Due to the success and popularity of our highly-personalized classes, we are now changing our immersive beginning classes to advanced/intermediate courses, in which we decide what to teach after students arrive to class. This allows us to focus on the needs and desires of everyone who attends.
As always, every class will incorporate body and movement awareness exercises, sensitivity and connection in the embrace, and deep explorations of concepts within the dance.
Followed later in the evening by a Practica(a time to practice what you have learned, to try new things, to get and give feedback, and to dance in an informal setting). Visit the Practica page for more information.
Saturday, April 13th is Canceled!
But, it will be rescheduled! Stay tuned for announcements, or sign up for our mailing list.
Eric and Susannah of TangoBreath are excited to announce a new immersive beginning tango class!
This is the perfect opportunity to dive into this dance if you have been curious. And this is the class for you if you have been wanting to have an intense, working review of the heart of this dance — core movement, good posture, and refined body awareness!
This 4-hour class would cover essential technique in Argentine tango to prepare you to attend milongas (social dances) and practicas in a much shorter time than a more traditional series. We will also be inviting experienced dancers in our community to participate, so that you will have the opportunity to work with individuals who can give you personalized and knowledgeable feedback during the class.
Sunday, August 26th
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
The West Asheville Vineyard, 717 Haywood Road
$40.00 pre-registration
DEADLINE FOR REGISTERING: Friday, August 17th
We need to have a minimum number of participants to offer this class, so we encourage you to pre-register or contact us soon, if you are interested!
Additional IMPORTANT information:
We structure our classes in unique ways in order to delve into deep studies and explorations of our bodies and the material. Since we want you to get the best experience and assimilate the most from this intense class, we will have some required exercises and material before the lesson. We will provide all of this material to you two weeks in advance.
If you have been to our tango classes, you know we always incorporate the pelvic floor in its role toward solid, fluid and confident movement. Here is a more comprehensive class that starts in the hips and sacrum and moves up the spine in a full exploration of how our bodies move. We will provide visualizations and exercises that will have everyone creating holistic movement that can be used in everyday life and tango.
These are the basic concepts that will allow anyone to see and use a plethora of turns and many other movements.
We follow up our natural movement class with a class about the axis of movement. Building on the ideas of the first class, we will explore how to make our circular movement natural and fluid while we learn to visualize and use the axis of movement in each step. These are the basic concepts that will allow anyone to see and use a plethora of turns and many other movements.
TANGO CLASSES
Finding and using natural movement in your dance. 1-2:30 PM.
Relaxing into natural and healthy movement is one of the keys to a comfortable and fluid dance. We will help you explore and discover your natural movement and how it applies to tango. This class will help everyone be more connected to their partner and the ground in a more relaxed way.
A multitude of turns: Using and moving the axis of movement. 3-4:30 PM.
Understanding the axis of movement is a key concept to understanding all turns and most other movements in tango. This class will explore circular movement and the many choices created when we are able to see and use the axis of movement in every step.
HOMEWOOD MILONGA 8:00 PM to 1:00 AM
Lisa Jacobs will be our DJ.
Acupressure and Tui Na (Chinese massage) by Katie Bruce L.AC. We are pleased to announce that Katie Bruce L.AC. will be offering acupressure and some Tui Na (Chinese Massage) during the milonga. Visit Katie’s web site for more information! Katie will be available from 8:00-10:00 for a suggested donation of $10.
Some wine, snacks and, as always, a special treat prepared by Susannah will be provided. BYOB.
Private Lessons
As always, we will be available for private lessons. Please contact us to make arrangements.
Asking ourselves about our roles in learning and teaching Argentine tango.
Eric and I have been busy writing articles for this website and are enthusiastic about sharing our thoughts and explorations. We thought that now would be a good time to reflect on why we approach our learning and teaching in the way that we do and our goals in writing what we do.
We have been so grateful for the positive feedback from around the world and would like to thank everyone for having open hearts and open minds when reading our notes, since they are sometimes a bit unconventional. We are constantly seeking to find innovative ways of coming to a noble dance, while honoring its foundation and canon.
We also understand that some people who read our articles, but have never attended our classes or who do not know us personally, might be skeptical. We often contradict very common modes of tango instruction. Our goal in writing these articles is not to say that there is a right or wrong way of learning and teaching tango. Indeed, it is quite the opposite. We feel that being exposed to a variety of teaching approaches is crucial in becoming a well-rounded dancer. It is very likely that the synthesis of several different instructors teaching the same thing, each in different ways, finally creates the connections that a student needs to learn a concept.
In this week’s class we are continuing with creating a yummy embrace as we incorporate and explore the many movements we discovered in the ocho cortado.
In TangoBreath we will continue our work from previous classes with adornos by adding a few more. These movements are becoming more important as we continue to explore their effect within the embrace in TangoLab.
In TangoLab we will begin, as always, with presence in the embrace and subtle core movement. This is the perfect way to start learning Argentine tango. We will continue working with variations in linear movement while we begin incorporating the many choices in direction when following a pivot.
