Program Workshops Maestros Registration Venues RO

TangoTangenT
Weekend in Oxford

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

Event Program

Thusday, Saturday and Sunday, November 1st to 4th

Thursday

November 1st

9.15 - 10.15 pm
FREE TASTER CLASS

10.15 pm - 1.00 am
MILONGA

Location: Oxford Deaf Club - Deaf Direct

Saturday

November 3rd

2 pm - 5 pm
Workshop 1 + 2

7 pm - 12 pm
MILONGA

Location: St Matthew's Church

Sunday

November 4th

2 pm - 5 pm
Workshops 3 + 4

Location: St Matthew's Church

Subject and Content of the Workshops

Free Taster Class 1. Caminar (the tango walk) 2. Giro (the tango turn) 3. Navigation (dance directions) 4. Rhythmical v Musical orchestras

Free Taster Class

Q: Would I like this tango thing?

A: Come and "taste" the tango experience…

Come and experience Argentine Tango - 60 min

Meet tango dancers and future tango dancers!

Warm-up with specific tango movements and music
Brief history of Argentine Tango and its modern context
Synchronization exercises and maintaing contact while moving
Musical genres in tango
Moving on the line of dance together with a partner
Musical characteristics in tango movements

Ask, discuss and enjoy an hour of movement, music and information about a century-old dance from Argentina that is now spreading throughout the world in urban and academic communities alike!

1. Caminar (the tango walk)

Q: What is tango?

A: Tango is walking to music, aware and together

Caminar (the tango walk) - 90 min

They say that Argentine tango begins and ends with the walk (caminar). Walking together in tango and placing this walk to the music is, in essence, the legacy of the popular dancers (milongueros) that first created this dance in the first half of the XXth century. Walking in tango has cadence, elegance, sensitivity, and connection; walking in tango is a constant invitation to awareness and openness.

In this workshop we are going to cover: the basics of tango walking; key aspects of the tango walk in order to achieve balance and synchronization with the partner; differences between the walking forward, backward and stepping to the side; changing the direction during walking; the orientation of the couple during walking; musical possibilities using the tango walk.

For the more seasoned tangueros we are also going to look at and discuss some of the finer points of walking: toe-heel or heel-toe? Straight knee of bent knee? Collect or don’t collect? What can we do to make the walk interesting and personal?

2. Giro (the tango turn)

Q: What is tango?

A: Tango is continuous musical turn of the couple

Giro (the tango turn) - 90 min

Most movements and in Argentine tango can be seen as being part of a turn - either a complete 360-degree turn or a partial one. Understanding and using the giro (turn) in tango makes an enourmous difference in the way we learn, dance and enjoy tango. Within the giro (turn) the partners find their own personal space inside the embrace and connect to their own centre and the centre of the partner.

In this workshop we are going to look at: the fundamental movements and positions in a classic tango turn; the speed and tempo of the steps and those of the pivots; some ways to change the direction of turning; parts of the giro that can be used separately and ways to lead, follow and accompany the giro.

Newcomers to tango will definitely establish a solid base for the future exploration of the tango turn while more experienced dancers will have the opportunity to sort out subjects as the musicality and micro-movements inside the tango turn.

3. Navigation (dance directions)

Q: What is tango?

A: Tango is dancing together with everyone else in the room

Navigation (dance directions in tango) - 90 min

All dances in the world aim to use the space around us and fill it with movement and energy; again, most dancers have a spatial awareness about them that enables to create the beautiful air-sculptures that we refer to as dancing. Furthermore, popular dances (dances that developed in traditional communities) are imbued with common-sensical ‘rules’ or ‘dance-manners’ that make sure that everyone can use the line of dance of dance floor. In tango these rules are commonly referred to as ‘floorcraft’ or ‘navigation’ and have become, in time, fused with structure of the dance itself. This is why navigation is an incredibly important subject to study.

In the navigation workshop we are going to cover: orientation of the couple on the line of dance; using the changes of orientation on the line of dance to navigate the floor of the milonga; being aware of your orientation before and after the sequence; recognizing favourable opportunities for improvisation during navigation.

The workshop is recommended for all levels; beginner tangueros will learn about spatial awareness on the dance floor and will find themselves dancing with smoother transitions and fewer awkward stops with experienced tangueros will get a chance to re-organize their dance in terms of fundamental navigational directions and positions.

4. Rhythmical v Musical orchestras

Q: What is tango?

