Private lessons are the ultimate way to master the art of Tango. They allow you to focus on technique, connection, and the subtleties that make Tango such a rich and expressive dance. But what is the most effective approach to taking private lessons?
Should you:
Take lessons with a partner?
Learn solo?
Work with a teacher of the same role or opposite role?
Learn with a master couple?
Each option has its benefits. Let’s explore the pros and cons of each method to help you choose the best fit for your Tango journey.
1. Private Lessons with a Partner and One Teacher
Pros:
You and your partner practice together, building familiarity and teamwork.
Consistent feedback from the same teacher ensures unified guidance.
The teacher observes and corrects your partnership dynamics while dancing together.
Cons:
You’re dancing with another student, which limits exposure to advanced techniques and experience.
2. Private Lessons with a Partner and Two Teachers (Master Couple)
Pros:
You benefit from the expertise of both a leader and follower, ensuring a balanced understanding of Tango.
Each teacher can dance with you, provide individual feedback, and observe your partnership.
Teachers can demonstrate advanced techniques and elements as a couple.
Cons:
None! This setup is ideal for couples looking to refine their skills.
3. Private Lessons Alone with a Teacher of the Opposite Role
Pros:
You dance with an expert who can physically guide you, helping you feel the nuances of the dance.
The teacher directly senses your mechanics and corrects issues from the inside out.
Solo lessons with an opposite-role teacher can develop your connection and technique.
Cons:
Teachers may not always be able to observe your dancing from an external perspective.
Combining this method with lessons involving a partner or group classes is beneficial.
4. Private Lessons Alone with a Teacher of the Same Role
Pros:
Focus entirely on the specifics of your role, perfecting your techniques as a leader or follower.
Expert advice ensures you develop strong fundamentals for your role.
Cons:
While valuable, this method doesn’t simulate the experience of dancing with a partner of the opposite role.
5. Private Lessons Alone with a Master Couple
Pros:
This is the ideal scenario for solo learners! You dance with both teachers and receive tailored feedback based on their unique perspectives.
One teacher focuses on dancing with you while the other observes and critiques.
Demonstrations by the master couple help you visualize complex elements.
Cons:
None! This setup provides a holistic learning experience.
Maximizing Your Tango Journey
The best approach? A combination of all these methods:
Take private lessons with your partner.
Schedule solo sessions with teachers in both roles or with a master couple.
Enroll in group classes to experience social dancing dynamics.
Visit Buenos Aires with your teacher to immerse yourself in the authentic Tango scene, where you can dance with local experts and receive feedback from world-renowned Maestros.
Why Both Group and Private Lessons Matter
Relying solely on private lessons can make Tango feel like a personal relationship with your teacher, which limits your growth. Conversely, only taking group classes prevents you from mastering the finer details of Tango.
To become a well-rounded dancer, balance is key. Private lessons refine your skills, while group classes expose you to real-world scenarios.
Ready to Begin Your Tango Journey?
Explore your options for private lessons and make Tango more than just a dance—it’s a way of life.
Unlocking Musicality in Argentine Tango: Dance, Emotion, and Connection
Music calls you.
When you like a song, it attracts you in a way from which you cannot break easily. One time you are hooked on the music, it affects you. The music awakes emotions in you. If these emotions make you move, then you are dancing.
There is no need to rationalize your responses to the music.
They are spontaneous. The same song does not affect everybody in the same way, and it does not affect you in the same way every time it is played.
When you learn to dance Argentine Tango, you need to incorporate fundamental elements of posture, walking, change of weight, embracing, awareness of your body and your partner’s body, leading and following, basic patterns like the cross, backward, and forward ochos, boleos, etc.
You’ll also need to learn to understand the music of Argentine Tango, its rhythm, phrasing, structure, and the different orchestral styles.
However, when you have internalized all this knowledge through discipline and practice, you will need to forget it and let yourself respond to the music’s call, not as a thoughtful answer but rather as a let-go in which the music affects you emotionally but does not determine what you do regarding your movements.
The music is a friend who dialogs with you, not a boss who orders you.
Let’s take a look at Nestor La Vitola’s dance. He is an excellent milonguero from Buenos Aires, a teacher, and a friend of mine:
Isn’t he very musical? I love seeing him dancing to Pugliese’s orchestra. If you know a little about Argentine Tango, you already know that dancing to Pugliese’s orchestra is among the most challenging achievements in this dance.
One time, in a conversation about musicality with other dancers, he stunned us with this affirmation: “Yo no le doy ni cinco de pelota a la música.”
