Private tango lessons

[MadamSamba]

We've all talked quite extensively about tango classes, but have any of you taken private tango classes?

I've never done it and, for some reason, I can't quite reconcile doing it. Tango seems to be one of those "public" things.

Isn't that odd? I have private ballroom lessons, but have never considered private tango lessons and know many people who feel the same way yet, in theory, it's no different from doing privates in any other style.

Who here has or has had private tango lessons and is there any difference?

[Sagitta]

I've never taken any privates myself, but I know people who have. Guess it depends on the person's preference, just as in any other dance style.

[blue]

I have not, but I am considering it. I would feel really odd to ask for private classes in lindy, but to my surprise I have realised that I am considering them an option in tango. (Actually, I just sent an email to a possible teacher.) A tango woman I briefly know started with privates, for the same reason as I am considering them.

During the rotation in class, we were one follower too much and then I got to dance a little bit with the male teacher until he left me to check the rest of the class. Later the female teacher grabbed me, and she continued working with me during next rotation - she had not finished making her point. The thought flashed through my head "now I will be the one who does not have a partner next rotation too!" but I almost immediately realised - it was worth it. If five minutes with the teacher is worth more than 30 minutes in a group class... then maybe private lessons is the way to go?

In beginner's classes and classes at near beginner level you work so much with stuff that I learn very fast - because of my aikido. I don't learn everthing fast, but I do have ten years of experience of trying to maneuver two bodies motion in space, as effortless and comfortable as possible wth complete contact in every moment. Beginner leaders who try to lead weight changes when I stand in the cross - simply because he has no clue of where I am - make me... irritated. I know he is just clueless and not actually disrespectful, but I feel disrespactfully treated! My friend said that "so many weird people come to a beginner's class". Really what I feel she is talking about is probably not that the people in beginner's AT classes are more weird than people in general - but they are put very close to other people's bodies, having to handle this. Denial of the problem is one possible mechanism that can make people act weird/disrepectfully. I think a bunch of beginners all make each other tense up, kind of.

So, I am considering private classes combined with practicas for the beginning. Not for the long run.

[angelbaby]

LOVE my private classes cos they soo ummm private :lol:

Def worth the cost. Can learn what you want to learn. It is my hour to do with as i wish.

[Sagitta]

In beginner's classes and classes at near beginner level you work so much with stuff that I learn very fast - because of my aikido. I don't learn everthing fast, but I do have ten years of experience of trying to maneuver two bodies motion in space, as effortless and comfortable as possible wth complete contact in every moment. Beginner leaders who try to lead weight changes when I stand in the cross - simply because he has no clue of where I am - make me... irritated. I know he is just clueless and not actually disrespectful, but I feel disrespactfully treated! My friend said that "so many weird people come to a beginner's class". Really what I feel she is talking about is probably not that the people in beginner's AT classes are more weird than people in general - but they are put very close to other people's bodies, having to handle this. Denial of the problem is one possible mechanism that can make people act weird/disrepectfully. I think a bunch of beginners all make each other tense up, kind of.

So, I am considering private classes combined with practicas for the beginning. Not for the long run.

Not everyone has as much experience as you blue and to learn to feel the follower is not easy if one hasn't done it before. If you are feeling frustrated in this manner and disrespected, when the beginners probably are not doing so deliberately, privates do sound like the right course of action for you.

[shakti]

Right on Sagitta!

Someone who knows they are a beginner know when they screw up which is embarrasing. However, when it clearly frustrates the leader it woud make me feeze up and become more awkward.

Hat's off to the more advanced dancers you can mentor us new folks on the dance floor for a few dances in a night. Patients helps us relax and usually pays off.

[bordertangoman]

LOVE my private classes cos they soo ummm private :lol:



Are you sure you're learning Argentine Tango and not something else? :wink: :wink:

[angelbaby]

Umm well i am not really sure cos i am oh such a beginner......

:roll:

My private classes are excellent cos my partner and i learn with two teachers who are partners so we get to dance with eachother and each of them and we get lots of input re the different roles.

On the other hand there are my *other* private classes just with my partner... we hire a local hall cheaply and practice alone. We just agree to dance and not talk for a least 30 mins and then we do the discuss and practice stuff. (But the hall has big windows all around and the one time we did think of enjoying another activity the hall caretaker came in to do some painting :shock: so we decided best to keep it at tango.

