The best tango class that you ever had.

[rui resende]

Talk a litlle about the best tango class you ever had!

I start ...

For me it was with Pablo & Dana in the last FTL lisbon.

We work in the breathing, conection, and energy in Tango

we was amazing how a tango class changed the way i Dance in just 2 hours.
how do you put your energy in the movement, when you dance, the conexction with your partner. everything was great!

[bordertangoman]

hmm that's tricky;

Is it the one where I realise I know more than the teacher?

or the ones which are breaking lots of rules and playing around eg Homer Ladas, Javier Cura or from my favourite teachers Rodolpho & Miho who have drilled me for hours till I can do the things they are teaching but always with humour; or Korey & Mila becuase now they feel like old friends.

hard to say.

[revolution]

Good question... I been tango dancing for 2 months.. and the best tango I had was my first class. I was entirely focused on the music’s feeling and expression, without knowing the steps. Now I am learning steps, rhythm, lead.. etc.. but my brain now gets in the way. Still craving that “tango moment” when I first started, but it will take some work.

[newbie]

My worst class ever was with Villaraza and Frigoli, first when when entered the room he told us to go out as his former class was not finished (We entered at the hour that was scheduled but *he* was late; so the fault was 100% his, and the penalty 100% ours). Then the sequence they demonstrated, while nothing special in itself (ok there was a double time for the leader at some point) was unappropriate for social dance because a huge lot of space was required (the follower was supposed to extend her leg very far and at head heigth, like Bruce Lee when he kicks an opponent taller than him), and the reason while they chose this sequence became clear when they performed, later on the day, and did this sequence. They had just used the class to rehearse for their demo.

So,
We lost time waiting for them to begin the class
Because of that we came late for the subsequent class (with another teacher in another room)
The taught material was irrelevant for social dance purpose
Villaraza and Frigoli actually used the 90 min of the class to rehearse for their demo
And yes it was a group class in a festival, we had paid for this class

Also it is the best tango class ever because of its eye-opener value. A.T teachers aren't gods after all, they're only vendors, no need of superfluous respect.

[rui resende]

I,m going to open another theread newbie
the worst tango class you ever had?
you said " was unappropriate for social dance because a huge lot of space was required"
i,ve learned a lot of that type of momevements that you call " unappropriate" but i use them in social dance. why not ? i choose the oportunity, it is not writen that you have to put this or that movement in social dance!!
if you choose the time ( space ) to do the movement it ok!
one thing i respect and it is The others,for instance
in a class i had with a known tango maestro we talked about acidents in a milonga.
and he said all the people think that the flying movements of the nuevo tango scene can hurt a lot of people .
But for me he said " the back step of the folower is the most dangerous movement in Tango and i lived tango for more than 30 years"
"Respect it,s the most important in tango choose your movements free, because tango is fredom"

[Heather2007]

Also it is the best tango class ever because of its eye-opener value. A.T teachers aren't gods after all, they're only vendors, no need of superfluous respect.

Yes, and some would even put the top ad men at Saatchi to Saatchi to shame. Ha, ha, ha. Some Fridays back I was sitting doing the usual people-watching (or rather, feet-watching or facial expression-watching) when a flyer suddenly appeared beneath my face. The next 5 minutes was spent with her trying her utmost to squeeze my email address out of me, and me telling her basically to clear off and let me watch the tango in peace. She eventually stormed off in a huff (oy vay). A couple of Tuesdays back at a smaller milonga, a well-known (French) face (nuff said) on the circuit "just couldn't understand whyyyyy?" I didn't want to spend the weekend tangoing in Paris "you don't understand what an opportunity you will be missing" she shrieked. When I remarked how the Olympics only happened once in every four years and that tango happened every single day, my sitting at the sofa watching some wicked athletics and Usain Bolt doing yet another insane example of a human cheetah was going to be the winner out of the two. She continued to sit at the table pushing and selling until she eventually got the message: My deadpan face and now very much detached expression. She shrugged her shoulders, gave me this look as if my house was about to be repossessed and that I'd be cast to the gutters and stormed off muttering "you don't know what you'll be missing". Hmm..her madness perhaps?

And so: The best tango classes that I'd have I can perhaps count on one hand. The Big In Your Face Sell of tango classes, however, are limitless. :doh: