Other Ways to Learn to Dance Tango

There are probably as many ways to learn to dance tango as there are people that start learning tango.

We offer a course structure that lots of people seem to like, but there may well be "better" ways for you to learn to dance tango.

Below are listed some other ways of learning that you could mix and match or maybe just one way will be what you need:

Courses

The continuity of a course can be good for making progress with tango: . If you have a hectic life then finding the time for this can be difficult, and you may find the pace of a course does not suit you. You will meet and work with a group of people who you will then meet in the social dancing.

Drop-in Classes

Usually fun, you turn up if you want to. We run quite a few drop-in classes that you can find from the course structure web page.

Social Dancing

For a lot of people the purpose of learning tango is for social dancing. We do hope you will do at least some social tango dancing as we like it, and it is one of the main motivations for us to teach as we would like more people to find out how nice tango is.

I (Mike) do know of some followers and a very few leaders who have mainly learned by dancing socially. They went along to a milonga/salon and danced, without any lessons beforehand. Typically, later on they take some lessons, but social dancing is always their focus. Usually they already have some good skills in body awareness or music.

Guest Teachers

We think it is important for other teachers with different approaches to visit Cambridge and (hooray!) there are some organisers willing to put in the huge amount of work required to bring guest teachers to Cambridge.

You may find that none of the local teachers suit you and that a guest teacher does, then you might have to move to another city for your tango:-(

Practice

Most people find constructive and intelligent practice a good thing: fun and you get better and dancing tango. Beware of repeating the same thing again and again, this usually frustrating. Move on, try something else, ask a friend, break it down, etc.

There's a regular Friday Practice in Cambridge and you can practice tango things anywhere (although people do start to wonder when you do ochos in the office or lab).

Exchange/Sharing Ideas

Ask a friend, talk, discuss. "Wow I like what you just did", etc.

Watching

Some people can learn from watching, working out what is going on then applying it , but beware: watching too much can easily dent your confidence ("I'll never be able to do that" type thoughts) and it is all too easy to just see the external side of a tango dancer that you like. For example you might see a nice foot movement, copy it and find that your balance, posture and musicality disappear because the movement originates somewhere else in the body and you're just moving your foot.

Thinking

Some people like to think, lots, about tango.

Informal learning

If it happens it can be nice. You chat to someone at a tango place, then disappear into a side-room to learn something from them (you are not going to block the whole dance floor by standing around and chatting are you?), BUT beware the "expert" on the dance floor. They tell you everything you need to know, all the time, while you are trying to dance with them. In between songs they continue (put your foot here, more strong in the arm, head up, relax your arm, do this, do that) and you cannot get a word in. Why are they being so generous? Do they do this with everyone? How can they listen to the music when they are continually talking?

Video/DVD

Lots of this around. Shows, teaching movies, demonstrations, snippets. There's quite a bit of video available for download. Enjoy it and get some ideas from it you can/want to. DO remember that you are often watching professionals with substantial training, so you are probably not going to be able to jump like they do.

One fantastic tango dancer (man) I've had the pleasure to meet mainly learned from videos. He, so he told me, thought "what do I have to do to lead/communicate that to my partner?". Then he practised with a tango friend and (IMHO) became an outstanding (very musical) tango dancer.

Books

More and more tango books are being written. I (Mike) have certainly gained some interesting insights from tango books.

Listening to Tango Music

If you are not used to tango music, then it can seem a little odd and a lot of the pieces can sound a bit dirgey/monotonous. Generally speaking it seems to take a few years to get used to tango music, if it is new to you, and there is usually a moment of realisation when you suddenly hear the music within tango music. Then all of the old, monotonous, dirgey music suddenly sounds wonderful, intricate and moving.

Performance

Nothing like a bit of pressure and stress to get you to learn to do things well, so that they also look good: it takes quite a bit of courage to film yourself, then watch it.

Physical Activities that Compliment Tango Dancing

There are various physical activities that seem to compliment tango dancing. My personal favourite is lots Pilates, with a good teacher, together with a dash of contemporary dance and a hint of ballet.

Use a Camera

Take a movie of you dancing with a partner. Watch it, try not to cry, then watch again and work out what things you want to change. Try changing then use the camera again, etc.

Private Lessons

During a private lesson you can learn a lot, and it can be quite an intense experience. Beginners do not usually benefit all that much from private lessons, but once you've got going it can be a very efficient (time and money) way to learn tango.

Private lessons are available from any of the visiting, or regular teachers.
Pricing policy