The road to Tango...

[David Bailey]

Yes, it's a shameless rip-off of ("homage to") "The road to Ceroc" - how and why did you first start to learn Tango?

I was first inspired by watching a move last summer in a Ceroc class, which involved back ochos and sweeps, all led from a Ceroc First Move. It got me thinking about AT - I can probably dig up the posts I made at the time.

But really, the inspiration was when Mr Long told me about a local class, and I signed up with him, starting about October last year.

Next?

[JonD]

April 2002. Having become a total dance junkie I was trying Lindy and Salsa but neither really struck a chord with me. I saw an advert for a series of 3 AT workshops for complete beginners and went along to see what it was about. My mental image was of folk with roses in their teeth - like that dance in "Zorro".

Fernando and Ruth were teaching and got us just walking round the room. As we walked they introduced different elements to change a "normal walk" into a "Tango walk". I remember doing my best - kissing feet, torso leading, standing up straight etc. etc. - when I noticed Fernando walking alongside me. For some reason I instantly realised that this was a dance I had to learn. It's been brilliant ever since.

[Kev F]

In Jan '05 I started ballroom lessons and my teacher, Kelly, also teaches AT and organises Tango Al Fresco in Regents Park. I've had a gentle introduction into it with the odd half hour of tuition here and there.

Lory joined me for tuition from Aug '05 and since Jan'06 we've been hooked and have made AT part of our lesson format every week.

I actually started dancing as a result of a accident when I cut one of my thumbs off with a hand saw in 2002. This meant my sporting days were over so I turned to dancing for a form of excercise. Wish I'd found it years ago.

[philsmove]

Summer 2004 I asked Elaine B and Simon what was happening in LeRoc that weekend

“Nothing in Bristol so why don’t you try Tango”

I went with them, for my first lesson with Eduardo Bozzo, then teaching at Tango West

Had a great evening but realised learning Tango was going to be very very difficult

And take more time than I had available

So I did try tango again for over a year

In September 2005, I had a message fro Elaine, that Eduardo was starting a new class, virtually of few hundred yards from were I live

So would be joining other absolute beginners

As I suspected learning has been hard work and I have now got to the difficult stage of wanting to move up from beginners to Improvers
I am very lucky that thanks to the Janet at the University; Tango West and Tango Alchemy it is possible to have lessons 5 days a week

[Lynn]

I think I was first asked 'do you dance Tango?' by a guy at a Southport weekender in Sep 04 - had to say no (but was able to have a Tango dance with him at Scarborough last month!).

There were about 2 classes run with a couple travelling from Dublin to teach in Oct 04 and I went along to those. (Looking back I now realise we were learning the basic 8). I enjoyed them but there wasn't much opportunity to take it further.

Then there was a 'taster class' at the Belfast week of dance in Sep 05 - by that stage I was trying Lindy as well, but Tango seemed to appeal to me more. I realised at that point that I really wanted to learn it! I emailed the teacher and she said she was starting classes this Jan in Belfast...

[jivecat]

I think I did some sort of tango workshop about 4 years ago and promptly forgot all about it, but Tangomania has come out of nowhere since Christmas and knocked me for six. Not sure why. Having someone to practise with and discovering good classes in my area has helped, although I didn't like it when I first started practising it and only did it under duress. That's all changed! It's hard to go back to being a complete beginner again although I can foresee it completely eclipsing MJ for me in the long term. Well, maybe not.

[Alice]

I was looking around for another style to try and one of my ceroc mates on the Aussie forum posted about a Tango class he'd found, just down the road from me. Didn't have anything on that night so I thought "what the heck" and told him I'd come along too. And then promptly forgot about it on the night and missed the beginner class. Still, I'd said I'd go, and it was just down the road so I showed up for the milonga afterwards, and the lovely teachers (and lots of the more advanced dancers) taught me the basics "in situ" so to speak.

My attendance has been a bit patchy since then but I'm looking forward to learning more (and more and more) soon.

