Why Women Fail to Do the Cruzada

Tango dancing begins with a four-step routine called the salida, done diagonally on the woman's right and ending with the woman's cruzada. The first step of the salida is a side step. During the second and third steps, the man walks on the woman's right, creating the need for her to recover the symmetrical position in line with him. The most convenient way to recover that position is by crossing her left leg in front of her right leg on the fourth step. There is no other cue signaling her to cross, except that he is walking on her right. In other words, the woman must rely on her sense of equilibrium to restore alignment by executing the cruzada.

Tango dancers must constantly perceive and adjust their body positioning relative to their partner. A well-developed sense of equilibrium is essential. It not only provides women with balance, stability, and control over their movements, but also heightens their awareness of positional changes in relation to their partner, enhancing their ability to maintain proper alignment and weight distribution in partnering work. Women with a good sense of equilibrium can instinctively cross their left leg in front of their right when the man walks on their right. Those with less developed spatial awareness, however, often miss this cue and fail to perform the cruzada. For these dancers, practicing the salida helps develop the habit of executing the cruzada when the man walks on their right.

A poor embrace can also compromise a woman’s ability to sense positional changes. Some women place their bodies too far to the right of the man’s, hugging his right side with their left arm, creating a misalignment that disrupts their sensitivity to the man’s lead when he tries to initiate the cruzada by walking on their right. Similarly, beginners using an open dance hold often fail to perceive subtle changes in their partner's body position due to the lack of physical contact. Both scenarios may result in the woman not performing the cruzada when she should.

The correct embrace is symmetrical and centered, with both partners facing each other chest-to-chest. His left hand holds her right hand at shoulder height; his right arm wraps around her torso, while her left arm rests around his right shoulder. This embrace not only provides utmost comfort and perfect alignment but also maximizes bodily connection, allowing the woman to clearly feel even the subtlest movement in the lead. As a result, when he walks on her right, she will instinctively reposition herself with the cruzada, restoring alignment with him.

In my experience, failure to execute the cruzada is a common issue—even among experienced dancers. Probably one-third of the women I dance with fail to execute the cruzada from time to time, even though they may not realize it. Yet the cruzada plays a crucial role in tango: by adding an extra step, it enables the woman to shift her weight and tranfer between the parallel and cross systems. Because this affects how the man leads the next step, it is vital that the woman performs the cruzada when the man signals it by walking on her right.

Developing a reliable cruzada involves more than just repetition. It requires cultivating a strong sense of equilibrium, adopting a proper embrace, maintaining body alignment, remaining attuned to the partner’s position, and practicing the salida with intention. These elements, working together, form the foundation for mastering one of tango’s most essential movements.