12-month online tango musicality course for social dancers

with Yelizaveta

January 3-December 19, 2023

 

People say that tango is HARD!

And they’re RIGHT! It takes so freakin long to actually enjoy it, it frustrates you to no end, and just when you think you kind of have it figured out you go to a milonga and it’s total crap! If you have the right kind of endurance, you can hang in there long enough that things start making sense.

But could the whole process be made easier?

Could you skip all of that and just get to the good stuff where you are actually having fun (which is why you got into this thing in the first place?)

ABSOLUTELY!

You see, when you first start learning this dance, you get the impression that the key to dancing tango lies in learning beautiful patterns or be able to execute a movement perfectly. And surely both of these are aspects of dance, but they are not the key…

The key to dancing tango well is knowing how to express the music. If you know how to do that, you can have 3 moves under your belt and be able to dance with anyone in the room, regardless of their level.

The key to succeeding in social tango is having MUSICALITY.

This is because, at the highest level of social tango, musicality is what dancers are really interested in. They don’t care as much about technique, they care whether they can feel the music through their partner’s body (regardless of the movement!).

Think of musicality as your all-access VIP pass to the best social tango... around the world!

And in this course I bring you all of the essential (practical and immediately applicable) musicality knowledge that you need to become a popular, highly sought-after dancer at the milonga.

In this course you will get:

  • basic understanding of the tango musical styles and how to easily express them in your dance

  • how and what to listen for when expressing specific songs

  • basic techniques for changing the tone of your body to feel more expressive and connected to the music

  • strategies for dancing difficult/unfamiliar songs

  • how to recognize the main tango orchestras and adapt your movement to express their styles

This training is perfect for you if you:

  • have hit a plateau in your dance and are frustrated with not getting the dances that you want

  • have been dancing for a while but are still confused about musicality concepts and have been getting conflicting information

  • understand some musicality concepts but you’re confused about how to actually apply them to your dance

  • feel the music deeply and hear details that you want to express, but you don’t know how

  • love the music and listen to it all the time but don’t think you are advanced enough to study musicality

  • tango music is what pulled you into tango and you would love to be able to express it in your dance and maybe even DJ one day

This training is NOT for you if you:

  • have already developed your musicality and are satisfied with your dance experience

  • don’t really care about tango music and actually prefer to dance to alternative

  • really love to study patterns and musicality is not that high of a priority for you

  • are more interested in stage tango rather than social tango

  • already have a way to study musicality that works well for you

Your 12-month musicality course consists of:

  • 2 monthly LIVE sessions (24 total) on Tuesdays 1-2:30pm, 1st and 3rd week of the month

  • Recordings of the live sessions will be available for replay after each class (so if you can’t attend live, you can watch the recordings)

  • Curated Spotify playlists (and tech support on using Spotify)

  • Worksheets and exercises for practicing on your own

Our monthly topics include:

JAN - The 4 faces of tango music: main historical periods and their styles

FEB - Marcato: understanding the heartbeat of a tango song and how to express it

MAR - The layers of a tango song and how to express them in your dance

APR - Phrasing: transforming your dance into poetry

MAY - Tango’s most iconic orchestras and why they are so important for your dance

JUN - Top 5 most important songs every dancer should know how to dance

JUL - Developing an ear for quality: how to recognize most danceable tango songs

AUG - Music as strategy: tapping into the DJ’s mind to get better dances at the milonga

SEPT - Milonga and Vals: main attributes and how to express them in your dance

OCT - Developing your own style: how to apply your musicality knowledge for a more expressive dance

NOV - Beyond tango: how to choose good alt music for tango and how to dance to it

DEC - Ready to DJ: most important rules to follow for guaranteed success

Registration is now open for the upcoming 12 - month tango musicality course for social dancers

JAN 3-DEC 19, 2023
ONLINE

Cost: $960

Do I need a partner?

No! You don’t need a partnerI designed this course specifically for dancers who want to work on their own to develop a deep understanding of their unique musicality first. Then specific assignments and exercises will challenge you to put what you have learned into practice at your local miongas and prácticas.

What if I’m not that tech savvy?

I will teach you how to use the software and help you troubleshoot if things don’t work correctly. Most people experience a mild learning curve right at the beginning, but with a little bit of practice you will get the hang of it pretty quickly.

Is the online class as effective as in-person?

This course is specifically designed to work best online and give you ample opportunity to focus and go through the material multiple times. It also cuts down on the possible distractions that are typically part of a regular group class.

What if I can’t attend live?

All the sessions will be recorded and available for replay on your dashboard.

Is this for leaders or followers?

This course is highly applicable for either role. All of the concepts covered in this course can be applied to either following or leading and can even be used to explore other dance forms!

How experienced should I be to take this course?

A basic understanding of leading or following is sufficient. This course is designed to help dancers of any level, even if you are a total beginner.

What People Are Saying

 

“I’ve taken workshops, technique and a privates with Yelizaveta. Enthusiastic, supportive, and with great attention to the alignment details to become a great dancer. She is the best resource I have found to not just learn about tango, but to work through the steps to transform your body to really dance tango. She provides no shortcuts because there are none. Instead she is the real deal, a magnificent dancer with the musicality and refined body awareness to ensure that the time you are able to put in is most effectively directed towards a great experience for yourself and your partner.”

— EUGENE LEWINS, PORTLAND, OR

“Yelizaveta creates an environment of learning that invokes the Spirit of tango as experienced through the imagination and the senses. Participants are engaged not just as students, but as co-creators and fellow artists of the dance. What I learned about the essence of tango while working with Yelizaveta has made me a better dancer in tango and in life!”

— KATIE ROEDA, PORTLAND, OR

“I highly recommend Yelizaveta’s classes. The movements as well as the explanations, visualization and understanding of how each movement connects to tango movements has been invaluable. I can definitely feel the difference in my body and even though I have a lot to work on, I now have the tools and basic understanding of how my body should engage and move. I believe that any level tanguero(a) can benefit from this instruction. ”

— STEPHANNI JONES, LOS ANGELES, CA

Have questions? Reach out to me!