<sigh>

[foxylady]

Started Tango a year ago and HATED it. Too strict, too formal, too submissive ( see here)
But then my teacher (from whom I was learning ballroom too) discovered Tango Nuevo, which is a much free-er form of Argentine Tango, which I LOVED, and have been learning ever since... We did some close hold stuff last week, which is a lot more like classic AT, but with all the grounding from the nuevo stuff, was much easier..

I don't like the technique-first "walking" method of the one class teacher I have experienced - and Peter tells me that a lot of the london Tango teachers are like that... I did the 'hour' walking class that CeeCee described, and as I never plan to be a "Show tango champion" I would really rather learn some substance along with my technique !! I have never been so bored ! (well not recently )

FL

[LMC]

I'd been thinking about taking up another dance style to "broaden my horizons" and hopefully improve some of my technique/style. I was reluctant to go back to salsa because I don't particularly enjoy "the scene", WCS classes are hard for me to get to, lindy doesn't appeal and I didn't really want to do ballroom without a regular partner to practise with outside lessons. Apart from odd classes/workshops in different styles "here and there" I never got around to doing anything more than talking about taking another dance up "properly", until Clive and DJ started going on about AT. So I did some research and liked what I saw.

I particularly liked the emphasis on technique - as I haven't been dancing for very long, hours and hours of walking, with an emphasis on balance and posture appealed greatly!

I've had four lessons now and am loving it. I will probably sign up for the next beginners' course that DJ did, as the individual lessons that I am doing, whilst good, don't give me any real sense of progression (although hopefully I am improving).

I feel like my MJ following has already improved, thanks to AT (feedback welcomed, but be nice, I'm a sensitive little soul today), but the tango has also completely opened my eyes to how much more there is to learn that I'd never consciously suspected.

So to summarise, it's Woger and DJ's fault. Thanks guys

[David Bailey]

I have never been so bored

That's because we did all the good stuff before you arrived, then had a bet to see how long you'd put up with just walking. Which I won.

Seriously, I dunno, after so many years learning nothing but moves, I find it quite refreshing, and even relaxing, to just practise technique solidly for an hour.

[philsmove]

Tonight I feel like Michael Palin

Having been “on the road” for several gruelling months, he realises, he still has 12,000 miles to

[tanjive]

I first discovered AT at Camber Nov 2004. Well I had to be dragged up to the class at the time. When I got back I found a 4 week introduction course with Steve and Debbie Morrell. I was hooked after that. So nearly three years later and it is my favourite dance.

[gebandemuishond]

One of my very good friends from uni used to dance tango in Hong Kong, and she was appalled at the lack of any tango in Oxford, so asked one of her friends to come up from London and do a couple of workshops. The last one was a while ago, I don't think I've danced any tango since starting ceroc. I really like the dance though, much better than ballroom tango.

Dan

[jive-vee]

I was inspired to find a local class and start learning after watching Vincent and Flavia's AT demos on the previous 2 series of SCD. I found a class in Bath at the beginning of this year and did the beginners' course with Michael and a couple of workshops with V&F at Southport. Found it hard to keep up the lessons regularly though as they're on a Friday night.

I started going back a few months ago and they are now being taken by the lovely (and very funny) Eduardo. I've stopped again though, partially as I still can't always make Fridays but also as the last lesson I went to turned out to be a practica run by one the regulars. The regular (though very nice) tried to give me too many hints and tips that my confidence (of which there was very little anyway as I am a newbie to AT) took a huge beating and I have since not had the enthusiasm to go back (AT seems to have a much steeper learning curve than MJ).

Looking forward to Southport though and hopefully this will renew my passion for this beautiful dance.

[Miss Flicts]

I liked the music from Al Pacino's tango in 'Scent of a Woman', so AT was the first partner dance that I decided to learn (about 6 yrs ago), but I didn't go through with it because I got distracted by salsa (livelier and easier to learn) and then MJ (super-fun and a really nice crowd).

I'm finally getting round to it now though, and have had my first few lessons. I'm only going once a week so it will be a long-term project. I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the technical things to remember but hoping eventually it will come more easily.