Beginning Tango partner wanted for class

[sheryl]

:hello:

I am signed up for a beginning tango class at the Findley 6/14to 7/5 on Thursday nights 8:15-9:15pm.

I have just been informed that a partner is required. :Yinyangv:

I am female 5'10" --140 lbs 50 years young. I would like to learn the following dance part, you would be signing up for the leading part.

The class is $27 SR resident ($37 non-resident).

Anyone interested?:thumbsup:

Sheryl

[Barry]

:shaddanccouple:Doesn't sound like Clancy is your guy! Don't mind him, Sheryl. You'll be the one on the floor having the most fun!


... I just thought you might want to know almost nobody does it.

[SuziL]

You go girl! Take that tango class!

I'm just a basic ballroom dancer, but I've noticed (for at least 10 years now) that there is a big tango following. Latin dance afficionados, who know the tango, rhumba, salsa, merengue, etc., seem to gather together, away from the foxtrot-waltz-swing crowd.

In recent years years, I've had quite a few people tell me they're taking tango lessons, and then wax poetic about the formality of the interaction, the masculine/feminine relationship, and the sheer sexiness of it all.

I'd gotten the impression it was considered a "thinking person's" dance.

And, who can forget Salma Hayek and Ashley Judd's tango in Frida?

(You can see it over and over again on uTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VetAAOkrQkU )

So that said, I'd hardly call the tango dead, except maybe at weddings.

Suzi





In case you don't know, on the very rare occasion that a tango song is played at any local ballroom dance, out of a hundred dancers, maybe three or four couples know how to tango and get on the floor and do it. It's almost a dead dance.

Having said that, you may have some specific reason for learning it, I just thought you might want to know almost nobody does it.

[Braggi]

Clancy, give it a rest. I did a Google search on San Francisco Tango and got one million five hundred thousand hits. Must be something going on.

Tango music is so sexy and fun I wish I knew how.

[Braggi]

You're so right, Clancy. A search on "tango party sonoma" returned only 65,000 hits and "tango party santa rosa" only 413,000 hits. Must be nothing going on.

On a more serious and useful note for future reference, before going out on a limb with absolute statements in a public forum it makes sense to let Google do some searching for you. It's an amazingly useful tool. It's kept me from looking like a fool many times.


I think your response is rude and completely uncalled for. If you can direct me to an ongoing tango dance in Sonoma County I'd be grateful. Or, how about even ONE tango dance.

If you were about to invest in dance lessons, wouldn't you at least like to know whether or not it's done in your own county? I know I would, and I assumed the original poster would too.

[SuziL]

Clancy,

I'm going to try and explain the part I suspect you're not getting, at least from my point of view:

I have no stake at all in the tango. I rose to Sharyn's defense because she didn't ask for an opinion on whether she should take tango, she was simply looking for a partner, and you shot her down in a public forum.

I think Barry would attest to the fact that I almost never jump in on these things, but I really felt for Sharyn, who I don't know, but obviously has her own dream.

It's as if Sharyn needed a partner for a Zen tea ceremony class (this is just an example mind you), and you posted a reply saying "Why would you want to study Zen tea ceremony? Everyone is at Starbucks. That's where the local action is... check it out. There's lines out the door, but you won't see a ceremony in sight. Tea ceremonies are obviously dead. They've got tea in bags there. Really! You can dip them in and out of your cup and focus and feel a little like you're doing your own tea ceremony."

Now you and I both know it's not the same.

You see, sometimes people do things for the sake of the art form, simply because they're intrigued. And, obviously, Sharyn finds tango intriguing and would like to meet other people that also find it intriguing.

As a previous poster pointed out, there are lots and lots of listings on line for tango clubs. Many of them seem to be centered in urban areas and around universities. Maybe that appeals to Sharyn. Maybe she'd like to drive into the city, have some sort of exotic dinner she can't readily get here, and then hit a Latin dance club, just to see who else is there. That might be her idea of fun, as opposed to a local night out.

