Foxtantino: Frequently Asked Questions
Ted Ross and Karen Lile Dancing the Foxtantino Photography by Lewis Smith
Do I have to know Argentine Tango to do the Foxtantino?
No. We assume that Ballroom dancers will not know any Argentine Tango before they take Foxtantino Classes.
I am a Ballroom Dancer and have tried Argentine Tango and found it to be very difficult. How is this any different?
There are many reasons why traditional Argentine Tango can be intimidating to Ballroom dancers. The culture is different, and if you are used to a ballroom culture, you may feel uncomfortable at Milongas. Argentine Tango doesn't use a ballroom frame, so you are learning an entirely different technique to learn the traditional Argentine Tango. In some cases what you have learned in Ballroom Frame you have to unlearn to do the Argentine Tango frame. The music can be rhythmically unpredictable and vary widely in tempo. The teaching methods emphasize improvisation and give the leader and follower a lot of responsibility for creating the dance, so it is often years before you can aquire the skills to feel comfortable dancing Argentine Tango.
Foxtantino is different. We treat Foxtantino just like any other ballroom dance. It is organized into set figures. It has a syllabus. It has predictable rhythms that you understand, like SQQ. It is danced to Foxtrot music you already know. It is divided into skill levels of Bronze, Silver and Gold, so that you can advance gradually from one skill level to the next.
In Foxtantino we have only incorporated footwork from Argentine Tango that flows smoothly in the line of dance, fits well with Foxtrot and works well with the Ballroom frame. So from the waist up, you are experiencing the Foxtantino just like you would any Smooth or Standard dance in closed position. The Foxtantino footwork is simple to learn when you are using the ballroom frame. You don't have to discard anything you already know about ballroom to do the Foxtantino. Everything you already know will only add to your enjoyment in dancing.
I don't want to improvise. Will Foxtantino classes give me something I can dance easily?
Yes. If you take our Foxtantino classes, you will learn set patterns that you can dance with other partners and you don't have to improvise. We will teach you everything you need to know to make the dance look good on the floor and feel good to both partners. Leaders will be given clear and easy sequences to dance around the line of dance so that they can do Foxtantino as easily as they would do any other Ballroom dance.
I already dance Argentine Tango. Can I improvise with the Foxtantino?
It will be easy for Argentine Tango Dancers to improvise with the Foxtantino. When you learn the transitions between the Foxtrot portions of the dance and the Argentine Tango portions of the dance, you can add your Argentine Tango improvisations to the Argentine Tango portions of the dance and then use the transitions to get back to Foxtrot.
I am a Tango Dancer. How can you dance Argentine Tango footwork without the Tango Embrace?
The first thing to remember about Foxtantino is that it is not Tango. It is a fusion dance based upon the Ballroom Dance Frame used in American Smooth and International Standard Foxtrot and Waltz. If you understand the Ballroom frame, it will be straigtforward to lead and follow the Foxtantino footwork that comes from Argentine Tango. We will teach you how to do this in our Foxtantino Classes.
Where can I dance Foxtantino once I learn it?
You can dance Foxtantino to any swing or foxtrot music that you might dance Foxtrot to. The most likely place for you to dance Foxtantino would be at a Ballroom social dance event, in performance or at any dance venue that you would feel comfortable dancing a ballroom dance in.
We would not recommend that you dance the Foxtantino in the Argentine Tango community, unless you know the host and the people there and they wanted to see the dance. The Argentine Tango community is particular about the types of Tango that are danced at their Milongas and we always think it is courteous to be respectful to the each dance community's etiquette and traditions when attending its events.
This is a new dance. Will it be worth the investment of my time to learn it?
The answer to this question depends upon how you like to live your life. If you feel comfortable trying something new to see if you like it, then there are many things you can gain from learning the Foxtantino. If you like to wait for a large number of people to be doing something before you are willing to try it, then, perhaps you should just watch, wait and see what happens.
For those willing to give this new dance a try, we believe these are the benefits of learning even just a few figures of the Foxtantino:
- You can become a better ballroom dancer: When we teach Foxtantino, we emphasize the skills of lead and follow. And, since it is all done in a Ballroom frame, you will be able to apply the principles you learn with this dance to the other dances you already know.
- You can incorporate Foxtantino into the International or American Foxtrot you already know. Most of the Foxtantino figures begin and end with portions of Foxtrot figures. So, say you only learned 3 Foxtantino figures. If you already know Bronze International Foxtrot or Silver American Foxtrot, you can insert the Foxtantino figures into the Foxtrot you already know. It would be much the same as learning a Foxtrot oversway or Picture Line. It adds some beauty and interest to the dance and keeps you entertained as well.
- It is something new and exciting. Sometimes, you just want to try something new and see if you like it. And if you like it as much as we do, you will probably find yourself very happy with this dance.
- You are supporting creativity in the Ballroom Community. If you believe that the ballroom community should have room for "new steps", then supporting the classes where Foxtantino is taught will be your vote that new things are welcome.
I am interested in teaching Foxtantino in my ballroom. How can I do that?
You can learn the information that a teacher needs to know about the Foxtantino from Ted Ross and Karen Lile. You also need to get permission from Karen Lile Dance to use the name Foxtantino because it is a trademark. But, we are very willing to let anyone teach this dance who preserves what we have created and adds their own talents and creativity to it. Eventually, we will solicit contributions from professionals for the expansion of the syllabus and will give each creator recognition for what they do.