A: Tango is music embraced by the dancers

Rhythmical vs Musical orchestras (connecting to tango) - 90 min

Tango music comes in many flavours: from the clearly-cut rhythms of Juan D’Arienzo to the melodic slopes of Osvaldo Pugliese, and from the simple and delightful square music of Francisco Canaro, to the rhythmical labyrinths of Anibal Troilo, tango dancers attending a milonga have a wide band of possibilities for dancing and improvisation. That of course means listening intently to the orchestra and identifying the overall mood of the song and choosing a way of movement that best represents the your feeling.

In this workshop we are going to present a number of tango orchestras that get played commonly at milongas throughout the world; some of them have a clear rhythmical quality and unfolds in a linear fashion and therefore are more suited to a cadenced clearly-cut way of dancing; others have a more dramatic or lyrical mood to them and lend themselves to a non-linear interpretation of movements and sequences. We are going to take a few simple dance structures and modify them to suit the particular musical overtones of specific orchestras.

The workshop is an excellent introduction for beginners into the rich culture of tango music and provides more advanced dancers with specific ways in which to modify their favourite sequences to best represent and embody the mood of the music.

Come and experience a fresh new approach of Argentine Tango presented by TangoTangenT maestros!

DANIEL MĂNDIȚĂ

Invited teachers

Amalia and Daniel have been teaching tango for nearly twelve years and have guided countless dancers in Romania and abroad. Some of their students teach and perform in most of the major cities in Romania and several European countries.

Amalia and Daniel have performed on national and international stages for more than 10 years and in over 150 tango shows. Their tango education started with traditional Argentinian milongueros and then continued on to some of the greatest masters of tango today such as Gustavo Naveira and Pablo Veron.

Their style of teaching is focused on clear explanations and preliminary exercises that can be practised individually and can also be incorporated into the dance. Amalia and Daniel believe strongly that tango should be danced, enjoyed, studied and explored and that tango can become a means of enriching one’s life.

AMALIA ISCU

Event Registration

We highly recommend to register with a partner! (but is not mandatory)

Registration must be done via the registration form and valid personal data must be provided. You will receive an automated email confirming your registration request. In case you don't receive this email, check your SPAM folder and verify that you have provided a valid email address, please.

We will need a couple of days to process your registration request. Then you will receive a personal e-mail with the details of where, when and how to make the payment.

First come, first served will be applied for selection of participants.
The confirmation for participation is bound to the person who has registered. In case of cancellation, there is no refund of the registration fee.
If you register as a couple, you must fill in the registration form with your data and your partner personal data too.

All single registrations will be put on the waiting list first and confirmations will be sent to you as soon as we (us or you) find a partner to register with you.

For prices or any specific request please contact us by email: tango.society@studentclubs.ox.ac.uk

Prices

Full Pass £35/40 (members/non-members) includes all four workshops and the Thursday and Saturday milongas

One day pass £20/25 (two workshops and Saturday milonga)

Individual workshops cost £10.

Milonga cost £10.

Passes should be booked and paid for no later than Thursday 27 Oct.

Ready to learn tango from the best?

Click below and fill the registration form

Event locations

Maestros invited

Daniel Măndiță
Amalia Iscu

TT Team members
Andreea Minculescu
Andrei Petre
Cosmin Stamatoiu
Gilbert Iscu

Organisation involved

Oxford University Tango Society
TangoTangent
Asociatia eLIBERarte
Natural 4 Public Relations

Contact persons

Dan Berbec
Sarah Picaflores
Xeni Mus
Call or Text +447984967815
tango.society@studentclubs.ox.ac.uk

Quick links

Event program
Workshops
Taster tango class
Registration
Venues

Program Workshops Maestros Registration Venues RO

TangoTangenTWeekend in Oxford

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

Event Program

Thursday

November 1st

9.15 - 10.15 pm FREE TASTER CLASS

10.15 pm - 1.00 am MILONGA

Saturday

November 3rd

2 pm - 5 pm Workshop 1 + 2

7 pm - 12 pm MILONGA

Sunday

November 4th

2 pm - 5 pm Workshops 3 + 4

Subject and Content of the Workshops

Q: Would I like this tango thing?

A: Come and "taste" the tango experience…

Come and experience Argentine Tango - 60 min

Come and experience a fresh new approach of Argentine Tango presented by TangoTangenT maestros!

DANIEL MĂNDIȚĂ

Invited teachers

AMALIA ISCU

Event Registration

Prices

Ready to learn tango from the best?

Event locations

Maestros invited

Organisation involved

Contact persons

Quick links

TangoTangenT
Weekend in Oxford

9.15 - 10.15 pm
FREE TASTER CLASS

10.15 pm - 1.00 am
MILONGA

2 pm - 5 pm
Workshop 1 + 2

7 pm - 12 pm
MILONGA

2 pm - 5 pm
Workshops 3 + 4