How to Dance Corridos

Corrido is a genre of music that developed in Mexico during the 1800s. Corrido songs are typically folk-ballads that tell fictional or historical stories.^[1] Due to the genre’s foundation in rural traditions, corrido dances share a lot in common with traditional western line dances.^[2] While there isn’t a specific singular set of steps used to dance to corridos, there are several distinct sequences of steps that are often combined together. These sequences include the sideward step-close, the grapevine, and the soldado side-step.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Step-Closing Sideward

1. Face your partner with of space between you. You can choose to either hold hands or simply face one another. This set of steps can be completed in a line-dance formation, but in corrido you’ll usually do this while facing your partner.^[3]
   
   • Your partner will mirror your steps in the sideward step-close.
   • The sideward step-close is a good starting position to switch into other steps, since it’s the simplest sequence you’ll use in corrido.
2. Lift your right foot and step to your right on the 1 count. Raise your right foot completely off of the floor. Step directly to the side, dipping your right shoulder as your foot lands.^[4]
   
   • If your partner is facing you, they’ll start with their left foot.
3. Raise your left foot and step to your right on the 2 count. Your foot should stay off of the floor as it moves. Bring your left foot to your original standing position while maintaining between you and your partner.^[5]
   
   • Naturally allow your shoulder to level out as you bring your left foot towards your right.
4. Lift your left foot and step to your left on the 3 count. Repeat the first step, this time moving to your left instead of your right. Keep your steps symmetrical by moving your left foot at the same speed and distance that you moved your right foot on the 1 count. This time, dip your left shoulder as it lands.^[6]
   
5. Return your right foot to the starting position and choose a direction on the 4 count. Bring your right foot to your left. At the end of your 4 count, you can choose to either go back to your right, or continue to the left.
   

[Edit]Perfecting the Grapevine

1. Stand with your feet apart, parallel to your shoulders. You need a solid and even base before starting the steps. Bend your knees and straighten your back. If you’re dancing with a partner, they can either face you and mirror your steps, or stand beside you and move in the same directions.^[7]
   
2. Cross your right foot over your left on the 1 count. Lift your left foot and slide to your left in a line. Raise your right heel off of the floor and slide your right foot in front of your left foot so that your legs are crossed. Keep your knees bent as you’re sliding your leg so that you don’t trip yourself.^[8]
   
   • If your partner is facing you, they’ll reverse the steps and start by sliding their left foot over their right.
   • Don’t rotate your body as you move. Even though you’re crossing your feet, you want to maintain a straight back as you dance.
3. Swing your left foot behind your right on the 2 count. Without moving your right foot, lift your left heel off of the ground and then swing it behind your right. Return your left foot to your starting position where your feet are apart.^[9]
   
4. Cross your right foot behind your left on the 3 count. Lift your right foot and start to slide it behind you in a half-circle. Try to spread your right foot apart from the left at a similar distance as you did in the first cross at the 1 count.^[10]
   
   • This can feel kind of awkward if you’ve never done it before. Keeping your knees bent will alleviate some of the unfamiliar tension that you may feel in your hamstring muscles.
5. Bring your left foot back to the standing position on the 4 count. Leaving your right foot planted where it is, swing your left foot in front of your right. Return your left foot back to the original standing position.^[11]
   
6. Hold for a moment before reversing the steps in the opposite direction. Wait for the song to return to the 1 count and repeat the first step. Slide to the right. Then, cross your left foot in front of your right foot. Finish the remainder of the steps before reversing your feet again.^[12]
   

[Edit]Moving Side-Step in Soldado

1. Start with your feet apart and bend your knees. The soldado side-step requires multiple steps in a diagonal direction without lifting your feet off of the floor, so you’ll need to keep your knees flexible. This set of steps can either be completed with your partner facing you and mirroring your movements, or in a line with your partner next to you and completing the same steps.^[13]
   
2. Slide your right foot behind you on the 1 count. Without lifting the ball of your foot off of the ground, slide your foot across the dance floor behind you at a 45-degree angle. Your right foot should come to a rest at the end of the beat.^[14]
   
