Intensive tango weekend at Oxford University Society

This November, 18-19 you are all invited to join us for an Intensive Tango Weekend at the Oxford University Tango Society. Four workshops (Caminar, Giro, Music & Awareness) & One milonga are waiting for you!

Event program

SATURDAY - November 18th
Workshop 1 -> Pylon 1 - Walking (Caminar) - 1 pm to 2.30 pm
Workshop 2 -> Pylon 2 - Turning (Giro) - 3 pm to 4.30 pm

Tango Night -> Milonga Misteriosa - 7 pm to 11.30 pm

SUNDAY - November 19th
Workshop 3 -> Pylon 3 - Music (Musica) - 1 pm to 2.30 pm
Workshop 4 -> Pylon 4 - Awareness (Conexion) - 3 to 4.30 pm

Invited teachers: Daniel Mandita and Amalia Iscu

The location for the workshops and the milonga is:
St. Matthew's Church Marlborough Rd, Oxford OX1 4LW

One Workshop: £10 members, £12 non-members
The Milonga: £8 members (£10 non-members)
Full pack (4wks + milonga): £30 members, £40 non members
Half pack(2wks + milonga): £20 members, £25 non members


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The Topics/ Workshops
Pylon 1 - Walking (Caminar)
The essence of Argentine Tango is the tango walk; the walk is what gives tango its signature gait and its personal quality. In addition to that, the tango walk is the main instrument for improvisation and it is the key technique to develop in order to be able to dance freely. Let’s take 90 minutes to talk about how we walk, the positions that develop during the walk, the changes of weight and famous ‘systems’ of walking. We’ll see how to support our own weight and how to create the possibility of movement for the couple. We’ll exercise together and then we are going to incorporate walking concepts into the dance. After the seminar, you’ll have a different understanding of the tango walk and a technique exercises to take back home.

Axis ♦︎ Free leg ♦︎ Position of the foot ♦︎ Weight change ♦︎ Projection ♦︎ Discharge of weight during the step ♦︎ Open steps ♦︎ Cross steps ♦︎ Systems of walking ♦︎ Cross positions


Pylon 2 - Turning (Giro)
All steps and figures in Argentine tango can be construed as parts of either a clockwise or an anti-clockwise turn. While this concept is interesting in itself, we often fail to grasp the enormous advantage that this gives us both in terms of improvisation (creating our own sequences, for instance) and in terms of movement (as individual dancers and as a couple). Seeing the entire dance as various turning components gives us the solution for step trajectories, navigation, orientation on the line of dance and many more. The turns in tango function according to a few principles that are easy to understand and apply. We’ll start by exploring simple turns and then we’ll take a look at the much richer world where the entire dance is a turn.

Directions ♦︎ Degrees of turning ♦︎ Limits of the turn ♦︎ Energy in the turn ♦︎ How to create a turn ♦︎ Centre and circumference ♦︎ The end of the turn ♦︎ Back, side, front ♦︎ Music

Pylon 3 - Music
Music is to dancing what light is to a painting: it informs it and forms around it, keeping it inspired and ‘in the body’ while also making possible personal interpretations and creativity. It is useful to practice and learn to the music so that we can easily find the music to dance to when we go to a milonga for instance. The Argentine tango has a creative and fresh way of treating the relationship between tango music and dance. While the dancers are acutely aware of the pulsating energy of the music, they decide which parts of the music to take into the dance. We’ll start working on some basic rhythmical concepts and create a useful framework for for future practice sessions; then we’ll move to other rhythmical patters used when dancing tango. After the seminar, you’ll have a simple, clear way of interpreting tango music and guide your exercises.

Cadencia ♦︎ Dancing on one ♦︎ Double ♦︎ Changing the rhythmical pattern ♦︎ Orchestras and tendencies

Pylon 4 - Awareness
Being aware, connected, in the present, in the moment, ‘there’, ‘present’, etc, etc. A quality essential to life (some would say) and a way to describe a state in tango that often remains, for many people, an unattainable mystery. We’ll not pretend to teach you how to connect, be in the moment, etc but what we can do is show you how you can begin the process of becoming more aware of yourself, the other, the dance, the music, the dance world around you. And, more importantly, we’ll show you why this is important for your dancing. And we’ll work together to find the elusive quality of movements that only appears when you are aware, connected, in the present, in the moment, ‘there’, present’, etc, etc.

Breathe ♦︎ Relax before the movement ♦︎ Feel your weight ♦︎ Look for contact ♦︎ Make the movement count ♦︎ Stop ♦︎ Breathe