... Oktango have just announced that from today onwards they will be opening the Welsh Centre every Friday from 6.30 to 11pm for... a practica!
The Welsh Centre is at 157-163 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8UE, and entry is only £3 for the evening. Details on the Oktango website. I hope it will be well used! It's a great floor to dance on, and there's a bar upstairs.
The practica will serve its purpose if the organizers encourage dancers to learn and respect the codes. That way the practica is the bridge from class to milonga.
ReplyDeleteFor many at practicas, tango is their first social dance. One can't assume that everyone automatically knows the rules that apply to ballroom dancing, i.e., line of dance moves counter-clockwise, stay in your lane, respect others on the floor, escort your partner off the floor, etc.
Changing shoes at the table is common for dance classes, but inappropriate at the milongas (although it's done too often in BsAs). The conduct for the practica should be the same as it is for a milonga.
If the music is played in tandas, those at the practica will be prepared for the milonga. That way they can practice the cabeceo!
Knowing and practicing the codes benefit everyone.