Summer 2008 Argentine Tango Classes in Boston
BEGINNING SERIES &
INTERMEDIATE SERIES
Organized by the Harvard School of Public
Health Tango Club
Five Tuesdays, August 5 - September 2
Tentative schedule:
6:30 - 7:45pm Beginning
7:45 - 9:00pm Intermediate
9:00 - 10:00pm Practica
Class descriptions and prerequisites below.
Location: Ruggles Baptist Church
874 Beacon St Boston, MA 02215
(by the Landmark Center; only a few blocks from the Longwood Medical Area)
Cost for one series of (5) classes:
Pre-registration:
$50 Students or Harvard Affiliates
$60 General Public
At the door:
$60 Students or Harvard Affiliates
$70 General Public
Drop-ins not allowed.
Register: To reserve a spot in either of the classes, send an email to
Tova (tova at morenotango dot com) with
your name, class (beginning or intermediate), phone number,
role (leader or follower), and price category. Pay by cash or check on the first day of classes.
Please arrive 15 minutes early to the first class.
CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
BEGINNING
The Argentine tango is an improvised walking dance, so students will learn how to connect with a partner while walking, and to lead and follow weight changes, pivots, ochos, la cruzada, check steps and the turn. In order to facilitate rapid improvement, students will switch roles (learning both the leader and the follower roles) as well as partners, and will learn to dance in open and close embrace. (Why do you switch roles? See our FAQ page.) Pre-requisites: none
ADVANCED BEGINNING
Students will improve quality of movement by working on variations of the material learned
in Beginning classes, as well as new movements such as check steps, the corrida, the ocho
cortado and more turns. Pre-requisites: At least 2 months of beginning Argentine Tango,
with us or another teacher.
ADVANCED BEGINNING/INTERMEDIATE: Dancing in the Milonga
Learn useful movements and skills that will allow you to dance more comfortably in crowded social tango dance settings in Boston (or Buenos Aires!). Dancing chest to chest, students will learn and refine the ocho cortado, rhythmic play, and variations on ochos and turns. The class will also learn to distinguish and dance to the different types of music played at milongas, as well as how to navigate the dance floor and the social codes.
Pre-requisites: students must be comfortable dancing the fundamentals in close-embrace (walking,
weight changes, the cross, ochos and turns); students should have somewhere
between 4 months to 4 years of previous tango experience
INTERMEDIATE
Here come the named steps: sacadas, boleos, ganchos, paradas, barridas.... Since there are so many elements and concepts to teach at the intermediate level (and this level lasts for so many years!), you can expect different content from one intermediate series to the next, so take it again!
Pre-requisites: Students must be comfortable with all the fundamentals, including turns and close-embrace dancing. Students at this level will have been taking classes and dancing at milongas and practicas for anywhere from six months to six years.
DRILLS AND EMBELLISHMENTS, A.K.A. SWEATIN' TO D'ARIENZO
Argentine tango leaders and followers will improve balance, strength, and agility through the
exercises used in this class. Working solo and in pairs, students will practice rulos, enrosques,
boleos, turns, decorated footwork on ochos and open steps, and rhythm drills for fast, precise
feet.
Recommended for levels Intermediate and up.
ADVANCED INTERMEDIATE ELEMENTS
Somewhere between intermediate and advanced level-wise, this class will work with the usual elements but in non-basic ways, including challenging set-ups, executions, and/or exits, in order to enrich a dancer's intermediate vocabulary.
Pre-requisites: students must already be comfortable dancing all the basic spanish-named elements as listed in the Intermediate description above.
ADVANCED: Rhythms of Tango
This class will start out with 30 minutes of stretching, strengthening, balance and technique exercises. The other 1.5 hours will be spent working on advanced timing and rhythm concepts utilizing patterns (that we make up) to improve creativity and flow in the dance. We will avoid as much as possible dissecting the technique of intermediate movements such as boleos, sacadas, ganchos, etc., since it is assumed that students already know how to do these elements. If students don't know how to do intermediate elements well enough (as in they lead/follow them only roughly), they may be asked to take an intermediate class instead so they don't hold up others in the class. Thanks for your understanding!
ADVANCED INTENSIVE SERIES
Who: A small, dedicated group of strong intermediate/advanced tango dancers. Class size is limited so that Tova and Carlos can give individual attention to each student.
Requirements:
1. Instructor permission must be obtained (and is based on how serious you are about tango, as
well as your skill level).
2. Students will register with a partner who they can work with for the duration of the series
(we may rotate partners occasionally, but you will primarily work with the same person for the
entire series).
3. Students must be able to commit to the whole series. In the event that a student cannot attend
a class, please inform your partner and Tova as soon as possible (preferrably before the start
of the series).
4. Homework will be given each class. Homework will often require students to practice
on their own. Although you will not get a "grade" at the end of each series, your dancing
will of course improve more rapidly if you do your homework. Subjects: Specific subjects will be
determined by the needs of the students and will probably cover posture and elegant motion, some
fancy footwork, and advanced patterns and techniques for improving your tango balance and comfort.
LEADERS LAB
FOR MEN AND WOMEN LEADERS
INTERMEDIATE TO VERY ADVANCED
Leaders, come refine your dancing skills. We will work on general exercises for balance, control and coordination, as well as specific technique for elements such as ganchos, sacadas, barridas, boleos, and leaders adornments. Through practicing with other leaders you will improve your understanding of how to lead comfortably and clearly while becoming more balanced and better at listening to your partner. "What, no followers?" Yes, the best dancers in the world know both roles.
Each Lab consists of:
- 15 minutes self-led practice
- 15 minutes warm-up and exercises
- 45 minutes technical and mechanical analysis of tango elements
- 45 minutes Q & A and supervised practice
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