Monthly Archives: January 2020

Guest post

Guest post: Dispatches from the Tango Queens Congress

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First Tango Queens Congress.jpg

This is a guest post by Maria, a friend who attended the first Tango Queens Congress, billed as an opportunity to ‘give the women in tango a chance to connect with other women, share their stories and discuss the complex experience of being a woman in tango.’

There is a new verb in the tango world, coined by Veronica Toumanova after the congress. To queen: to meet other tango women for dancing, laughing, talking, sharing, hugs, support, solidarity, emotion, knowledge, wisdom, patience and love. If I add yoga, this sums up perfectly what we did at this tangueras-only event, a new format in the international tango events scene … 

Continue reading Guest post: Dispatches from the Tango Queens Congress →

Group class, Socialising, Theory

A really fun lesson, and a great evening socialising

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Tonight’s tango itinerary was the Thursday intermediate lesson with Luis and Natalia, and then … a dilemma! It was the monthly Tango Space drinks, which I always enjoy, but also Tango Terra.

It wasn’t feasible to do both, so a decision needed to be made …

Continue reading A really fun lesson, and a great evening socialising →

Milonga

There’s a long gap between Sunday and Thursday …

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I’d been considering cutting back from three milongas a week to two, allegedly to give myself a saner schedule, though the smart money would be on me using the time to try new milongas.

However, last week had cast doubt on the idea of giving up the Tuesday one. Plus, when I think about it, there’s a very long gap between Sunday and Thursday …

Continue reading There’s a long gap between Sunday and Thursday … →

Milonga

One worrying moment at Tango Terra, and two great ones

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Tango Terra.jpg

I learned my lesson from last time: namely that there is no point being there at 3.30pm when the milonga officially starts.

It began last time at around 4.20pm. I did enjoy socialising beforehand, though, so decided a 4pm-ish arrival would be about right …

Continue reading One worrying moment at Tango Terra, and two great ones →

Practica, Private lesson

I love it when a plan comes together

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a plan comes together.jpg

This weekend was going to be pretty tango-centric, with a practica and private on the Saturday, and a milonga on the Sunday.

Saturday got the weekend off to an excellent start …

Continue reading I love it when a plan comes together →

Group class, Milonga

A double sacada I may actually be able to do, and introducing a tearful friend to Tango Terra

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Tango Terra.jpg

I loved tonight’s intermediate lesson with Luis and Natalia.

The eventual aim was a lovely flowing circular sequence with a double sacada. It’s again the sort of thing that would have had me running for the hills a few months ago, but tonight I was able to keep up with the various versions along the way, and I think the final one too. We actually ran out of time on that one, so I can’t be 100% sure as there was no opportunity to video it, but I’ll try it at Saturday’s practica and we’ll see …

Continue reading A double sacada I may actually be able to do, and introducing a tearful friend to Tango Terra →

Milonga

Tango was teasing me tonight

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teasing.jpg

Earlier, I was considering dropping the Tuesday milonga from my schedule.

I hasten to add that’s not because there’s anything remotely wrong with it. Rather that, just as I did with my classes, I was wondering whether it was time to take a saner approach to my milonga schedule. I currently do three milongas a week, and was contemplating reducing it to two …

Continue reading Tango was teasing me tonight →

Theory

Confidence, and the paradox of private lessons

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I was thinking about something Maeve said in my last lesson with her. She remarked on the confidence of my walk, and wanted me to bring that to my ochos.

I realised then something that has been holding me back in my private lessons …

Continue reading Confidence, and the paradox of private lessons →

Group class, Milonga

An exciting class, and an excellent Tango Terra

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Tango-Terra

Tonight’s intermediate class was building on last week’s class, adding a couple of different ways to continue it.

I won’t bother describing the sequence in any detail, as that wasn’t the point of it for me. I’m never going to use it in a milonga, but I liked it for three reasons …

Continue reading An exciting class, and an excellent Tango Terra →

Milonga

A temporary return to The Crazy Days, and increased milonga vocabulary

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The Crazy Days.jpg

This week might look a little like a return to The Crazy Days, as it comprises one private lesson, either two or three group classes and three milongas. But that’s merely the coincidence of a teacher’s availability, the monthly Tango Space workshop falling on this weekend, and what sounds like an interesting class before the Los Angelitos milonga on Sunday. Honest.

After yesterday’s private, I was looking forward to a chance to seeing whether I could feel a difference in my ochos in a milonga, and the answer was a clear yes …

Continue reading A temporary return to The Crazy Days, and increased milonga vocabulary →

Private lesson

Around and around: an excellent ocho technique class with Maeve

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My last lesson with Maeve was way back in March of last year, when we devoted a two-hour lesson to following instead of leading. That turned out to be one of my most valuable lessons.

Today’s lesson was me leading, but the theme was very much the same …

Continue reading Around and around: an excellent ocho technique class with Maeve →

Milonga

My new Sundays: alternating Tango Terra and Los Angelitos

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Tango Terra Sunday.jpg

Los Angelitos has so far been a staple part of my Sundays, but with Tango Terra having taken the mantle of my favourite milonga, I’ve decided to alternate the two …

Continue reading My new Sundays: alternating Tango Terra and Los Angelitos →

Private lesson, Progress update, Theory

Time for a new approach to my privates

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Scheduling challenges meant I didn’t have any private lessons last month, but now have three arranged for this month: two with Maeve while she’s in London, and resuming my regular privates with Fede and Julia toward the end of the month.

A lot changed for me in BsAs, so I realised I needed to take a fresh look at what I wanted to get out of my privates. Two elements are easy …

Continue reading Time for a new approach to my privates →

Milonga

My first visit to Carablanca, and probably my last

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Carablanca.jpg

My planned exploration of new-to-me London milongas hadn’t got very far, albeit for the best of reasons: finding one I adore.

But I was curious to try Carablanca because it seems to be a Marmite milonga. I’ve heard reports from those who love it and those who hate it, but rarely anything in between …

Continue reading My first visit to Carablanca, and probably my last →

Group class, Milonga

A fantastic class, and a wow milonga at Tango Terra

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A wow milonga.jpg

Intermediate classes can vary tremendously in focus, from long, complicated sequences to pure technique.

Tonight’s Tango Space class was my idea of the perfect group lesson: half technique, and then a sequence which was really also a disguised technique exercise …

Continue reading A fantastic class, and a wow milonga at Tango Terra →

Milonga

Thoughts about DJs, and a flattering and amusing moment

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In my admittedly limited experience to date, it seems some tango DJs are more consistent than others in the type of music they play. Bruno at Los Angelicas and Shaun at Tango Terra are very consistent, reliably playing a high percentage of music to my taste. The DJ at tonight’s milonga is more variable, in my view, which got me to thinking about what factors might be at play.

If you’re a tango DJ, please do comment below; in the meantime, here are three theories …

Continue reading Thoughts about DJs, and a flattering and amusing moment →

Milonga

It’s not about how good the DJ is …

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It’s about how good a match they are to my personal tastes.

Los Angelitos is normally reliably great as it combines my kind of music – thanks to Bruno sharing my tastes for slow, lyrical songs – and my kind of followers. This week, however, it was lacking the first ingredient …

Continue reading It’s not about how good the DJ is … →

Practica

A fortnight’s tango fast broken with an excellent practica

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It wasn’t my plan to have a fortnight-long tango fast, but two lazy evenings, one rain-sodden day and one milonga I’d expected to happen that didn’t all conspired against me.

I was glad, therefore, that my reintroduction to tango was a practica before the milongas resume tomorrow …

Continue reading A fortnight’s tango fast broken with an excellent practica →