“I do not care even a little about following the music.”
Wow!!!
This assertion made me laugh because it made me discover the meaning of musicality from an unexpected angle. It is consistent with a general approach to dancing: not using force. This is how I understand his “zen slap” answer: you do not need to try to follow the music. If you are sensitive to the music, if you listen to it, if you –fundamentally– stop judgment, you will allow the music to take over, awaken emotions in you, and move you.
Here is another great milonguero, Blas Catrenau, also a teacher and a friend of mine:
In our lessons, he tells me not to obey the orchestra. Instead, he tells me that I should act like the singer, expressing myself with the orchestra behind me as a backdrop to my performance.
I interpret this as follows: I am like a soloist playing a stellar role in the orchestra. The orchestra is the frame of the work of art, which is my dance.
When I dance, I do not have a precise choreography in mind. What I do have is a structure: first, I need to offer and find a connection with my partner; then, I have to sense myself in this couple, in this milonga, in this tanda, in this song, at this moment; as I start to move, I need to pay careful attention to my partner and our connection; I will deliver my repertoire of moves gradually, starting with simplicity, breathing, often pausing to access the state of my partner, myself, and our connection as a couple, all in a bodily way, without saying anything; then, when I consider it appropriate, I may take some more risk, to open the game, to make it exciting, alive, playful and joyful; that’s it! I then restrain myself to avoid getting carried away by my emotions. I’ll pause longer to prepare for something else, a more complex choreographic idea, perhaps. Then, close to the song’s end, I get myself together, providing a relaxing moment for my partner, and “chan-chan!”, the end of the song, sometimes as a grand finale, sometimes as a subtle “tan-go-close” ending.
From Posture to Pivot: A Journey to Excellence in Argentine Tango Dancing
Learning to dance Argentine Tango requires passionate dedication and practice.
Here, we offer indispensable details regarding Argentine Tango and exercises to help you improve your dancing skills.
Whether you are a beginner without any dancing experience, an intermediate dancer looking to polish your dance, or an advanced dancer in search of perfecting your moves, practicing these exercises as often as possible will take your dance to the next level.
We, humans, are unique among all known species. Our upright posture manifests extraordinary qualities. By the way, we stand up and present ourselves; we tell our own story, who we are, what we strive for, our dreams, our ideals, our thoughts, and our emotions. Through working on our posture we work not only on our body but on our entire persona. Therefore, from the perspective of a milonguero, good posture is not merely instrumental, achieved and developed only for the purpose of dancing well, but, in addition to our dance, the way we exist, presented to ourselves and everybody. What we can see in our posture (whether it’s the same or different from what everyone else sees) informs us and shows what we can improve about ourselves.
Technical details and exercises:
Legs and feet together, your weight distributed equally between them.
Shift your weight to one foot, displacing your vertical axis in the direction of the foot that holds your weight.
Keep the inside edge of your foot that is free of weight in contact with the floor (“inside edge position”).
Maintain your weight comfortably on the standing foot by conducting the weight of your body through it to the floor.
Knees close to each other. Your knees maintaining a constant connection to your axis, which passes through the center of your body, from the top of your head to the center of the base of your body in regard to your weight distribution on one foot or between both feet.
Hips level, your ilia (hip bone) parallel to the floor, aligned with your transversal plane.
Torso aligned with your vertical axis, head rests on your torso, which rests on your legs.
Neck and head aligned with the same vertical axis.
Alignment of all your body parts to your central axis becomes essential: head, neck, torso, hips, legs, feet.
Eyes looking forward. Sight aligned with the floor, looking to the horizontal line.
Walk
Definition:
As with our posture, our human walk is also unique.
As with our posture, our human walk is also unique. In the case of dancing Tango, we are required to develop a way of walking which, remaining natural, serves the purpose of walking in the intimate company of our partner, embraced by each other, among other couples, creating a silent poetic dialogue with our bodies and in connection with the cadence of Argentine Tango music. This kind of music was devised to serve such a purpose, and always guides us on how to move in such situations.
Technical details and exercises:
After shifting your weight to one foot, move the leg that is free of weight forward and backward like a pendulum, maintaining light contact with the floor, using the “inside edge position” when passing through the “collect position” when both feet are together.
Then move the leg that is free of weight to the side, keeping your foot in touch with the floor, always using the “inside edge position”.
Last, make small circles while keeping your foot in touch with the floor, using the “inside edge position” while passing through the “collect position” when both feet together, and when stepping into the side position.
