Argentina Tango
Argentina Tango Lessons
T topic of Argentina Tango is no light matter. When we dream, we are good at the things we want to learn. With fantasies swirling through the mind, aspiring Argentina Tango divas take to the classrooms in preparation for a pilgrimage to the Argentina Tango capital and birthplace, Buenos Aires. Many travelers have wanted to learn for years, many want to get in shape through dance, and most want to form a connetion to the dance from Argentina that symbolizes the soul of Argentina, the national charater, what we hope to feel when they arrive on the streets of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. We all start out with Argentina tango images handed down to us through movies, videos, and travel books: gorgeous toned legs jutting out from colorful, special tango-dresses, amazing shoes, and hair coifed perfectly in a shiny bun at the nape of the neck, with flower pinned at the center. How could anyone not love these images? How could you not want to learn to tango, especially before travelling to Argentina?
Basic Tango lessons will give you enough knowledge of the Argentine dance to get by at any club, whether it be in New York or Buenos Aires. They call this conversational Tango. Usually travellers might sign up for Conversational (or Basic) Tango and take classes for a few months, for up to three times a week, to prepare for a trip to Argentina. Some start out at once a week, then, as the trip draws near, will have built up to three times a week. This intensive training just before departure to Buenos Aires ensures a solid knowledge of the basica of this complex dance.
What it Takes to Tango
The Argentina Tango is intense, both in its style and in what it requires physically from the dancer. Although you won't develop a dancer's body in a few months, you probably will notice increased strength in your legs, and perhaps better alignment, as you practice better posture while dancing. You might notice that at first your muscles are sore after your first few lessons. Your body might feel stiff, and you will notice that you feel a little uncoordinated at first as your brain and body get used to working together to form the tango postures and movements. The more you practice, the better your body and brain will become at knowing what the other is doing, and will begin to coordinate together. You'll feel clumsy even walking backwards, but this will improve with practice.
Argentine Tango has a language, and the words are the individual movements of the Tango. You can dance to the same piece of music over and over, and never dance it the same way. If you say something different each time you dance the Tango, you will have danced a different Tango each time. There's even a sense of humor to the dance, if you know the language. To be able to speak Argentina Tango, or in other words to be able to show the movements correctly, you'll have to have some dancer intuition already in place. For example, pointed toes, flexed knees, balance tipped slightly forward, and mirroring your partner's shoulders are all basics that you have to master, like building blocks on which the real Tango language will be constructed. There's another language involved, as well: Spanish. As you learn Tango, you will learn the names of the movements, as your instructor, who might be from Argentina, calls them out. They may even be handy as you attempt a bit of traveller's Spanish while on vacation in Argentina. Here are a few examples:
- ochos, or figures of eight
- el dibujo, or the drawing
- cruzadas, or crosses
- colgadas
- volcadas
- boleos
- ganchos
The names of the Argentina Tango steps originate in the barrios of Beunos Aires in teh 1800s. Women in long skirts who danced the Argentina Tango in the rough streets make patterns in the dirt. The patterns gave the steps their names. Once you practice the steps and get good enough at basic Tango moves, you may be invited to attena a practica by your dance instructor. This is an evening session where you can dance with different partners and show off your Tango style, Argentina style! Also, for the female Tango students out there, it's likely that your class is made up of mostly women, then you may not have even danced with a man yet. The practica is your chance to tango with a man! You will learn something from each partner you dance with, even though you might end up feeling shy or humiliated by what you perceive to be your bad Tango style. You will meet people who are obsesses with the Tango, people who dance Tango more than 8 hours a week, and people who have been dancing Tango all their lives. It has been said that Tango is a dance you learn for life.
In Buenos Aires, the top tangueros spend the first six months of lessons just learning to walk the right way. If you visit a milonga, a tango dance club, you will probably see some good tango walks, especially if some of the dancers are pros from Argentina. If you live in a major urban area, chances are you'll have lots of places to try your new Tango skills, and to satisfy your obsession. Look for clubs, more dance studios where you can take extra classes, advanced workshops, private classes, and group classes.
Women, you can indulge in Argentina Tango footwear if you are so inclined. Look for black suede Tango shoes, red Tango shoes, shoes made in Argentina or Urrguay, shoes with a 1940s heel, stilettos from Argentina or shoes from Buenos Aires made just for walking backward! Some think that the more a woman spends on her Tango shoes, the more serious dancer she is...silly! But some Tango shoes may be hard to resist, and watch out, they cost a bunch. Arika Nerguiz makes some gorgeous Tango shoes. The smooth soles are specially designed to pivot easily, and the suede feels like butter around your feet. Straps keep them falling off your feet, which is classic. There really is a sort of cult built up around Tango shoes, because they are so gorgeous. Tango shoes imported from Argentina have waiting lists, and designers like Manono Blahnik and Comme il Faut make Tango shoes. The basic elements of Tango shoes are:
- stiletto heels
- center strap down the foot
- suede, possibly
- red, possibly
Some designers from Buenos Aires to keep in mind when shopping for Tango shoes are: Neo Tango and Flabellas. Happy shopping, and Happy Dancing!
Top
