Pre-Intermediate Tango Fundamentals (4-weeks)

The pre-intermediate level presents the elements that are often considered ‘common sense’. Things that seem obvious to Advance dancers but took years for them to master. Secrets you supposed to know or somehow figure them out on your own. Those essential details that you need to know, practice and muscle memorize to incorporate into your Tango are introduced during Pre-intermediate course.

Once you dance Tango for a bit you start realizing that Tango is an extremely rich language of non-verbal communication. And just as with any language – the more you learn, the more you know, the more interesting it becomes. It causes one little behavioral ‘curiosity’: if you ask any of the advanced students what level they are, they say proudly ‘intermediate’. In fact if you ask a teacher what level they consider themselves they would also often answer: ‘intermediate’. There is ALWAYS so much more to learn.

The Pre-intermediate course was born to smoothen the transition between Beginner and Intermediate levels and introduce all the missing but necessary tidbits of information that are required at higher levels. You are ready for this level if you already know all elements taught in Beginner. Please make sure you read through Beginner syllabus to reconfirm with yourself that you know it all. The pre-intermediate level consists on 3 series. You can take the series in any order. It is important though that you take them all.

You are ready Pre-Intermediate Tango level if you already know all elements taught in Beginner. Please make sure you read through Beginner syllabus to reconfirm with yourself that you know it all.

You can also take this course if the list of essentials provided below sounds like a foreign language to you.

Series 1: Focus on cross system.

• Understanding difference between parallel and cross system.
• Getting into cross system: weight change and suspension.
• Leading weight change and suspension.
• Walking outside partner left, outside partner right and transition between the two (all in cross system).
• Back crosses and forward crosses during walk.
• Basic to the cross in cross system.
• Sample variations of basic to the cross: Leader’s part, Follower’s part, to the open side, to the closed side and mirror image to both sides.
• Baldoza in cross system. Possibilities.
• Musicality: double time.

Series 2: Focus on ochos

• Cross versus ocho – what’s the difference.
• Forward and back crosses.
• Forward and back ochos.
• Generating spiral movement in your body.
• Pivot and axis of pivot in ochos.
• Difference between contra body movement and spiral. 
• Leading Ochos, Following ochos.
• Simultaneous ochos. Isolating Lead from Follow.
• Opposition.
• Ocho cortado.

Series 3: Focus on directions (Forward-Side-Back)

• Open step versus cross step.
• Difference in leading weight change and side step.
• Consequences of replacing weight change with the side step.
• Leading continuous side step – is it possible?
• Isolating lead from Leader’s step.
• Forward-Side-Back – Tango mantra
• Adding pivot to each direction – possibilities. 
• Mixing directions in any possible configuration as intro to improvisation.(Would you like to be able to understand/read and repeat any combination shown to you – this is great beginning). 

Notes:
No partner required. Join at any time or wait for the beginning of next cycle. Pre-Intermediate Tango Classes consist of 3 8-weeks series. You can take them in any order. Each class is 90-minutes.

Prerequisite:
Beginner Tango