[MadamSamba]

Oh, that's so funny, angelbaby, but don't listen to BTM. He's a very bad influence!!! :)


I was just wondering about private dancing lessons, for the record. :) :lol: :lol:

[angelbaby]

It wasnt quite so funny at the time lol - but we were just considering other activites and still dancing :lol: luckily

Our teachers are now going to come up our way and offer weekly private classes (had been fortnightly) - money, money, money its so funny in our tango world.... :? what can you do but dance, dance, dance (oh and increase work hours to afford it)

PPl have asked about where we have danced before and told us we look beautiful dancing together :oops: and it is all due to being able to afford private classes. Not all are able to afford this.

[angelbaby]

Also, for the record, i do not need any encouragement at all to be badly influenced or influenced badly.... :roll:

[newbie]

I took many privates. The first was because I was joining a class in the middle of the season and I had the catch up with other pupils' level. Also some one-shots to work on a precise thing (leading boleos). And also a whole series with an argentine couple because I had no partner and I saw no other way to work on a steady basis with a skilled follower.
I would definitely recommand privates, if you can stand the pressure. (I did find it stressful to always have the teacher's eyes focused on the little me and my big mistakes, asking me to repeat 10 times the same giro. )

[blue]

Now I have done it - taken a private lesson in AT. My first private lesson in any kind of dance, actually.

I took it for the teacher that "everyone" recommended, including the ex-aikido people who started tango... saying they recognised so much in her way of working the tango, from their aikido. She has no martial arts background whatsoever, so that is not the reason while her way of working tango feels familiar.

I spent a little bit more than an hour with her leading me, occasionally telling me to focus on this or that. I feel that my beginner tango lessons taught me a slightly unnatural way to move, while she brought my tango back to natural ways of handling the body. Now if I can keep parts of it, find how to do it on my own, then it will be well worth the money although I did found the class quite pricey - and I think I will be able to, since big parts of it was like picking up habits that I simply had forgotten. It will be long time before I spend my money on another one, though.

[newbie]

...I did found the class quite pricey....

How much was it, compared with one group class? Four times the price ? Five times ?

[bordertangoman]

i have done tango surgeries where its 4 couples to teachers and you work on things on your choice and I've had one private lesson.

former cost 17 GBP and latter 30 GBP but my favourite teacher charges 70 GBP for an hours session.

Was it worth it: the surgeries were excellent value; the private lesson was good for getting posture and balance correction which not all teachers are good at or don't have enough time for in a class. But in AT its fundamental.

[blue]

Oh, it is very difficult to compare... since many dance classes, and events, here is given on a non-profit bases by amateur teachers. Some of them are very good, dumping the market for the pros. This teachers's private classes usually is 90 minutes for 55 euro, we took a bit shorter for practical reasons.

If I took beginner classes for her at a dance school, which is the most expensive group class I know of in this town, this was a little more than three times more expensive by the hour. I think there are places where you can take classes for her cheaper, too, but I know nothing about the group sizes in the two places.

My second beginner class series in AT, I took it for good amateur teachers - not sure if they got paid for it or not. Those classes were 35 euro for ten hours (OK you need a membership of 20 euro but that is a fee you'll pay sooner or later anyway, so I don't really count that). Same amount of group classes in the expensive place for this female teacher would be 3 times more.

[blue]

i have done tango surgeries where its 4 couples to teachers and you work on things on your choice
That sounds like a very good form.

[ReneeJoan]

I absolutely recommend private lessons for tango. One private lesson is worth 20 classes, so you will progress much faster. The teacher will be able to focus on YOU and YOUR specific needs, which is impossible in a group setting. Plus, being able to dance with a seasoned professional in your private lessons will only help you.

Tango is hard. It makes it even harder when you are having to struggle along with a beginning partner who is having as much trouble as you are maintaining their balance, keeping a soft responsive connection to you, as well as remembering the steps and patterns. Working with an experienced teacher one on one will only help you.