   • The distance that you choose to slide has a lot to do with how tall you are. If your legs are longer, you can slide a longer distance. The key is to make sure you stop moving at the end of the first beat, regardless of how far away your foot is from the starting position.
3. Bring your left foot back to meet your right on the 2 count. Again, without taking your foot off the floor, bring your left foot to meet your right by moving it at the same angle. Once your foot comes to a rest, you can do a quick shuffle in place by lifting each heel off of the ground and stamping it in place in an alternating pattern.^[15]
   
4. Stretch your right foot out to your left on the 3 count. You’re going to repeat the first 2 steps, but moving forward this time. Stretch your right foot out and to your left. Don’t raise the ball of your foot off of the floor as your move. Stop moving your foot at the end of the 3 count.^[16]
   
5. Take your left foot and slide it to meet your right on the 4 count. Return your feet to the starting position with your knees still bent. You can shuffle again in place if you’d like.^[17]
   
   • You’ll notice that you’re moving to your left as you complete these steps. You can reverse the order and move in the opposite direction if you run into any obstructions or other dancers on the dance floor.

[Edit]Combining Your Steps

1. Use the sideward step-close as a starting position and way to reset. The sideward step-close is the simplest pattern for dancing to corrido. This means that it’ll be the easiest pattern to switch out of and return into when alternating between complicated patterns.^[18]
   
2. Cross your feet once while in step-close to create variation. Instead of lifting your right to the right, try lifting your left to the right once in a while during your side-step pattern. This will add a little variation to an otherwise repetitious set of steps.^[19]
   
   • This is the same thing as incorporating a single step of grapevine in your step-close!
3. Try to side-step into grapevine for an easy return to the starting position. Both the side-step and grapevine involve alternating your feet away from your body. As a result, you can swap from side-step to grapevine by returning to the starting position on the 4 count of your side-step without having to return to the step-close.^[20]
   
4. Side-step in soldado after grapevine to change directions. The grapevine requires you and your partner to move back-and-forth in place. This means that you can’t change directions or move to a different part of the dance floor without changing the sequence. Move into soldado at the end of a grapevine to reposition you and your partner on the dance floor.^[21]
   
   • This is particularly useful if you notice that the other dancers on the floor are moving around a lot and want to match the energy on the dance floor.

[Edit]References

1. ↑ http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/~/media/artsedge/lessonprintables/grade-9-12/form_and_theme_mex_cor_what_is_a_corrido.ashx
2. ↑ http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199913701/obo-9780199913701-0077.xml
3. ↑ http://www.folkdancecamp.org/assets/Corrido2012SFDC.pdf
4. ↑ http://www.folkdancecamp.org/assets/Corrido2012SFDC.pdf
5. ↑ http://www.folkdancecamp.org/assets/Corrido2012SFDC.pdf
6. ↑ http://www.folkdancecamp.org/assets/Corrido2012SFDC.pdf
7. ↑ http://www.socalfolkdance.com/dances/C/Corrido.pdf
8. ↑ http://www.socalfolkdance.com/dances/C/Corrido.pdf
9. ↑ http://www.socalfolkdance.com/dances/C/Corrido.pdf
10. ↑ http://www.socalfolkdance.com/dances/C/Corrido.pdf
11. ↑ http://www.socalfolkdance.com/dances/C/Corrido.pdf
12. ↑ https://youtu.be/L-UCXwtCxnQ?t=57
13. ↑ http://www.daytonfolkdance.com/mvfd/instructions/corrido.html
14. ↑ http://www.daytonfolkdance.com/mvfd/instructions/corrido.html
15. ↑ http://www.daytonfolkdance.com/mvfd/instructions/corrido.html
16. ↑ http://www.daytonfolkdance.com/mvfd/instructions/corrido.html
17. ↑ http://www.daytonfolkdance.com/mvfd/instructions/corrido.html
18. ↑ http://www.daytonfolkdance.com/mvfd/instructions/corrido.html
19. ↑ http://www.folkdancecamp.org/assets/Corrido2012SFDC.pdf
20. ↑ http://www.socalfolkdance.com/dances/C/Corrido.pdf
21. ↑ http://www.folkdancecamp.org/assets/Corrido2012SFDC.pdf