Tango, Take Uno

Tyler and I attended our first two tango lessons last night. We did back-to-back beginner and intermediate lessons. I recognized the male instructor from the practica we attended Monday night. He was in the Cat's Corner and certainly deserved it. The lessons, of course, were in Castellano. I'm grateful that Tyler and I had so much partner dancing experience and could visually translate what they were talking about. (Well, for the most part.) Both instructors spoke a bit of English, the girl more-so. If we were unclear on something, she could help us out in English.

We were grateful for the beginner class because it gave us a chance to brush up our basic and connection and ochos. The beginner class split into two classes--one side for very beginners, the other side for further-along-beginners.

The intermediate class kicked our sorry tango booties! I've had two years worth of Argentine tango classes and dances and was still struggling to get what we were supposed to be doing! Poor Tyler has had about 4 months worth of classes. It's harder, much harder, for leads to figure things out--in my opinion. The girl ripped my connection apart (in a good way). I was dancing with another lead and we were not getting the move. She led me in it in attempt to show him. But after a few steps she stopped, dismay filling her face, and said (they are very blunt here), "You are giving me NOTHING. Nothing! You have to give me SOMETHING. Squeeze my hand! Push my shoulder, just do SOMETHING to let me know you are here!" I appreciated this, greatly. She also worked with me on 'expanding the space in my ribs' and following first with my shoulders and letting my hips catch up. (Sorry to those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about here...dance talk.) It was the kind of dance advice that you mull over and over as you are trying to sleep that night. Tyler and I felt a bit like our first swing workshop weekend where everything you thought you knew was thrown away and even though you thought you were a good dancer, you know realize just how much you have to learn. But we are not discouraged by any means! Inspired, really!

Here are 4 or 5 moves we worked on in the intermediate class. They were gracious enough to let us film it so that when our technique catches up, we might be able to learn moves.



And let me just say that I cannot wait to go shoe shopping! I've got some shoes in my head that I hope to find. Tyler too. If were not going to be some of the best on the floor, we might as well look good trying! :)

We were are so happy to finally dive in to the one of the main reasons we came. We've had so many set-backs in the past month, that it felt like total victory--just showing up to a dance and to lessons. May there be many, many more victories in the days to come!

A few extra thoughts for our lindy hopping friends:

The classes were lead heavy!

Dance shoes, knee-high socks, and shorts translate as poorly in tango as in swing. If not, more so.

You know how you walk into a room of lindy hoppers and can very quickly assess the room and put people into 3 or 4 groups--newbies, up-and-comings, advanced, and Cat's Corner folk? At the practica there were three groups: Cat's Corners, advanced, and T & I. So humbling.