Tango workshops

[David Bailey]

I notice that there are a couple of AT workshops coming up:

Amir's "Argentine Tango Fundamentals" workshop:
Jango News (http://www.jango.co.uk/news.html)

Marc & Rachel's "A Taste of Tango" workshop:
Specialist (http://www.ceroclondon.com/specialist.htm)

Anyone going / thinking of going to one or more of these?

[Northants Girly]

No but I am thinking about going to this (http://www.royaloak-pub.co.uk/Index.cfm?pageID=3&mode=showEvent&id=15) course of 6 Tango lessons in Northants

[Jay Jay]

........pure 'fluke' just booked for Marc and Rachel's 'Taste of Tango'. I am getting adventurous...first taste of Tango and first posting on forum!

[Northants Girly]

Welcome to the forum Jay Jay!

[tsh]

Can we have a poll :)

[David Bailey]

........pure 'fluke' just booked for Marc and Rachel's 'Taste of Tango'. I am getting adventurous...first taste of Tango and first posting on forum!
Welcome Jay Jay!

Anyone else booking for either of those workshops?


Can we have a poll :)

Done.

Oops, it's not multi-choice. Duh. Hold on, I'll kludge it... :)

[Tangled Feet]

I notice that there are a couple of AT workshops coming up:

Amir's "Argentine Tango Fundamentals" workshop:
Jango News (http://www.jango.co.uk/news.html)

Marc & Rachel's "A Taste of Tango" workshop:
Specialist (http://www.ceroclondon.com/specialist.htm)

Anyone going / thinking of going to one or more of these?
There's a Tango/Jive workshop down here in the midlands soon. I'll be going there. Have had a taster of a class with Amir a while ago, was well worth it.:clap:

[Tangled Feet]

........pure 'fluke' just booked for Marc and Rachel's 'Taste of Tango'. I am getting adventurous...first taste of Tango and first posting on forum!Welcome aboard !!:wink:

[DianaS]

hmm
It's tricky teaching tango if its an add-on to a reportoire. I'd rather learn from someone who specialises in tango

[Ghost]

hmm
It's tricky teaching tango if its an add-on to a reportoire. I'd rather learn from someone who specialises in tango
I think they're not actually teaching "tango" but more "tangoesque moves that work in MJ".

[David Bailey]

hmm
It's tricky teaching tango if its an add-on to a reportoire. I'd rather learn from someone who specialises in tango
Ooooh, you Tango Snob, you :na:

[DianaS]

but do you agree?

[Northants Girly]

or maybe the poll is only for non-tango teachers as I see the workshops I mentioned got missed off it :(

However, I must add that after seeing Amir and Cat perform at Southport the other year I'd say Amir is more than qualified :)

[David Bailey]

Nope.

Amir's more than competent to teach a "fundamentals of AT" class to MJ-ers, and I'm glad to see there's a market for it.

Marc and Rachel's class is clearly marketed differently - it's a "Taste of Tango" - but again they're both great teachers and I'm sure they'll do a good job.

I've got no problems with classes that promote Tango to MJ-ers - of course, a real regular Tango class is better, but they are quite scary to go to by yourself, so an intermediate step sounds like a good idea to me. It also sounds like the sort of thing Franck's been doing in Scotland on a regular basis, and I don't believe that's hurt Scottish MJ dancing any.


or maybe the poll is only for non-tango teachers as I see the workshops I mentioned got missed off it :(
That's because I forgot - post the details and I'll bung it on, of course.

[Sheepman]

or maybe the poll is only for non-tango teachers
Amir's more than competent to teach a "fundamentals of AT" class to MJ-ers
Fundamentals and well beyond I would say, Amir has often stood in for top tango teachers in London when they are away. If Amir was still doing regular tango classes, then those would be the ones I would attend.

But I won't be at the workshop, as I'm away skiing at the time.

Greg

[Raul]

I notice that there are a couple of AT workshops coming up:

Amir's "Argentine Tango Fundamentals" workshop:
Jango News (http://www.jango.co.uk/news.html)

Marc & Rachel's "A Taste of Tango" workshop:
Specialist (http://www.ceroclondon.com/specialist.htm)

Anyone going / thinking of going to one or more of these?


DJ, I believe that you are inaccurate by calling both workshops "AT workshops" and causing confusion.

Marc and Rachel's workshop give a "Taste of Tango" and give a flavour of the passion and seduction in dancing or something like that.
In a way this would be comparable to Sugarfoot's or even Vincent and Flavia's workshops. The latter two are not Argentinian Tango but Tango fusion and Show Tango respectively.

