Location: Las Estrellas, Academia Nacional del Tango, 2-3 Inverness Mews, Bayswater, W2 3JQ, UK
All in anticipation of a travel surprise later on this year, I've signed up for four Tango lessons, the first of which began last night. At £10 for a 2 hour lesson, this is conceivably the best deal around.
The first-timers made up almost half the class of beginners. We stood in a circle prepared to learn all we could. After the first half-hour spoken introduction, we were finally allowed to take a partner and dosey-do uh, tango style.
Not sure whether this was a wax-on wax-off approach to teaching, but the class seemed to be standing around listening and watching for a lot of the 2 hour lesson.
The instructor intermittently selected one female into the circle to demonstrate the concepts in front of the class with him, paying extreme attention to all the dance details: position, posture, axis, walking, balance and more. The simple instruction for the girls to get it right “Do not think, just follow,” as he led them through a sequence of steps.
How boring for the males, of which there would’ve been a ratio of 1:3 girls. They stood and watched, only mimicking the final 'salida' steps during the last 30 minutes of the session.
What we did learn though, was how essential it is to have each partnership move as one. Should the couple move as two, the dance falls apart. I assume this is why he places so much emphasis on getting things right from each student from the very beginning.
Lesson one is over, three more to go.
Item 40: Tango? ... NO! NO! NO!
Tuesday 17 February 2009
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2 comments:
So did you last the distance? Can you follow without thinking now?
Unfortunately I place following without thinking in the same era as refusing women with the right to vote.
The tango (at this school) is off my list!
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