Care for the Feet that Keep You Dancing - Part 1 of 3

/

Part 1: Footcare Basics

by Diana Devi

My quest to find the right foot care began many years ago. I was dancing ballet; I wanted to dance on point forever. I knew my passion for dance would be life-long so I began educating myself on caring for the feet that would keep me dancing. Fast forward to when I started dancing tango. WOW the heels really made my feet hurt and thus began the second part of my journey for happy healthy feet.

Pain is not normal, no matter where you feel it. If you are experiencing pain, your body is trying to tell you something.

Read More

How To Practice a Tango Movement Sequence With Just Two Legs

/

Third Article in It Takes One To Tango Series

by Mitra Martin

So! Here we are! It is our pre-appointed Personal Practice Time, we are wearing our Tango clothes and we have just rocked out to our favorite dance music! Now, as one person with just two legs, two arms and one heart, how on earth are you going to practice actual Tango dance?

Well, actually you are now in a perfect position to practice vocabulary and technique with an extremely good-natured, infinitely patient partner whose dancing is technically perfect and who is also 100% invisible.

Read More

What to Do When you Practice On Your Own, And a Pep-Talk

/

Second Article in It Takes One To Tango Series

by Mitra Martin

Now that you have carved out the time and space for your solo Tango practice, what will you do with it? Here are four things I like to do when I practice. The number one excuse for being lame at Tango that people use to hide from the intensity of this dance is “I don’t have a partner.” This is so boring to hear that I don’t want to hear it anymore, and that’s partly why I’m writing this blog.

I’m here to tell you that nobody “HAS” a partner. You CREATE a partner, by BEING a partner. By IMAGINING situations that require partnering. By DOING things on your own that are interesting to other people, who maybe become now-and-again partners and share a part of the journey with you. And the first step in doing that is learning how to engage the dance on your own.

Read More

How To Create Your Own Tango Practice

/
How To Create Your Own Tango Practice

First Article in It Takes One To Tango Series

by Mitra Martin

A lot of people worry so much about what to practice. Which exercises? How many ochos, how many enrosques? Or they are worried about time. How long should I practice, how often? And of course there is the eternal number one excuse for not practicing: How can I practice? I don’t have a partner. I don’t have anyone to practice with.

For me the idea of practicing solo was for a long time really so distasteful, mostly because I hadn’t really sat down and thought about it. I had this vague image of waking up a 5am and doing ochos for a solid hour in front of the mirror. And that idea seemed so inacesssible, so impossible, so not fun and so not me. I don’t consider myself disciplined like that.

Read More

Hi, My Name is Shane, Educator, And I'm a Tango Dancer

/

by holly darling

Shane Crosby is an educator, writer, and longtime social dancer who stumbled onto Tango less than a year ago. More than anything, his recent love affair with traditional Tango music surprised him, as he finds himself bobbing his head to Biagi and the bandoneon, rather than the R&B, hip hop, and salsa he grew up with as a dancer. Besides illuminating the surprisingly rocking beats from the 1930s, Tango has taught him to overcome feelings of self-doubt and have faith in his own learning process. You can find him practically living at Oxygen Tango, where he volunteers, cleans floors, and dances almost every night of the week.

What drew you to Tango initially?

I’ve been dancing for a while, social dancing since tenth grade. I’d seen Tango mostly on television, but never live.

It was something about the intensity between the two people dancing, the seriousness. I’ve always been curious about tango.

Read More