Keep your ilia at the same height, parallel to the floor, aligned with the transversal plane.
The movement of your leg is rooted in the ball and socket joint, which connects your femur to your hip.
Release both your knee and ankle joints so they can move freely.
The knee of the supporting leg is in a relaxed, ready state, neither bent nor locked.
Walk naturally, swinging the leg that is free of weight forward, extending it a little, letting your axis move in the same direction and maintaining it vertically through the transition, pushing gently from your back standing leg, and transferring your weight to the front leg at the end of this process, keep your foot in touch with the floor, softly, without dragging it.
Reverse the process to walk backwards. Pay close attention to the back of your foot by pointing it backwards when extending the leg that is free of weight, keep your foot in touch with the floor at all times, softly, without dragging it.
Maintain all details regarding your posture as described before.
At every step, take a back and forth step movement, changing your weight between feet. Practice this exercise going forward and backward.
Use this element to change directions when walking forward to backward and vice versa.
Pivot
Definition:
Rotation of your body’s axis as it passes through the ball of your standing foot.
Rotation of your body’s axis as it passes through the ball of your standing foot. To pivot, rotate your torso in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, producing a torque which gently pulls your lower body into a rotation that follows in the same direction as your torso.
Technical details and exercises:
Maintain the “inside edge position” when you pivot.
Step forward after pivoting, aligning your foot that is free of weight with your lower sagittal plane.
Direct your step forward in a circular trajectory around your partner. Orient the center of your torso towards the central axis of the couple.
From the step forward to the next position going forward, in which you will transfer your weight to the front foot, your torso is already rotating towards the center of the couple, so the foot that remains behind, by the pull of this torsion, which takes the shape of a spiral, turns your back foot, first, to the inside edge in contact with the floor, and then, makes it travel to your sagittal line, to the “collect/inside edge position”.
After this “collect/inside edge position”, we research these possibilities: 1. Forward ocho: Pivot more continuing in the same direction of your established rotation and move the foot that is free of weight forward, in alignment with your lower sagittal plane, your torso torquing according to counter body movement, orienting the center of your chest to the central axis of the couple. 2. Forward-side: Pass the foot that is free of weight behind the heel of your standing/pivoting foot while keeping the inside edge in contact with the floor, and continue to the side around your partner.
3. Backward ocho: When you reach the collect position, reverse the movement, bringing the leg that is free of weight back to the starting point when it was behind you. At this point you can collect/inside edge position and from there: a) Continue pivoting the same direction as your established rotation and move the leg that is free of weight backward, aligned with your lower sagittal plane, your torso torquing according to counter body movement, orienting the center of your chest to the central axis of the couple (backward ocho).
b) Reverse the rotation of the pivot and return forward with the leg that is free of weight to the previous position (boleo).
NOTE about knees: the knee of the leg that is free of weight passes behind the standing leg, fitting its convex shape into the concave space behind the knee of your standing leg, moving all around the standing leg until getting its concave back in front of its convex shape, making your feet end crossed. Your standing leg needs to be in a relaxed ready position, neither bent nor locked, while your leg that is free of weight is extended with a tension comparable to the tension of a well-tuned musical instrument string. Exercise: Move your leg that is free of weight around your standing leg back and forth.
Boleo
Definition:
A back and forth movement of the leg without changing weight.
Since our legs move like pendulums, a back and forth movement of the leg without changing weight is possible. We call this “boleo”. This pendular movement of the leg that is free of weight is most often combined with the spiral movement of the leg described above in relation to pivoting.
Technical details and exercises:
Keeping the leg that is free of weight in the “inside edge position,” pivot back and forth, allowing it to swing like a pendulum, while maintaining the details described above about knees and legs.
Do forward and backward ochos and practice the back and forth pendulum in every pivot.
Connection
Definition:
We are supremely gifted with the ability to connect to others.
We are supremely gifted with the ability to connect to others. It is also an intrinsic necessity of our human condition. Our capacity for connection with other human beings predates the appearance of language. Dancing Tango puts this primordial skill into play, connecting us without words.
Technical details and exercises:
Partner up facing each other and walk forward and backward maintaining the same distance between partners. One must lead and the other must follow.
When the leader walks backward, he places his partner to the right as the follower walks forward (outside partner position).
When the leader walks forward, he will walk in front and outside partner position. His left leg will always make the first step outside and in front.
Line of dance
Definition:
All couples on the dance floor move counter clockwise direction.
All couples on the dance floor move counter clockwise direction.
