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ARGENTINE
TANGO WITH
ECTOR GUTIERREZ
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MONDAY
NIGHTS AT OBELISK
SALSA AND TANGO!
22
St Ann Drive, Mandeville
Tango
class 6:45 to 7:30
Salsa class 7:45 to 8:30
Dance to a variety of Latin & Tango 8:30 - 10:00
class $10, dance only $5
to support this wonderful venue, one drink minimum is
strongly encouraged
no outside drinks
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TUESDAY
NIGHTS AT EIFFEL SOCIETY
2040 St Charles Ave, New Orleans
All-level
class
8 - 9 PM (free)
Milonga 9 - until...
$5 cover if arriving after 9 PM
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WEDNESDAY NIGHTS IN BATON ROUGE
1823 S
Sherwood forest Blvd (Chinese restaurant)
Beginner 7:00-7:45
PM
Intermediate/Advanced
8:00-8:45 PM
Practica 8:45-10:00
PM
$10
LINK
FOR MORE ON BATON ROUGE TANGO
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FRIDAY
NIGHTS IN UPTOWN NEW ORLEANS
Free All-levels class 7:30-8:30
Milonga a Media Luz 8:30-11:30
(half price for university students)
5401
S CLAIBORNE AVE AT JEFFERSON
First Presbyterian Church Hall
(The best dance floor in New Orleans!)
enter through back door on S. Prieur
some wine is provided, bring snacks
and drinks to share
MAP
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FOR
LOTS OF OTHER TANGO IN THE AREA
GO TO: WHERE TO DANCE
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My
Approach to Teaching Argentine Tango
When
I first saw Argentine Tango, I was, like all beginners,
mesmerized by the beauty and flare of boleos, paradas,
leaps, and all those impressive steps, but from previous
experience, I knew the importance of a good foundation.
I wanted to learn everything about the music, the movement
of the dance, its origin and its historic progression.
Today,
although I enjoy learning and teaching moves that challenge
our minds and bodies, I feel that I benefit from returning
to the fundamentals again and again.
Sometimes
it is important to spend less time on specific patterns
and more time exploring feeling, emotion, and what tango
means to you.
Posture
and embrace are the essential elements of good tango
dancing, and in those elements emotions are expressed
and feeling begins. The man approaches the woman as
if no one else exists, holding her like he has found
his lost love. The embrace brings out in him feelings
of tenderness and heroic emotions as if saying without
words, "I will take care of you." He stands
tall as if saying, "Let's start a journey, you
and me." He offers his left hand as an invitation
for closeness. His right arm comes around her back,
bringing their two bodies together.
In
a good embrace, I have a feeling that if the world should
end right now, this is the way I would want to be. We
both listen to the music as if this song was written
for us. When we start to move, I express my intention
to her before every step, as if asking her opinion about
our next step. She accepts my invitation because she
trusts me, because in one instant, we have come to a
level of trust that, in real life, could take a lifetime.
As
an instructor I teach a new set of steps every week,
but the goal is not to memorize a sequence. The steps
are a tool to better understand the connection between
two dancers. I teach students to develop social dance
skills, and most importantly, to relate the steps to
the music.
The
most common question I am asked is this, "I have
been dancing for many years, attended many workshops,
and have learned a lot of moves, but when I dance I
can't do any moves." The answer from me is always
the same. "It's in the music." Boleos, paradas,
sacadas, and all moves have a musical place in the song
you are dancing. If, for example, you perform a boleo
without regard to the music, it is the same awkward
sensation as when the song ends, but you are still dancing.
Over
many years of teaching both large and small groups,
I have maintained a determination to take into consideration
each individual's ability and adjust my methods of teaching
to suit each individual's way of learning. I learned
to follow in order to be a better teacher of both leaders
and followers. I help students with no previous dance
background find, for the first time, the confidence
and skill to get on the dance floor. And I use my understanding
of many dances to help those with other dance backgrounds
relate their training to the concepts of tango.
I
don't care to differentiate between the many ways of
dancing tango--apilado, salon, nuevo, etc. I encourage
students to keep an open mind and to explore every possibility
in the dance. Understanding the relationship of the
two bodies is what is important. With that focus, we
can do what ever we want on the dance floor. We can
adapt to dancers of any level or any background and,
of course, find enjoyment in the rich variety of music,
from Carlos Disarli to Narcotango, feeling the passion
that inspired these composers and finding our place
in the dance.
See
you at the milongas.
Ector
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