We were happy to welcome a new intake of Beginners on the first week of our Tango Crash Course last Saturday.

As always, it was a complete pleasure to reveal some of the secrets of Argentine tango to people who had never experienced it before. We never get tired of seeing eyes light up with surprise when they discover there is much more to tango than meets the eye.

And, as is almost always the case, our students inspire us as much as we inspire them.

It amazes me how how many interesting questions and observations come up in Beginners classes. Perhaps it is because Beginners are fresh to tango, seeing it for the very first time with new eyes.

Last Saturday, one of our brand new students made a brilliant comparison of tango to a game of tennis.

Yes, in tennis you have an opponent and in tango you have a partner. But despite this completely different dynamic, the connections between the two are strong.

Tango, like tennis, is a game of action and a response. In both disciplines, you don’t know what the other will do in any given moment. And indeed before that moment in time, your partner doesn’t know themselves. Your decision as to how to respond to your partner’s action must therefore be made immediately and once the decision is made, it can’t be changed. In this way, fluidity between the two partners is maintained.

Tango of course has the additional ingredients of music and embrace, which means I will of course always choose tango!

Thank you to all our wonderful new students for your energy, enthusiasm and sense of fun. We can’t wait to reveal more about Argentine tango to you over the next month and beyond!