Workshop Information
On this page you'll find short workshop descriptions, workshop levels and partnering info. The workshop levels and partnering policies at this festival may be different than other festivals you've attended, so it's important to read all the information carefully before deciding on workshops.
Because we expect the workshops to reach capacity, priority admission will be given to Full Festival Pass holders and then by order of registration date. For more information on registration policies, go the the Register page.
The Workshop Levels
Most Levels
Most Levels workshops are good for everyone from Advanced Beginners to Advanced dancers. It is necessary to have at least some basic tango experience to give context to skills students will learn in these classes.
Intermediate
The Intermediate workshops cover a wide range of experience levels. If you...
- Are comfortable (to your partner) in close and open embrace,
- Have good navigation skills and solid balance,
- Listen to the music and let it affect the way you move,
- Can already lead or follow many tango figures (such as barridas, voleos, ganchos, etc.)
...then please register for Intermediate workshops. We will make every effort to balance the intermediate workshops between
leaders and followers. Partner rotation in these classes will be recommended but not
mandatory. If you have a particular partner that you would like to work with in these workshops, then make sure you both
register before the workshops reach capacity, since we can't give anyone priority over others who registered earlier.
Intermediate/Advanced
The Intermediate/Advanced workshops are intended for more experienced Intermediate dancers and for Advanced dancers. If you...
- Meet all the requirements of the Intermediate level described above, and
- Know many tango songs and can match your movements to the music,
- Can lead or follow more challenging variations of the main tango figures,
- Have danced in many cities and countries and can dance well on a crowded floor,
...then you can register for the Intermediate/Advanced workshops. We will make every effort to balance these
workshops between leaders and followers, but you do not need a partner to register. Partner rotation in these
classes will be recommended but is not mandatory. If you have a particular partner that you would like to work with
in these workshops, just make sure you both register before the workshops reach capacity, since we can't give
anyone priority over others who registered earlier.
Advanced
The advanced workshops are intended for very advanced social dancers and include both the "advanced" and "master" levels that you might see at other festivals. If you...
- Are a professional tango dance instructor or performer,
- Have 4+ years of class and workshop participation in the style of the instructors,
- Are able to execute a figure without having to see it demonstrated,
- Can not only execute the tango figures well (including challenging variations), but can also explain the mechanism and technique behind them,
...then the Advanced workshops may be right for you. As in many advanced and master classes in Buenos Aires and Europe,
there will be no partner rotation in these workshops. The teachers expect that you have a very high level of skill and
will not slow down the class or partner if you happen to fall behind, and it is for this reason that there will be no
partner rotation. We understand that requiring a partner for the advanced workshops may be frustrating for some registrants. We hope,
however, that the benefits of working with a predictable partner will outweigh the benefits of working with a number
of unpredictable partners. On the registration form, you can name one partner that you will work with for all your workshops or you can name different partners for different workshops. You cannot register, however, until you know who your partner(s) will be.
Andres Amarilla and Meredith Klein teaching at TdlM 2007. Photo by Adriana Pinto.
Full and "On Hold" Workshops
"Is there any way to get into a full workshop?"
No, sorry! When a workshop is declared full, that means that no one else can register either during online registration or at the door.
"What's this 'On Hold' business?"
Since we're making an effort to balance workshops between leaders and followers, if a workshop becomes substantially imbalanced, we'll close registration for either followers or leaders until registration numbers for the other role catch up. We may re-open an 'on hold' workshop during online registration (before October 10th), if it balances itself again. Or we may only re-open those workshops when registering with a partner at the door. If you want to stay abreast of workshop availability, please make sure you're subscribed to the TdlM mailing list from the home page of the website, since we'll be sure to send out a list message if we re-open a workshop during pre-registration.
Workshop Descriptions
Most Levels
Women's Technique: Working the Free Leg - Veronica
How to liberate and use the free leg in walking and pivots, all the while maintaining balance and contact with
the floor. We will work on the free leg's active role in receiving the lead and translating it into your own
movement with elegance, power and creativity.