I think that Amir is running a pure AT workshop for beginners. It takes about 7 years to be competent at that dance and the initial workshop can only cover the very basics.

If you want to add passion to your jive, by all means go to Marc and Rachel's workshop, I cannot think of a better couple that convey the dance chemistry but please note that they do not call it AT and it is not.

Amir has been dancing pure AT for 7 years, has been teaching and performing with the top AT followers in London and goes regularly to Argentina to perfect his craft. There is just no one to match him on AT on the MJ circuit.

[Sugarfoot]

DJ, I believe that you are inaccurate by calling both workshops "AT workshops" and causing confusion.

Marc and Rachel's workshop give a "Taste of Tango" and give a flavour of the passion and seduction in dancing or something like that.
In a way this would be comparable to Sugarfoot's or even Vincent and Flavia's workshops. The latter two are not Argentinian Tango but Tango fusion and Show Tango respectively.

I think that Amir is running a pure AT workshop for beginners. It takes about 7 years to be competent at that dance and the initial workshop can only cover the very basics.

If you want to add passion to your jive, by all means go to Marc and Rachel's workshop, I cannot think of a better couple that convey the dance chemistry but please note that they do not call it AT and it is not.

Amir has been dancing pure AT for 7 years, has been teaching and performing with the top AT followers in London and goes regularly to Argentina to perfect his craft. There is just no one to match him on AT on the MJ circuit.

Vince and Flavia did teach Argentine Tango (not Show Tango) at Southport, but I would agree that their forte is show Tango.

I do think it is very confusing for dancers who are faced with so many versions of Tango: Argentine Tango, Neo Tango, Tango Nuevo, Show Tango, Ballroom Tango. Tango Fusion such as Jango and what we teach.



As it has been said Amir has been practising Argentine Tango for some years as have we. I feel that this is essential to even teach Tango Fusion for Jivers. It is not about the moves, it is about the quality of the lead and follow that only comes with experience, practise and guidance from good teachers. There are several teachers now teaching Tango to Jivers who have little or no experience of the dance.

I remember one such teacher who had been teaching a series of Tango workshops for Jivers. During the freestyle after, several ladies were queuing up to dance with him expecting to Tango. He told them that he can’t Tango and that they should ask me??? :really:

[David Bailey]

DJ, I believe that you are inaccurate by calling both workshops "AT workshops" and causing confusion.
Possibly, if so my apologies.

The wide spectrum of Tango variations does make for confusion, however. And I didn't think it was worth getting all nit-picky about different variants - the main thing is that there are a couple of workshops taught by excellent teachers, on (some variant of) Tango, to an MJ audience.

Which I think is A Good Thing.


It takes about 7 years to be competent at that dance and the initial workshop can only cover the very basics.
7? I thought it was 10? Excellent, less than 5 years to go for me then :grin:


Vince and Flavia did teach Argentine Tango (not Show Tango) at Southport, but I would agree that their forte is show Tango.
Absolutely. I wouldn't class them as the best AT dancers in London, they're just good all-rounders with a reasonable grasp of Tango.


I do think it is very confusing for dancers who are faced with so many versions of Tango: Argentine Tango, Neo Tango, Tango Nuevo, Show Tango, Ballroom Tango. Tango Fusion such as Jango and what we teach.
And that's just Tango - if you add Milonga and Vals into the mix, it gets even more confusing :rofl:

[ducasi]

I've done various Tango-esque workshops with various teachers over my few years.

The "purity" of the Tango varied depending on the teacher.

Stefano & Alexandra taught us very pure tango – at least as pure as it can be at its absolute beginner level.

Amir taught us his Jango fusion, which in its Tango moments I'd say is quite pure, but in it's MJ moments, was obviously less so. Jango has a lot of the aesthetic and feel of real Tango. E.g., the connection was pretty much the same as I have been taught in pure Tango classes.

Marc & Rachel taught us their own take on bringing Tango to MJ. I wouldn't say it was very pure. Where Amir's Jango feels like he is teaching Tango with a bit of MJ thrown into the mix, Marc & Rachels' was much more MJ with a bit of Tango. The connection was much nearer what we're used to in MJ.

This is not to say that any one teacher or what they taught was better than another, it's just that they were coming from a different place on the line between Tango and MJ.

I'd say that Marc & Rachel's classes would be better for someone with little or no Tango experience, while Amir's would be better for a dancer with more Tango experience.

