Hi everyone, Fran here with your Tango Tip of the Week. If you’ve been following this latest series of Tips, you’re perhaps aware that this is Week Seven of our look at the qualities I think you need in order to become a good Tango dancer. In case you haven’t memorized the list by now, here it is again:
1. Commitment
2. Patience
3. Perseverance
4. Humility
5. A good sense of humor
6. A good teacher
7. Money
8. Natural ability
Today, we’re going to discuss money. No doubt, you’ve heard the saying, “The best things in life are free.” Well, that may be true, but the part they always leave
out is, “Except for dance lessons.”
That’s right, dance lessons do indeed cost money — sometimes way too much, if you’re not careful. Regular classes can be anywhere from $25 per visit to upwards of $50 or more. Workshops usually start at $40, and can be as much as $500 (no kidding!), depending on the total length of the commitment, and who’s doing the teaching. And private lessons? These days,
(at least, if you live in New York City) you can expect to pay a minimum of $100 per hour, and if you want to book a lesson with one of the superstars, the sky’s the limit!
Wow!
Personally, I really don’t think you can learn how to dance Tango without taking lessons. But at the same time, I fully recognize that the
idea of spending a ton of money on the process can be pretty unwelcome.
What, then, is the alternative? How can you learn this complex dance without going broke? To some extent, it depends on what your expectations are. If your goal is to become a professional Tango dancer, I’d say that that you have no viable option except to move to Buenos Aires, find the best teacher or school you can, and be prepared
to break the bank for at least five years of very, very hard work. Fortunately, most of us neither want nor need that intense level of involvement in order to become credible social dancers.
But …
What I think is needed a regular, ongoing connection with a seriously competent teacher, from whom you can
obtain progressive classes and (at least occasional) private instruction. That means you ought to be prepared to spend some amount of money from week to week for your class ($20-$30 isn’t unreasonable), and maybe $60-$100 every once in a while for a private lesson. If you want to make faster progress, you can take more privates; but, of course, that ups the financial ante.
As I write this, I know deep
in my heart that you — yes, I mean you — sincerely believe that you can get all you need to know about Tango without having to fork over all that moolah to some greedy, money-grubbing teacher. You can just pick up a few free classes before a milonga, watch a couple of YouTube videos, ask your friends what to do … stuff like that. In no time, you’ll be dancing up a storm.
Right?
Wrong. It just doesn’t work that way, dear sisters and brothers. Yes, you can score some superficial information about Tango. Yes, you can accumulate a catalog of dance figures (which you actually won’t be able to execute with any degree of competence). Yes, you can watch as your favorite Tango star blows your mind with all those neat adornments. But actually learn to dance?
I’m afraid not.
It turns out that as far as Tango is concerned, the best things in life just aren’t free. You can beat your head against a wall, wishing it were so. You can try to fake it. You can blame all your partners for not being good enough. But in the long run, if you want to come up with the goods, you’re going to have to put some money on the table.
I know this is not what you necessarily want to hear. But the sooner you face this unpleasant reality, the sooner you’re going to learn how to dance Tango.
Next week, we’re going to wrap up this thread by talking about natural ability.