I once had a yoga student ask me why we still teach the names of poses in Sanskrit and why we still chant in Sanskrit, since Sanskrit is a "dead" language, meaning it's not used for day-to-day communication anywhere in the world.

Why? Because it's beautiful, traditional, reverent, expressive, and it has historic value.

I expect Sharyn would say the same thing about the tango.

Suzi

[Sally Churgel]

Hi all,

I have to weigh in on this tango discussion because I have fallen in love with tango dancing and like any new lover will go to great lengths to be together however it can be managed. The music and everything about it is sexy.

It is also one of the hardest dance forms I have ever attempted. Most people I have met including myself would rather not even go to a milonga (AKA tango dance party) until we've had 6-12 months under our belt. That means, for me anyway, a year of tango classes is reward enough. There is a wonderful class at Ellington Hall every Monday night. You can come solo and when there are more woman then men (alas all too often) we just dance with other woman or wait till the next dance. We change partners every dance so we all get many turns.

Jessica and Gustavo are amazing teachers. They offer Milongas once a month in Sausalito and occasionally in Santa Rosa so it's not like there is never a dance here. And who knows, if there are enough people like Sheryl, a club may just open here.

There are also tango classes the second Tuesday at Monroe Hall, at "tango Petaluma", John Ross studio in Rohnert Park and at the JC.

See you on the dance floor.

Sally

[nicofrog]

Yea for the tango!
I took lessons with Frank Florez who established "Stars ballroom" in marin, did my only competition in tango and loved it. that was ballroom tango..
there is also strictly Argentine tango with accordion music only.
personally ,I think the word strictly, and dance would be best be left apart
but there seems to be endless snobism around partner dance ,which may well have been what scared young people away from it for 20 or more years!
I have drifted towards Mambo (salsa) salsa is actually a food that's why I refer to the dance by the name of the rhythm,,mambo.
Clancy, if a dance,like African for instance,is only done in classes it can still be a very rewarding experience.
I know a nice tango teacher from Petaluma that could hook you up with
a wider base of tangoistas if you like! I'v forgotten so much of my tango I'm less than a beginner! However I will post here soon looking for groups of SALSA dancers!! I love Salsa Cha Cha rumba merengue swing and lambada. Also fox trot and waltz..and Samba!
Some might say Lambada is dead or was just a fad, but there are places in S.F. and Brazil where it is fully on nightly..And since you can do it to many different kinds of music, I do it here frequently at any of the
local dance jamms or clubs.
Have fun Call me for
encouragement in the partner dance dept.
or for a class at local parties!! Nico

[Vet-To-Pet]

Hey, I love to dance, too! I'd love to attend some lessons in Salsa, merengue, swing, and Tango Please keep me in the loop about any local (West County) lessons or dances that provide lessons for beginners before the actual dance starts.
:dancing2: Smiles,
Paula/Vet-To-Pet



Yea for the tango!
...

[walengalen]

Yea for the tango!

Moico[Nico]- you didn't include your phone number when asking people to call you.

I am a 60 year old woman who loves to dance but have been tentative about going out without a partner. Had years of folk dancing in SF, then a 15 year hiatus. Can you give any recommendations. thanks.

[dladams]

There are many folk dance events in this area. During the summer, every Wednesday night at the Senior Citizen Center on Bennett Valley Road. During the school year there are two great classes at SRJC taught by Marilyn Smith which are great fun. There are usually 50 to 60 people in each class. She also sponsors parties at the SR Vets Building 3 or 4 times a year. The French Garden has had folk dancing with live music on last Sundays, but I'm not sure of their schedule for the summer.


Moico[Nico]- you didn't include your phone number when asking people to call you.

I am a 60 year old woman who loves to dance but have been tentative about going out without a partner. Had years of folk dancing in SF, then a 15 year hiatus. Can you give any recommendations. thanks.