There is a real inequality in Argentine tango. There are almost always more women than men. How can we explain that? Despite what a lot of people say, men really have it pretty easy. Many teachers tell beginners, “all you have to do is walk.” Meanwhile, they are showing women how to do crosses, molinettes and ochos. Some men just stand there two footed, faking the lead for ochos while their partner works her bum off, staying on axis and powering through her pivots in spite of him… all in high heels, where one badly timed invasion of her axis could cause her free stilleto to slice across her big toe or impale her standing foot.
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.
Often, our posture changes when we enter the embrace and it’s not always for the better.
We spend a lot of time here and in our classes talking about good posture and helping people become aware of their posture and where they should focus to improve it. We work extensively on individual movement and posture because when you step on the dance floor, your posture and movement are what you bring with you. But that is only the beginning.
In the last few months we have given some rather intense workshops for beginners that included some prerequisite homework. Among them was a series of challenges to get our students into the proper frame of mind for the classes. Everyone came to class with an idea of what they were getting into, and a fresh view of themselves standing and walking through their days. This greatly facilitated the classes and allowed everyone the chance to really get a handle on this dance we love. This challenge is an expansion of the first challenge we gave as homework.
Walking is something we do every day without thinking. This challenge is about finding awareness as you walk and stand through out your day. Once you do, walking and standing may never be the same for you again.
To begin, we will start with a concentrated effort in finding awareness. You will want to revisit this concentrated exercise every so often. Over time, you will find your awareness of how you walk and stand invading your everyday movement, from standing up from your desk, to walking down the hall, to pushing a cart or standing in line at the grocery.
Due to popular demand, Eric and Susannah are excited to announce another immersive foundations tango class!
This class will follow a different format from the last, with a stronger emphasis on connection and subtle movement, while diving deeper into visualizing proper posture and movement. We will be incorporating parts of our Tangobreath vinyasa in class to create awareness and Provide practice techniques that will go well beyond class time.
This 4-hour class continues our exploration of 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.
Saturday, October 6th
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
The West Asheville Vineyard, 717 Haywood Road
$40.00 pre-registration
DEADLINE FOR REGISTERING: Friday, September 28th
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! We will also be providing more pre-class study material and exercises, so be sure to let us know you are coming!
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 a week or more in advance.
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.
Most of the time when we think of our spiral energy as it relates to tango, we consider the torsion that happens in our torso, as our hips and ribs twist in opposite directions. However, there are many other “spirals” that happen in our bodies, and we would like to draw attention to the spiral that happens in our legs as we take a step. Understanding how the leg articulates at the hip joint during our walk can also transform our dance.
Becoming aware of the circles and spirals that happen in our body as we walk.
This challenge builds on our last challenge, Sinking into our Standing leg. We will use that same exercise, but apply it to every step we take as we walk. Walking down the street, the hallway, the grocery store, give this a try, but try not to think about it too much. Do this once at home, with focus, then do it whenever you walk somewhere, even if it is just for a few steps. Our goal is to become aware of the circles and spirals that our body creates internally as we walk. Ultimately we want to relax into a healthy balanced walk and remain aware of how our body is moving and how it feels.
As a continuation of last week’s challenge, Finding stability in our pelvis, in which we perceived subtle engagement in the area between the sacrum and hip joint, we are going to concentrate on releasing this same area. Balancing the internal dynamic between engagement and release is important to achieve our greatest flexibility, strength, and resiliency in our joints.
The flow of movement between partners can appear magical.
Every week in TangoLab, we start class with some exercise to create awareness of our partners through the embrace. Our goal is to encourage dancers to create and sense movement in response to one another. Beginners, even those that come from other dance backgrounds, are always amazed at how this internal flow of movement works to create a conversation between partners. When done very subtly, it can be difficult to see any flow of movement, yet we are speaking volumes, and responding to one another. It might seem like magic.
Explaining what needs to happen to internalize the flow of movement is difficult, however, which is why it is so important to choose our words and imagery carefully. There are many phrases and words that are commonly and casually used when teaching or learning Argentine tango. In our teaching, we have discarded many of them because they are vague or have multiple meanings. It is a careful practice to put these things away, not use them, and find a thorough and meaningful replacement when needed.
There is a real inequality in Argentine tango. There are almost always more women than men. How can we explain that? Despite what a lot of people say, men really have it pretty easy. Many teachers tell beginners, "all you have to do is walk." Meanwhile, they are showing women how to do crosses, molinettes and ochos. Some men just stand there two fo
