How to dance Chacarera review

Chacarera is an Argentinian folklore dance with a more or less fixed choreography, which is repeated (usually) twice during the course of the music. It is simple enough in its basic form for those new to dancing to often figure out enough of it to join in, while allowing for plenty of spicing up by those more skilled with it. (Sort of like how the old Slosh line dance was in 1980s ballrooms here.) Club Milonga remains closed as I write this, as do most Tango establishments in Toronto, because of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. While the Club was still open, we would include one Chacarera in the dance playlist each week, but even when done regularly I would often get people asking for a review of how to dance it. A review class is not really possible while the Club is closed, and would take time away from Tango if we have to do the reviews regularly. So here is a review video covering the basics of how to dance Chacarera, along with a few more challenging points for those interested. Where to find what in this video: (7:00) basic stepping (10:00) basic choreography – most Chacareras will follow the same basic pattern (16:00) a few ideas to try for the tap dancing breaks (26:00) some Chacarera variations, and how to tell if a Chacarera will circle in 8 or 6 (34:00) conclusion Lest you decide to question my presentation of how to dance it, here is a video by a couple of Argentinian Tango and Folklore dancers walking through the basic Chacarera sequence, as well as the steps for a Chacarera Doble for comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z00gte89RB8 Also an Argentinian folk dancer explaining some basic tap dancing sequences (“zapateos”) often used in folklore dances (in Spanish, but his demonstrations seem clear enough to follow): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSCySw3x-LQ Because of the current pandemic conditions, I didn’t have a lot of space to work in and didn’t have a partner to demonstrate actual dancing of it to music. So here are some links to other videos I found around YouTube, showing couples actually dancing Chacarera. If you are into Argentine Tango, some of the names might seem familiar: - Roberto Leiva and Maricel Gomez: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96t9WH04j-4 - Sabrina and Ruben Veliz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYNBlRgdUEU - Maria and Carlos Rivarola: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c8gpYodK1Q - Alejandra Mantinan and Aoniken Quiroga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7WKHletnk4 - Oscar Mandagaran and Georgina Vargas, leading a group in lines as it is often danced when done in the milongas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIdc_Miv7CY A street performance of a Chacarera which circles in 6 instead of 8, in Salta, Argentina: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vsQV97CRCg The story of Telesfora Castillo (“Telesita”), and “telesiada” events (in Spanish): https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telesita