What's interesting though, is that both Amir's Jango, and M&R's "Taste of Tango" have a lot in them which can make anyone a better MJ dancer, even if they never take another Tango step in their life.

[tsh]

I was assuming that Amir would not be teaching Jango at this workshop, otherwise he'd probably have called it a Jango workshop. Since it's only an afternoon, rather than a 5 year course, I guess it won't be real tango either...

[Northants Girly]

That's because I forgot - post the details and I'll bung it on, of course.Thurs 24th Jan Argentinian Tango at Royal Oak, Blisworth, Northants

Beginners course starts on this date and lasts 6 weeks £30

[David Bailey]

:confused: That's not an AT workshop aimed at MJ-ers though, is it? Sorry if I wasn't clear - that's the sort of thing I was talking about...

[David Bailey]

Oooh, found another one!

From here:
Aquarius Ballroom Specialist Workshops 2008 (http://www.cerocmidlands.co.uk/AquariusBallroomSpecialistWorkshops2008.htm)


Tango Fusion by Maja and Ken - Saturday 20th September

Maja & Ken bring Tango Passion into Jive. Focusing on fundamentals of style, technique, musicality and connection, providing you with fancy footwork and saucy slides.
Anyone know anything about this?

I'm not sure where "fancy footwork" and especially "saucy slides" comes into Tango. Possibly that's what advanced AT-ers learn :)

[Lory]

hmm
It's tricky teaching tango if its an add-on to a reportoire. I'd rather learn from someone who specialises in tango
I reckon there's a lot of people out there who want to be able to dance with a Argentine Tango'ish style, using a MJ lead..

they'd like a few moves in reserve, for when the odd Tango track comes on, that's all.

Lets face it, learning AT takes years. Its a totally different concept to MJ and it's bloomin' hard work.

So why put yourself through all that stress, if all you want to achieve is, the look. And you can get somewhere near to this, by learning a few (DJ will kill me for this) patterns!

Not everyone has the time or inclination to go down the 'authentic' path, they just want a quick fix, taught in the familiar MJ format.

And why not?

Not everyone sees the point of putting themselves through the agony of being a beginner again. And not everyone aspires to being 'correct'.

Personally, I happen to enjoy the process of learning, even though it gets frustrating at times. I like a challenge, so I'd choose the real deal myself but I do recognize there's a valid niche in the market for those who just want to add a bit of 'Tango styling' to their repertoire :nice:

[philsmove]

On My Ski/ Dance Holiday, Stuart Plant took an AT absolute beginners class for Leroc Dancers


He stared off on the premise It was “It is just a simple Argentinean folk dance”

Just walking round the room in anticlockwise direction, In time to the music
With a partner

And at the end of the week most people could indeed get round the floor when a GOTN track came on

One critical thing, the lead/ follow in AT is very different to MJ but not that difficult

IMHO AT cannot be danced using a MJ lead/ Follow


Any one going on one of these


Tango Toolkit weekends: tango classes to help absolute beginners learn to dance tango argentino (http://www.tangouk.co.uk/toolkit.htm)

[David Bailey]

I reckon there's a lot of people out there who want to be able to dance with a Argentine Tango'ish style, using a MJ lead..
Tempting though it is to say "Well, they should darn well learn it properly then!", I agree.

Although I'm not really sure if these will look that good in themselves. without some background. I'd view these workshops more as tasters or introductions, personally; certainly they'll help, but I don't believe there's a quick or easy way to get an overall "Argentine Tango'ish style", short of actually learning Argentine Tango.

That all said, there are some nice things you can learn, quite quickly.


So why put yourself through all that stress, if all you want to achieve is, the look. And you can get somewhere near to this, by learning a few (DJ will kill me for this) patterns!
There are indeed some nice pattern-y things that you can learn quickly. Planeos are the obvious example, but ochos and ganchos are also relatively straightforward.

Giros.... well, we may have to disagree on whether these are patterns or not :na:, but I think they're quite nice to learn for an MJ-er, because of their relationship to a Columbian. And giros are much easier to do on a crowded dance floor than Columbians.

[David Bailey]

Any one going on one of these

Tango Toolkit weekends: tango classes to help absolute beginners learn to dance tango argentino (http://www.tangouk.co.uk/toolkit.htm)
I went to a Tango Tangk thing last year - run by the same people. It was very good; small-scale, informal, and friendly. Plus, it's a lovely area.

[David Bailey]

So, how was the AT Fundamentals workshop then?

Marc and Rachel are doing a "Tango Improvisation" masterclass at Storm next weekend, I have high hopes for that :whistle: