Guidelines Tango Course Level 3
Hi, this page will help you get familiar with the goals for level 3, learning methods, tango etiquette and other things you need to know to get started. Please do read it thoroughly before coming to your first lesson.
Venue: St Matthew's Primary School
Dates: Every Wednesday from 20th March 2017 (Please note we are on vacation from 10th to 20th April). Please do come on the dates you have bought tickets for. The tickets are not transferable to other dates (unless you are moving to a new level).
Time: 8:40pm-9:40pm. Please be on time. If the door is closed when you arrive, ring the bell on your left. Please do not ring the bell before 8:30pm because there is a drama lesson before tango so we dont want to disturb them before they finish.
Shoes: Bring comfortable shoes and a pair of socks (preferable a fresh clean pair of socks). We do some exercises where you should take your shoes off.
Drinks: We always bring a special Tea to the lesson. Feel free to grab a cup and get some tea from the flask.
Hygiene: Good hygiene is essential for an enjoyable dancing experience. Please read the tango etiquette section at the end of the page.
Venue: St Matthew's Primary School
Dates: Every Wednesday from 20th March 2017 (Please note we are on vacation from 10th to 20th April). Please do come on the dates you have bought tickets for. The tickets are not transferable to other dates (unless you are moving to a new level).
Time: 8:40pm-9:40pm. Please be on time. If the door is closed when you arrive, ring the bell on your left. Please do not ring the bell before 8:30pm because there is a drama lesson before tango so we dont want to disturb them before they finish.
Shoes: Bring comfortable shoes and a pair of socks (preferable a fresh clean pair of socks). We do some exercises where you should take your shoes off.
Drinks: We always bring a special Tea to the lesson. Feel free to grab a cup and get some tea from the flask.
Hygiene: Good hygiene is essential for an enjoyable dancing experience. Please read the tango etiquette section at the end of the page.
How this course works
This course is "goal-based". It means it runs continuously throughout most of the year. This doesn't mean all the lessons will be the same. In each lesson we will cover different aspects and different exercises that will help you develop your specific skills in order achieve the goal for this level. We focus a lot on practice so we will try to minimise long explanations as much as possible.
The general goal for this level is to “Move with the music”. In order to achieve this goal, the following specific goals are necessary:
Goals
• Stepping with your partner on the main beat
• Identify start and end of phrases
• Identify and react to pauses
• Identify the end of the song
• Fit movements into different musical features
• Identify start and end of phrases
• Identify and react to pauses
• Identify the end of the song
• Fit movements into different musical features
Please speak to your teachers to request an exam when you think you can do all of the above in a consistent way. You do not need to pass the exam to start going to special workshops or milonga. Taking the exam is a great way of getting detailed feedback from your teachers.
Best practices for effective learning
Have a look at this short video: youtu.be/f2O6mQkFiiw
The most effective way to learn a movement of a certain complexity is to break it down in more simple movements that can be executed in a reliable and consistent way. Repetition and continuous feedback from your teachers, a mirror, your partner or video recording are essential to automate the movements and ensure good quality. Once the simple movements are automated, they can be put together to produce the final movement.
We encourage you to be patient and automate the simple bits before moving to something more complex. We often have impatient students wanting to go straight to advanced movements because they believe they are more "fun". However, they end up doing movements which are unpleasant to the partner and not aesthetic at all. That's the reason passing an exam is a requisite to move to the next level.
The most effective way to learn a movement of a certain complexity is to break it down in more simple movements that can be executed in a reliable and consistent way. Repetition and continuous feedback from your teachers, a mirror, your partner or video recording are essential to automate the movements and ensure good quality. Once the simple movements are automated, they can be put together to produce the final movement.
We encourage you to be patient and automate the simple bits before moving to something more complex. We often have impatient students wanting to go straight to advanced movements because they believe they are more "fun". However, they end up doing movements which are unpleasant to the partner and not aesthetic at all. That's the reason passing an exam is a requisite to move to the next level.
Basic Tango Etiquette
Given the physical closeness in Tango, good hygiene is essential for an enjoyable dancing experience. Bad breath, body odor and excessive perspiration are common offenders. Be sensitive to your fellow dancers. The following recommendations are STRONGLY recommended:
• Shower before dancing whenever possible.
• Use a deodorant or perfume AND an effective anti-perspirant.
• Do brush your teeth regularly and use a mouthwash before dancing ( I would recommend Dentyl pH https://www.dentylactive.com it is a very good mouthwash that doesn’t irritate the tongue)
• Think carefully about eating strong foods before dancing, like garlic, onions and curry, as they linger on the breath, skin and clothes for a long time, even after brushing your teeth and using mouth wash.
• When you have been cooking – especially frying – the odour remains on your clothes. Please use a clean fresh shirt/dress for dancing.
• Shower before dancing whenever possible.
• Use a deodorant or perfume AND an effective anti-perspirant.
• Do brush your teeth regularly and use a mouthwash before dancing ( I would recommend Dentyl pH https://www.dentylactive.com it is a very good mouthwash that doesn’t irritate the tongue)
• Think carefully about eating strong foods before dancing, like garlic, onions and curry, as they linger on the breath, skin and clothes for a long time, even after brushing your teeth and using mouth wash.
• When you have been cooking – especially frying – the odour remains on your clothes. Please use a clean fresh shirt/dress for dancing.