I just came back from a Tango Weekend in San Diego (I will post a complete account of my adventures on another thread later today), and I had a chance to take classes from one of the top professional couples in the world – Fernanda Ghi and Guillermo Merlo. The first day the class was only about ten people, most were couples, and I was the odd woman out. Since everybody was their with their own partners, I had the extremely good fortune of spending most of the class partnered with Guillermo. I cannot put into words what that was like, and as most of you know, I’m pretty good with words. But it was extremely valuable, and afterwards, I was able to go up and talk to him privately and ask him for tips and feedback, and since he’d worked with me one on one for most of the class, he was really able to give me some wonderful critiques (as well as some high praise which made me feel SO GOOD!!) They were available for privates, but I just didn’t have the money, but their rate was competitive and quite reasonable for people of their reputation – $100 for an hour. (I later checked their website, and that’s their standard rate for private lessons.) If I ever have a chance to go to Argentina, I will try to schedule my trip for when they are there (and set aside enough money) so I can take their regular classes and have some privates with them.

Anyway, privates generally run from five to ten times the cost of classes, depending on the reputation of the teacher and the cost of local classes in your area. Most of the really top professionals are going to charge somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 an hour. Money well spent if you are serious about this art form.

My “Mother Hen” instincts are popping out in response to one of the posts above. Be REALLY careful about taking your tango relationships off the dance floor – or of allowing anything except the tango into the sacred space of the dance floor. Tango is tailor made for romance. As I always say, you can fall in love with a table leg dancing tango. I won’t say you should never get involved with your tango partners. After all, isn’t that something we all long for? But don’t, please, bring sexual intimacy into that sacred space. Get off the dance floor. Go outside. Go home. Like actors about the theatre, the dance floor is a temple. Other stuff just doesn’t belong there. Go into the bedroom if you want to honor Aphrodite. Save the dance floor for honoring Dionysus. Most of all, once you ARE off the dance floor, exercise the same common sense and wisdom you would about any other potential romantic relationship. Anyway, that’s enough Mother Hen “fluttering” for the day.

Having said that, Border Tango Man may be one of the naughtiest tango dancers on Dance Forums, but he has been no end kind to me, and limitlessly encouraging. I am more than willing to be as influenced by BTM as BTM has the inclination to influence. And in whatever direction he chooses. He’s a “guy” I trust.

Renee

[bordertangoman]

Having said that, Border Tango Man may be one of the naughtiest tango dancers on Dance Forums, but he has been no end kind to me, and limitlessly encouraging. I am more than willing to be as influenced by BTM as BTM has the inclination to influence. And in whatever direction he chooses. He’s a “guy” I trust.

Renee

:oops: :oops: :oops:

Now you've embarassed me.My reputation as a salacious dance floor fiend is shattered.

[ReneeJoan]

Give me one evening on the dance floor with you, and I assure you, your salacious reputation will be more than restored.

Renee

[bordertangoman]

Ok I would be honoured to dance with you.
when you comin' to uk?

[ReneeJoan]

Not for a while. I'm worse than broke. When are you coming to Los Angeles?

Renee

[bordertangoman]

Not for a while. I'm worse than broke. When are you coming to Los Angeles?

Renee

When i get my transporter fixed. Scotty where are you when I need you?

Scotty: Well Cap'n, we're getting terrible interference from a tachyon field and the matrices keep breaking up. Now I could always re-route more power from life -support and I have to compensate for the time differences between LA and UK, otherwise you could end up in the middle of next week. And we've gottin those f***in' tribbles in the replicators again.

[ReneeJoan]

"Make it so."

[tacad]

:roll: :lol:

Now see? This is why I don't visit here very often! :wink:

[ReneeJoan]

Oh tacad!!

But just think of all the fun you're missing!!

:wink:

Renee

[labelledanseuse]

We've all talked quite extensively about tango classes, but have any of you taken private tango classes?

I've never done it and, for some reason, I can't quite reconcile doing it. Tango seems to be one of those "public" things.

Isn't that odd? I have private ballroom lessons, but have never considered private tango lessons and know many people who feel the same way yet, in theory, it's no different from doing privates in any other style.

Who here has or has had private tango lessons and is there any difference?

I take private lessons every week. They are the BEST thing you can possibly do to improve your dancing. The studio I go to has Latin, Ballroom, Tango, Swing, C&W, etc... So in the private lessons, you can do any type of dance you want (there are about 15 different types of dances to choose from). For example, I went to my private lesson today and practiced Cha Cha, Salsa, ECS, and Tango. Learning the tango in a private lesson is no different than learning any other style of dance.

I think you should go for it. It will help you immensely (trust me, I know :wink: ) In private lessons you can go at your own pace- fast or slow- and your teacher can help you if he/she notices the slightest thing wrong (can't do that in a group class.)