The controversy

The recent arguments on Tango UK about classes have been a source of entertainment to many of us. This blog was mentioned in flattering terms, but the reference might have suggested that I agree with the views of one of the participants, which I don't. I thought of replying, but Tango UK is intended as a listing and it's been a bit swamped with controversy recently.

I don't agree that classes are evil, futile and a waste of money. Not all classes, anyway. Some no doubt are useless and misleading, and it's obviously a problem for beginners, who have to come to grips with a new kind of social dancing, unfamiliar music, and a layer of hype, as well as the misinformation from TV dancing series. But just because some of the best social dancers of Buenos Aires, born some seventy and more years ago, never attended classes, isn't quite proof that therefore we should avoid classes. From an early age they were passionate about the music and the dance, they grew up in a tango environment and they've also had a lifetime of dance, which no doubt explains their dancing, rather than the fact that they never went to formal classes. 

I realised early on that being taught 'figures' and learning to dance weren't quite the same thing, although figures can be a starting point for learning to dance, but no more than a starting point. I went to every class available, simply because there was always something useful there: in fact that is how I came across a class with Ricardo Vidort, which gave me an idea of the tango of Buenos Aires, and that's what I followed. With tango classes as with anything else it's 'caveat emptor'. There are people out there who will take your money in return for something that looks good on the surface, but isn't much use in social dance. & there are people who'll inspire you with the warmth and openness of tango and the tango culture, too.

I found pre-milonga classes useful when I was less certain of myself at milongas, not so much for what was taught but because that was where I could find out who I might approach for a dance – and who I knew I should avoid. There are classes before many of the traditional milongas in Buenos Aires too, and they are also a good opportunity to find who might look in your direction when the dancing starts. The classes there are more likely to be attuned to the social dance of the milongas: they'll probably begin with simple walking and warm-up exercises, and give plenty of time to actual dancing. A simple figure will be taught, often with possible variations, so it's less like a rigid choreography. These sessions are more like relaxed practicas than high-powered choreography classes: low-key and enjoyable, they are a good beginning to an evening, especially if you're a visitor. Hopefully classes like these will become more common and popular in the UK.

For me, one valuable thing came out of the debate: Andrew RYSER SZYMAÑSKI's recollections. 'I remember when Susanna Miller & Cacho Dante came to London [1995?] they caused a furore, ostensibly because they danced so close. They gave a few classes, not a lot compared to the numbers now being peddled by a plethora of gurus, local & imported - but they changed, in a few weeks, the way tango was danced in the UK. Susanna was no step-merchant, and I can safely say that in one general class with her I learned more than in 20 with Gavito. Actually she was a newcomer to tango at the time, but she had the knack of picking Cacho's brains for all he knew as a seasoned milonguero.' 

Wish we could get Cacho back to London! 

PS: ...and, yes, a lot of good sense was talked on all sides, too. There was probably a lot more agreement than was apparent from the war of words, as so often happens!