Men's Technique: Training for Leaders - Donato
Working for optimal body performance, we will work different positions and elements that will help to achieve a good development of your dancing. Please wear comfortable clothes.
Intermediate
Impulse and Circularity - Veronica & Fausto
How to give, receive, and maintain the lead between the partners, in terms of movement and timing.
Ganchos for Men and Women - Carolina & Donato
Technique and combinations of this element that we can do from different positions.
Walking in an Embrace - Melina & Detlef
Tango is walking in an embrace. During this workshop we’ll work on on the
different aspects and variations of walking in an embrace, that can get very challenging. We’ll focus on the
appropriate inner and outer posture, the expression of each step and elegant movements without the limitations of
"clinging to someone".
Structure and Combinations of Boleos - Veronica & Fausto
Boleo's structure and different boleo combinations appropriate to the movement to enrich your vocabulary.
Improvisation with Ochos and Linear Turns - Melina & Detlef
We’ll start this class with some technique of dancing and leading pivots and ochos.
Our focus will be on bodywork and elegance as well as on organic movement. We‘ll continue by combining the basic elements to linear turns without memorizing patterns. Have fun while exploring the numerous possibilities.
Tango Milonguero: Dancing like in Buenos Aires - Melina & Detlef
Discovering the steps of the traditional Milongueros in Buenos Aires: rhythmical forms of the Caminar and interesting variations of the Ocho Cortado... After this class you get the approval of every Milonguero in Buenos Aires.
How to Move in Limited Spaces - Carolina & Donato
Work with small spaces and discover different ways and possibilities of movement (such as tracks, circuit, etc).
Intermediate/Advanced
Colgadas - Carolina & Donato
We will work on this out-of-axis element to the outside of the embrace using different dynamics.
Particular Musicality: Dancing the Unique Qualities of a Tango - Korey
We will explore select tangos in depth to discover opportunities for substantial and intuitive connection between music
and movement. This is not a counting class. :-)
Changes of Embrace - Carolina & Donato
Explore different exercises and possibilities while dancing for changing the traditional embrace without breaking
completely with it.
Milonga con Traspie - Melina & Detlef
Milonga is as a dance very much on its own, requiring and facilitating specific body mechanics and small-scale dynamics.
You don’t need complex steps - the connection to the music is what makes a good Milonga! In this class, we’ll
explore the musicality and technique of Traspíes and combine these basic elements to small and playful steps
which allow you to interpret the music freely.
Advanced
Paradas and Pasadas - Carolina & Donato
Paradas ("stops") and pasadas ("going through"). Work with stops of movement from
different positions of the turn and ways to continue from there.
Elegant Turns with Entradas - Melina & Detlef
In this class, we‘ll develop elegant and complex turns, that may be
applied in open or close embrace likewise. As they require quite some dexterity (especially in the close embrace)
we’ll start with some basic work on the technique of giros and entradas. We‘ll be then ready to
examine at least 2 specific turns that are typical for the Tango de Salón.
Combinations of Sacadas and Rebotes - Veronica & Fausto
Complex combinations of sacada and rebound movements, while working on pivot dynamics and displacement.
Flexibility of the Embrace - Veronica & Fausto
How to establish a connection between partners in various embrace forms and how to keep this connection alive,
soft and flexible.
Interesting Volcadas - Carolina & Donato
Different possibilities of direction for the volcadas and combinations with other elements.
Tango con Sabor - Melina & Detlef
During this class we‘ll concentrate on the connection in close embrace while trying to cope with special
difficulties that arise when moving very slowly. Tango is not about arriving somewhere but about savoring each
little movement in the process. Although the focus is on closeness, feeling, and pleasure in slow and romantic
tangos, we will also examine a complex movement that requires sophisticated control of your body. Don‘t
think it‘ll get easier just because you‘re moving slowly!
Combinations of Colgadas and Ganchos - Veronica & Fausto
How to enter and exit colgada movements (shared axis between partners) combining it with gancho elements.
