How many hours lessons?

[bordertangoman]

How many hours lessons do you before one would be and feel comfortable dancing at a milonga or is it a case of give it a go?

I would get the opinion of an experienced dancer say 5 years minimum. Dance with him and ask his opinion. There are ladies who come to my class who I can dance round the floor with who have had a dozen lessons, but it would be a struggle for less experienced dancers, and also I know what to leave out. One is still getting to grips with the cross, but most of the basics she can do well.

 

[Gssh]

But isn't the OP asking advice as a follower?

I think the OP is asking for advice for a couple - and i think you are right that probably neither follower nor leader advice is all that applicable for the OP and her husband.
In some ways a very different question, as they are going to have a built in dance partner - they don't need to impress each other to be allowed to dance . As Steve Pastor pointed out as long as they are able to somehow move down the line of dance they will be fine. Maybe even if they aren't - i have seen couples who by accident stuble into a milonga, decide that everybody looks friendly enough, and spend the evening watching and slow dancing prom style. And they seemed to have a blast. It probably again comes down more to how comfortable they are with their skills and the situation than how skilled they "objectivly" are.
It is interesting that a lot of people seem to have more fun at milongas at the very beginning than later on (at least that happened to me) - the unconscious incompetence phase of learning is much more fun than either the the conscious incompetence or even the conscious competence phase....

I guess for a couple the question is really twofold:
1) How many lessons to have fun at a milonga dancing with each other?
None!
2) How many lessons to have fun at a milonga dancing with other people?
That is probably very dependent on the milonga - at some milongas you will never get a dance with anybody if you arrive at a couple - and at most it will be more difficult than if you got there seperately. I think this part again has more to do with the social game, and not with anything one could pick up in a class.
(I usually go to milongas by myself, so i have no meaningful experience with that part of the milonga culture - i am actually not sure who here goes dancing as a couple besides dchester?)

Gssh

 

[opendoor]

And,

Melody

..have you been?

 

[Melody58]

No, not yet......practicing a lot though before we take the plunge.

 

[bastet]

I would recommend doing as some others have suggested and go to a few just to watch if you can. I know I did that back when my ex and I started. A least then you can get an idea of people interact and whether you would at least feel comfortable dancing with each other in the space. Dancing with others may just take more time, and one or the other of you may have an easier time slipping in to it. I was the one who slipped in easily after a couple months of lessons. I went to 2 cafe milongas and ended up dancing both times with people I had met in class. My ex stayed off to the side and did not care to dance for a couple of months after that. I would just recommend respecting whatever works for both of you.

 

[newbie]

No, not yet......practicing a lot though before we take the plunge.

My first partner and me went directly to a milonga after oour very first workshop. While I was sent back to tango class for one year and an half, for her it all went very nicely and she started to go to milongas every night she could.
Learning curves are different, you don't have to wait for him for another two years before he's ready. And by going right now you will see what tango looks like in your neck of the woods, the milongas, the community, possibly the cliques. Maybe you wont like it at all and will want to switch to another dance. Then better now than after two years of hard work for him.

 

[NZ_Guy]

No, not yet......practicing a lot though before we take the plunge.

Practising helps you to improve your tango - which is important. By itself, it's unlikely to help you thrive at a milonga though - unless you are doing your practising in a crowd or an otherwise simulated milonga environment.

The simplest thing to do is go to a milonga, accepting that it won't be easy or stress-free - at first (particularly for the leader*). Practise your tango at home (or wherever) and practise being at a milonga, at the milonga itself.


* In reality, (well, in my opinion at least) it's fine to be a beginner leader at a milonga, but only as long as he isn't trying to be impressive. The thing to remember is to stay within a lane and move with the flow of traffic. --And that can be done with ease if he dances a humble dance (walking steps, weight changes) and isn't afraid to stop dancing if necessary and restart in a safe position (for example he strays outside the lane or finds himself in danger of holding up traffic).

 

[dchester]

Practising helps you to improve your tango - which is important. By itself, it's unlikely to help you thrive at a milonga though - unless you are doing your practising in a crowd or an otherwise simulated milonga environment.

I'm not getting this at all. Would you elaborate on it?