Technical details and exercises:
Partner up and face each other on the dance floor, oriented in a way that the leader walks forward and the follower walks backward, the couples travel on the dance floor in a counter clockwise direction.
Hands on each other’s shoulders.
Walk in outside and in front partner position.
Pause when in front of your partner.
Lead forward/backward movement when in outside partner position.
Systems
Definition:
There are two fundamental ways to combine movement of the four legs of a couple.
There are two fundamental ways to combine movement of the four legs of a couple: 1. Parallel system: The leader’s left leg moves in sync with the follower’s right leg and vice versa. 2. Crossed system: The leader’s left leg moves in sync with the follower’s left leg and vice versa.
Technical details and exercises:
Walk in front of each other, leaders forward and followers backwards.
In parallel system, inside/outside.
Change of system technique: leader’s left step, feet together, left again; followers always move the foot that is free of weight.
In crossed system: 1. On the open side.
2. In front.
3. On the closed side.
NOTE about distribution of weight: Leaders always rest their weight on both feet; followers are always lead to rest their weight on one foot.
Embrace
Definition:
It’s a very humane characteristic.
It’s a very humane characteristic, since we stand on two feet and our arms are free. Social dancing started in Europe during the Renaissance. Before dancing was ritual. In the beginning partners wouldn’t touch at all. Then they took each other’s hands in the minuet. Then the woman was on the man’s arms in the waltz. We can observe the tendency of partners getting closer to each other. Finally the couple dances intimately embraced in Tango.
Technical details and exercises:
Hold hands, like an honest handshake.
Center of your chests in front of each other.
A vertical axis of the couple passes through this center between your chests.
You can imagine a ball bearing as the joint between you and your partner, located in the central axis of the couple, at the midpoint of connection between each partner’s chest.
The right hand of the leader is in complete contact with the follower’s mid-back.
The embrace is neither too loose nor too tight. It must be warm, relaxed, versatile, and consistent.
“Tres amigos” by Anibal Troilo y su Orquesta Tipica with Alberto Marino in vocals, 1944 (English translation of the lyrics).
Tres amigos
Music and lyrics: Enrique Cadícamo.
From my lived pages, I always carry a great memory my emotions do not forget them; time passes, and I remember them more.
Three friends always went in that youth… It was the most talked about trio who could have walked through those southern streets.
Where will you go, Pancho Alsina? Where will you go, Balmaceda? I wait for you on the corner from Suárez and Necochea… Today, no one keeps this appointment. Already, my life has taken a detour. Today, the old guard yells at me: “Who has scattered that trio?” But I still remember my two friends yesterday…
Once, back in Portones, they saved me from death. Encounters are never lacking when a poor person has fun. And again, back in Barracas, I paid them that debt… They always saw us together… That friendship had us. It’s always tied to all three.
We are happy to have a collaboration with the people from tangotunes.com from whom some of you may have heard, they do high-quality transfers from original tango shellacs.
It is the number 1 source for professional Tango DJs all over the world.
Now they started a new project that addresses the dancers and the website is https://en.mytango.online You will find two compilations at the beginning, one tango and one vals compilation in amazing quality. The price is 50€ each (for 32 songs each compilation) and now the good news!
If you enter the promo code 8343 when you register at this site you will get a 20% discount!
Thanks for supporting this project, you will find other useful information on the site, a great initiative.
“El sueño del pibe” by Osvaldo Pugliese y su Orquesta Típica with Roberto Chanel in vocals, 1945.
Reinaldo Yiso
Lyricist (April 6, 1915 – December 15, 1978)
It was in 1945 when Reinaldo Yiso found wide acclaim with the tango “El sueño del pibe”, recorded that year by Osvaldo Pugliese with his friend and neighbor Roberto Chanel on vocals.
The subject of soccer approached in this tango produced a widespread famous lyric.
In “El sueño del pibe” the author reminisces his own times of happiness and illusion that he spent in his youth.
We are happy to have a collaboration with the people from tangotunes.com from whom some of you may have heard, they do high-quality transfers from original tango shellacs.
It is the number 1 source for professional Tango DJs all over the world.
Now they started a new project that addresses the dancers and the website is https://en.mytango.online You will find two compilations at the beginning, one tango and one vals compilation in amazing quality. The price is 50€ each (for 32 songs each compilation) and now the good news!
If you enter the promo code 8343 when you register at this site you will get a 20% discount!
Thanks for supporting this project, you will find other useful information on the site, a great initiative.
