Tango classes

Ricardo and Lilian are senior members of the tango club here, and attend biweekly tango lessons. Ira and I have been coming for the past few weeks, and everyone is very welcoming and eager to help us learn, especially the teacher Ana Maria. The class is for all ages and levels. There are people who are just starting, and couples who have been dancing for 15 years. The style we are learning is “tango de salón”, meaning it is slower and isn’t choreographed ahead of time. Similar dances include the “milonga” which is faster and includes more stunts.

This week we were joined by some teachers from Santiago, who helped us perfect the basic steps and taught us a few new ones. We had to switch partners every minute or so, which turned out to be a challenge unto its own, as everyone dances slightly differently. Dancing with one of the teachers is easiest because they are better at leading than the rest of the group, but they won’t let you get away with anything.

Yesterday was Ana Maria’s birthday, so we celebrated after the class was finished, which meant more tango, as well as waltz, cumbia, and of course, cuenca. By the time it finished we had been there for nearly seven hours, and I was thoroughly confused from switching between so many different rhythms. I don’t know how everyone can keep them all straight.