Private lessons for couples, single students, and with two maestros. What to choose?

Argentine Tango Masters Marcelo Solis and Mimi in the San Francisco Bay Area

Private lessons are the best way to learn to dance Tango and the subtleties of this art.

What is the most efficient way to take your private lessons?

With a partner?

Alone?

With a teacher of the opposite role?

With a teacher of the same role?

With a master couple?

All the options are good.

Let’s see the pros and cons of each approach:

1.1 Taking private lessons with a partner with one teacher:

The main advantage is that you and your partner can practice together. Both of you receive consistent advice because you are learning from the same teacher, and he or she is able to watch you both dancing together.

The disadvantage, in this case, is that you are dancing with another student and not with a knowledgeable and experienced dancer.

1.2 Taking private lessons with a partner and with teachers in both roles (a master couple):

The advantage here is that you both receive expert advice from an experienced leader and a experienced follower, and that in addition to each of the teachers working individually with both of you and dancing with you and watching you dance, both teachers can demonstrate elements that you’re working on by dancing together.

This set up is ideal; no cons.

2.1 Taking private lessons alone with a teacher in the opposite role:

You will be dancing with an expert. Your teacher can sense the internal mechanics of your dance and demonstrate the nuances of the dance by transmitting them directly to you via sensations.

It would be good for your teacher to have a chance to see you dance from the outside too.

In this case, you can take private lessons with a partner once in a while, take your teacher’s group classes, or ideally come to Buenos Aires with us, where we will be able to assess your understanding of Argentine Tango by dancing with you in the context of Buenos Aires’ milongas, watching you dancing with great local dancers, introducing you to our Maestros and getting their feedback on the state of your Tango.

2.2 Taking private lessons alone with a teacher in the same role:

You will be able to focus on the specifics of your role while receiving expert advice from an experienced dancer.

You will be able to dance with your teacher, but it is overall not exactly the same as dancing with a partner of your opposite role.

2.3 Taking private lessons alone with teachers in both roles (a master couple):

This set up is ideal because you can dance with both of them, receive feedback from dancing with them, and from what they can see watching you dance.

Your best option is to set up a combination of all of these kinds of private lessons, including taking group classes and going to Buenos Aires with your teachers, since they are the ones who, being part of the Buenos Aires Tango scene, should introduce you to it.

See your options for private lessons

Neither group classes nor private lessons alone will make you a good dancer.

You need both.

If you take only private lessons, you make Tango a private relationship with your maestro, which is not enough to understand what is Tango.
If you only take group classes, you are not going to get deep enough into the fine details of Tango to make you a good dancer.