Last week we completely dismantled the ocho cortado, this week we will continue to explore all of its parts and the mirrors and reversals of those parts. Including an examination of linear and circular crosses.
As always our class will incorporate changes in direction, and how our internal movement brings life to the embrace. Including how to find which foot your partner is on while creating the opportunity for adornos, and a dynamic, great feeling embrace.
This week’s orchestra is Carlos Di Sarli, which will be quite refreshing after the last few weeks of Biagi. Di Sarli’s music makes it easy to hear the phrasing. Kiki and bouba, are now living at Homewood, so they will always be available to add a visual to what you are hearing and feeling in the music.
In this week’s class we are continuing with creating a yummy embrace as we explore changes of direction and pivots. Including variations on the incredibly simple ocho cortado.
In TangoBreath we will continue our work from previous classes with adornos by adding a few more. These movements are becoming more important as we continue to explore their effect within the embrace in TangoLab.
In TangoLab we will begin, as always, with presence in the embrace and subtle core movement. This is the perfect way to start learning Argentine tango. We will continue working with variations in linear movement while we begin incorporating the many choices in direction when following a pivot.
We will continue our exploration of the ocho cortado and variations. Find out why the ocho cortado is just a fancy name for a simple everyday step. We will examine this very simple movement, and the options for exiting it as single movements which can be applied everywhere, not just following the two steps that are called “ocho cortado”.
As always our class will incorporate changes in direction, and how our internal movement brings life to the embrace. Including how to find which foot your partner is on while creating the opportunity for adornos, and a dynamic, great feeling embrace.
This week’s orchestra is Rodolfo Biagi, perfect for being hit over the head with phrasing and learning to search out sweetness. This week we will bring out the kiki and bouba, so the music will be extra fun.
If you have been to our tango classes, you know we always incorporate the pelvic floor in its role toward solid, fluid and confident movement. Here is your chance to get a full dose of what it takes to be fully aware of how to use your hips, sacrum and tailbone in every tango movement.
Creating a dynamic embrace with internal spiral and the resulting adornos is key to creating smooth fluid movement that feels good to your partner.
We follow up our pelvic floor class with a class on how to visualize and attain fluid movement. This includes creating dynamic tension and compression within the embrace, and how adornos and internal movement play a part in making the embrace feel amazing, all while we explore several different sacada’s and how to find them. All of the visualizations and technique for creating fluid movement can be applied to all aspects of dancing tango. Learning to find all 36 regular sacada’s can change the way you think about Argentine tango movement, and open doors to many other possibilities. These classes are all level, but will increase in difficulty to challenge dancers of all abilities.
CLASSES
From floor to pelvic floor: free your hip, the rest will follow. 1-2:30 PM Coming to a deeper understanding of our dynamic pelvic region gives access to stable & fluid movement. Using the pelvic floor is the key to being a solid lead or follow.
Visualizing and creating fluid movement on the path to every sacada. 3-4:30 PM Learn visualization and technique to create fluid, delicious movement within the embrace, while we learn how to find all of the sacadas. Visualization of pivots and spiral while creating various adornos is a big part of this class. This class will be equally challenging and interesting to both leaders and followers. The pelvic floor class is a pre-requisite for this class.
HOMEWOOD MILONGA 8:00 PM to 1:00 AM
Lisa Jacobs will be our DJ.
Acupressure and Tui Na (Chinese massage) by Katie Bruce L.AC. We are pleased to announce that Katie Bruce L.AC. will be offering acupressure and some Tui Na (Chinese Massage) during the milonga. Visit Katie’s web site for more information! Katie will be available from 8:00-10:00 for suggested donation of $10.
Some wine, snacks and, as always, a special treat prepared by Susannah will be provided. BYOB.
Private Lessons
As always, we will be available for private lessons. Please contact us to make arrangements.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 21st
Angel Montero and April Parker from Atlanta, GA
An Argentine tango workshop and Homewood milonga in Asheville.
A Special TangoBreath event! An Argentine tango workshop and Homewood milonga, featuring two tango classes taught by Angel and April of Atlanta, the Homewood milonga will be DJ’d by Angel Montero.
Surprise Boleos, 1-2:30 PM A comprehensive class including a review of basic boleo technique and a new approach to choreography by introducing boleos in unusual places.
Spicing up your Milonga, 3:00-4:30 PM Everybody likes watching April and Angel dance milonga. Their key is not the choreography, but the way they add new dimensions to their dance. Come learn the secret.
HOMEWOOD MILONGA DJ’d by Angel Montero
8:30 PM to 1 AM
Private Lessons
April and Angel will be available for private lessons
on Sunday, following the workshops. Please contact us to make arrangements.
You Come. We tailor.
Due to the success and popularity of our highly-personalized classes, we are now changing our immersive beginning classes to advanced/intermediate courses, in which we decide what to teach after students arrive to class. This allows us to focus on the needs and desires of everyone who attends.
As always, every clas
