You've been dancing tango for 6 months, a year, 3 years, 10 years, 20 years+... You've learned all you feel you need to know to cope with the social milonga. Why bother going to class? I understand that for many, once a certain level has been achieved in Tango, essentially a level that will get you the number of dances you want in the places you like to go, that is all that is needed. I also understand that when people attend their first tango class and struggle for an amount

Assessing level in Tango is an enormously tricksy thing to do. There are some who say, if you can lead or follow a back sacada, followed by a volcado then a double boleo you're an advanced dancer! I am not in this school of thought. There are many who are capable of forcing a follower into any of these movements (sometimes with a bit of verbal encouragement) and there are followers who fling their legs about demonstrating high boleos whenever the opportunity arises, many of

Writing about Argentine Tango can be a cathartic exercise, particularly as the subject throws up all sorts of questions that one might want to avoid talking about in person.   Of course, my thoughts on Tango are purely my own, I do not speak for others and can only imagine what the experience might be like for different dancers from different walks of life. I can only hope that some fellow dancers might find things I say, strike a chord with them, or assure them that they ar

Mirada & Cabeceo Time and time again, I and other ‘traditionalists’ have observed ‘Mirada & Cabeceo’ being used poorly. I totally understand that the practice of this method of invitation can be tricky for some, and a totally alien concept for others. But I will stand by my belief that it’s the best method of invitation. Having had conversations with many about Mirada and Cabeceo, it is apparent that there is a common myth that this is an unequal form of asking for a dance, b

As it happens, the eternal follower question of “How come so & so is up dancing all the time?” was again discussed at great length the other evening with friends. Also I just read a blog by a fellow tango dancer, which highlights the things that put leaders off inviting a follower, but there are also certain behaviours which are demonstrated by followers during a milonga which show a distinct lack of sisterly camaraderie. At a glance in a milonga, it would seem that certain f

Before I get on my high horse and charge away with this subject I should say, I realise that there are different perceptions in what constitutes style and what constitutes substance, so these are my thoughts only. Youtube performance fatigue In these strange days of Lockdown and no actual dancing, I imagine many more hours are being wistfully spent, watching past performances by various professional dancers. I have to admit, that I became ‘Tango-performanced-out’ some time

Tango is often called a ‘walking dance’, perhaps in the sense that there is movement around the room rather than in one place. But it is...

The cross (La cruzada) as shown by Osvaldo Zotto & Mora Godoy 3 weeks in to your tango journey! You might be getting more familiar with...

Welcome back! We really hope you are starting to enjoy your journey! This week was really about reinforcing some of the things we...

Let’s recap what we did in our first lesson: We started with some warm up exercises. Useful ones to do at home are pointing and flexing...