If the word tango brings you in awe and you can’t keep your eyes off the TV when Strictly is on, the new year might be just the right time to try a bit of tango yourself!
If you’re thinking of starting tango but don’t know where to start, here are a few pointers for starters.
Group classes or private classes?
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If you don’t know whether to start with private or group classes, both have got good things for them. Group classes are a great way to be exposed to many different concepts and to benefit from the experience of other dancers. They also give you the opportunity to dance with a variety of partners. Knowing that tango is a social dance, being able to adapt to a variety of dancers is a nice skill to have. If you come regularly, you’ll also quickly make some friends, and tango will become all the more enjoyable! All our group classes are followed by 3 hours of social dancing, which is a great way for you to clock your tango miles and practice what you’ve just learned. |
Private classes might be better if you are on the shy side or if you want to progress quicker. Whilst being more expensive than group classes (although you can always spread the cost if you share the tuition with someone!), private classes provide more in-depth insights into the dance.
In a private class, we’ll go at your own speed, and focus only on what is most relevant to you. Also, as you’ll be dancing with an experienced teacher, you’ll get more precise feedback about your dancing.
If you want to learn more about the difference between group classes and private classes, you can have a look at two of our previous blogs: “Tango group lessons or Private tuition: which is for me?” or “5 reasons to take private classes“.
On your own or with a partner?
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If you don’t have a dance partner, don’t let this get in the way, a lot of people start tango on their own. In class, we make sure dancers rotate every two songs, so that everyone gets a chance to dance together. If you have a partner to come to classes with, by all means, do come together! We recommend that if you join a group class, you swap partners to be exposed to different ways of leading and following, although you can decide to stay together of course! |
What to wear?
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Anything comfortable will do. Tight jeans or pencil skirts might restrict your moves, but apart from that, anything that lets you move freely will be fine. As for shoes, if you have any pair of leather-soled shoes, they will be perfect until you get the tango bug and buy a pair of dance shoes. |
How to prep?
Tango is not strenuous exercise, so you won’t need to go to the gym to prep for the classes! 🙂 You don’t need to prep, really, but if you are curious to learn more about tango, here is a list of things you can easily do that will make your first classes more enjoyable:
- Listen to tango music: being comfortable with tango music is always a plus. Also, there’s always a chance you’ll find a song that’ll make you swoon… To get started, we publish tango music every Tuesday on our blog, and you can have a go at listening to our “tuesday tandas”, a group of 3 or 4 songs from the same orchestra.
- Understand tango lyrics: Understanding the lyrics of the song you’re dancing on, is always a plus as you’ll be able to express yourself better, so if you’re interested, you can have a look at the songs we’ve translated.
- Watch tango videos: Get some inspiration with beautiful videos from top dancers in the world. We have a selection of videos to get you started.
See you soon on the dancefloor!
Nati y Bruno
