/2

  • Leader side L, follow back L

quick/tight boleo/rebote