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Curriculum
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Argentine Tango Curriculum
We have recently revised our curriculum to better address the varied and personal development of the social dancer. Our system balances four skill areas that successful dancers embody:
Preparation - body awareness and conditioning for tango movement
Connection - the art of improvising with a partner
Vocabulary - tango structure, grammar, elements and "steps"
Expression - expressing music through movement
Our Tango Initiation course (formerly Tango 101) is a progressive 6-week session covering the foundation of tango social dance. After this, our Levels 1-4 are ongoing, each one with its own developmental focus, and we encourage you to remain at each level until you feel confident dancing the material in public at a milonga. You may attend classes at more than one level at the same time. If the class you choose is too challenging for you, the instructor will ask you to switch.
Drop-in Basics - An introduction to social tango for the curious and cautious! A great place to bring your friends or to review basic partner connection, vocabulary, and navigation. This is a single one-hour session offered weekly before the Tuesday ESL Milonga.
Tango Initiation (formerly Tango 101) - For those completely new to tango. You'll learn walking steps, cunitas (rock steps), the follower's cross, ochos and grapevine turns. All students will experience both leading and following roles. Flat shoes with leather soles, jazz shoes, or dance sneakers recommended for all.
Level 1 - Close Embrace (formerly 102 & 103): Develop your "close embrace" social tango, a style which originated in the crowded downtown milongas of Buenos Aires. Includes ocho cortado and variations, left and right turns for tight spaces, calecitas, and other essential vocabulary for social dancing.
Level 1/MV - Close Embrace Milonga/Vals: (formerly 104) An exploration of the character and aesthetic of milonga and Argentine vals as distinct entities. Explore the playful rhythmic footwork of "milonga traspie," the repetitive double-time and hesitation steps that make milonga artful and complex. You'll also apply the 3/4 rhythm of waltz to our vocabulary of improvisation.
Level 2 - Elements: Integrate new elements into your dance, such as boleos, ganchos, sacadas, and paradas, one at a time. These classes will give you a thorough understanding of how these elements are built from the foundational structures you are already familiar with, and how to integrate them into your dancing.
Level 3 - Sequences: Refine your posture, balance, focus, and positioning in the context of longer sequences combining elements you know already and others that are newer and more challnging. These classes are designed to deepen the expression of your dance, so that your personal style can emerge. Barridas, follower's sacadas, rear sacadas, and alterations may be introduced at the discretion of the instructor.
Level 4 - Special Effects: Explore unique developments in tango improvisation such as off-axis technique, pivoting on two feet, styles of tango not represented in our regular curriculum, or unusual material developed by guest instructors.