Primeros Pasos: An Introduction
You can continue learning tango into your next lifetime, but here is where you start…
Before you hop on the tango bus, we do some private lessons to cover the basic building blocks.
Primeros pasos course is for those that have seen some movies with super handsome actors and actresses having a great dance. You recognize two tango music pieces, and perhaps you have heard of Gotan Project.
Or you have been dragged by your hair to attend a tango class… or… or…
Primeros Pasos course is to see whether you actually like tango that is not a movie thing and does not always end in a fairytale.
You will learn very basic stuff. But very important essential building blocks with which you will be able to dance by the end of the course.
If you decide that you like it, it would be good to repeat it to steady your feet and perfect it before you proceed…
Principiantes: Beginners
You’ve had a taste, liked it, had another taste and you are curious for more. You can somehow walk in a straight line without crashing into others, you do not loose your partner behind your back anymore and can do something called an ocho with much less sweating then the first round…
You are now ready for the beginners course and have progressed into being a real tango student.
In Principiantes, you will be doing the same elements, cut up and put in interesting combinations.
Unless you are a reincarnation of Einstein it is highly unlikely that you will remember all the sequences. My suggestion - do not even try.
The hold, the posture, the upper body torsion, the contact, giving presence to your partner and foot work and musicality is what we would be indirectly working on.
The idea is to create a tango dance body.
This should take approximately 6 months of regular classes plus minimum of two hours of dance practice per week (at the Milonga).
For those that take all classes, come to all practicas, all milongas and practice everyday with somebody or excercise alone at home, the time frame given might be shorter.
Once crosses, giros, ocho cortados, cadenas, some simple sacadas, are a piece of cake to lead and follow without hanging for dear life, you are ready to move up. Hurray!!… prosit!!
Intermedios
I would nearly re name it as the dizzy spell :)
Ok so you are now being looked up at by the Principiantes students. You can make up a dance without stopping to think too much. You know all the basic names of the building blocks but it doesn't mean they are perfect.. so you go to your Intermedios class.
Intermedios is about a lot of turning..turning smoothly..helping you in navigting the floor space on the dance floor. Perhpas you do not sweat that much anymore but expect to go a bit dizzy at times.
We will do a few more sacadas and start touching on boleos, ganchos, volgadas, and all sorts crosses.
AND close hold dancing starts to creep in.
So in this phase you perfect what you have learnt. You will be strengthening your core muscles even furthur with the excercises you do in class. You gain more balance and coordination. Your dance is controlled. The connection with your partner comes more easily. You will also start having tango revelatory moments and finally you are hearing the music and dancing to it. WOW!!
Expect this phase to last approx 3 years or more depending how often you take classes and go dancing.
Avanzados
Aha so when you think you can turn your nose up at the rest..teachers says now we learn to communicate with each other, share the music and how to spin, with enrosques, lapises..all the cork screw effect you can master. There might be some falling about at first but in reality you are becoming real dancers. Your dance will become deeper, varying in emotion you may also want to start Tango Scenario (for stage) at this phase and start working on your lifts, or simply keeping it to beautiful navigation through the dance floor, and super playfullness with music. The culmination is in creating a dance which looks effortless, and feels amazing for yourself and partner, musically great hence you might consider taking Primeros Pasos again :) and perfect the foundations.
The journey is never ending and it spirals up going back to the same start position with a much deeper knowledge of the dance and greater control and awarness of self with a lot of aha factors along the way.
Técnica: Technique classes
Técnica classes are where you excercise and work on your footwork, posture, balance and do excercises without clutching to your partner. Basically when you feel yourself falling sideways there is no one to blame :)
These classes are usually repetitive tango excercises to help strengthen your core and become a joy of a dancer to watch and to dance with. You will know that the effort was worth your while, when you start becoming in demand at the milonga.
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