Sunday, December 9, 2012

Silvia y Alain de Dance Conmigo dance Mala Junta



http://www.danceconmigo.com/ offers private and group classes in Montreal

In this dance, Silvia and Alain celebrate the 6 year of Dance Conmigo in business. It has been a wonderful experience in which great friendships and relations with the students and among the students have been established.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Health Research Tango Group


www.danceconmigo.com
Tango students, who have been learning Argentine Tango as part of a Parkinson Research project , perform a routine after their introductory 12-week session. Bravo! and thank you for your spirit, courage and inspiration.

The research (organized by McGill University) tests if Argentinean tango classes can help with some motor and non-motor symptoms of  Parkinson's disease

Friday, October 5, 2012

Street Tango




http://www.danceconmigo.com/
Dance Conmigo teaches private and group classes


Tango is a dance of the streets.

In this video, Alain Guillot and Silvia Rios take their love for tango to the people. Without any kind of permission from the city, they started their boom box, played the music and started dancing. They were accompanied by Rowing Miles, a hobby photographer.

Curious tourist would gather around, some of them immediately flipping their cameras, some other ones annoyed at being disturbed from their thoughts.

It was a great joy to just express our passion for tango, unsolicited and even illegally.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Dancing Tango at the Old port Montreal


It was a beautiful fall evening (Sep. 23rd) when Alain Guillot and Silvia Rios decided to go and on the streets of the Old Port Montreal. They asked for the assistance of their friend Rowen Miles to film them and photograph them.

As Alain and Silvia danced, curious tourist looked at them and in some occasions they applauded.

It was a wonder experience. To share the love for this seductive music.

On October 6 2012, Alain and Silvia will perform a tango during the Dance Conmigo party.

Dance Conmigo host a party the first Saturday of every month. On October 6, Dance Conmigo will teach two dance classes at the same time. One dance Class will be West Coast Swing in one room and Argentine Tango in different room. After the classes the dancers will be able to choose among three different dance floors. One dance Floor for Salsa, merengue, cha-cha; one dance floor for Argentine Tango; and the last dance floor for West Coast Swing, waltz, rumba, cha-cha, foxtrot, etc.

Dance Conmigo hopes to have all dance floors full of happy dancers.

See you all there.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Dance Conmigo party Tango class with Rogerio and Jade.

For six years now (since October 2006) Dance Conmigo has been holding an open dance party the first Saturday of every month.

How it works: On the first Saturday of the month, we host a social dance party at Studio Metronome.  The night kicks off with an introductory dance class from 8-9pm, featuring one of the dance styles we teach at Dance Conmigo.  After the class, there is general dancing in three different rooms. One dance floor is for Salsa (plus Bachata, Merengue, Cha-Cha), one is for Argentine Tango, and the Main Ballroom features a mix of all the dance styles - including Ballroom, Swing and West Coast Swing.

On September 1st:  For the first time, Dance Conmigo hosted two introductory classes at the same time. Alain and Cheryl taught a beginner Bachata class in the main room, while Rogerio and Jade taught Argentine Tango in the "Tango Room".

Jade is a professional dance teacher with a lot of confidence developed from many years of training, but for Rogerio, a passionate student of tango himself, this was his first time teaching.

We are so proud of you, Rogerio. Every woman who came off of the tango floor, did so with a big smile, many saying "Wow, I just danced with Rogerio..." We are so happy to have you with us!

For you, Jade: Thank you so much for being part of the Dance Conmigo team. Your presence and experience, personality and charm brings so much to our little school!




Thursday, August 16, 2012

Dance Conmigo students spend an evening at the circus

Click HERE to see video
It was the beginning of May, when Dance Conmigo received a phone call from the promoters of a TV series called, La Vie est un cirque, televised by TV5.

Our conversation went more or less like this.

Promoters: Hey, we are televising a circus show performed by Cirque Eloize with the theme "The evolution of tango" would you like to attend to the filming and get some free tickets?

Dance Conmigo: sure, how many tickets do you have.

Promoter: we can give you 10.

Dance Conmigo: Can we have 20? some of our student would feel left out if they are not invited.

Promoter: Well, we had 10 for you, but we will make it 20.

Dance Conmigo: Thank you so much.

An so it happened. About 20 Dance Conmigo students went to the Cirque Eloize head-quarters and played the role of public during this fantastic presentation.

The presentation was aired this week and we wanted to share it with every one else. Click on the image to see the video.

Dance Conmigo will also be organizing adance party on September 1st at studio Metronome from 8:00pm to midnight. The party will start with a Bachata class in on Dance floor and a Tango class in another dance floor. The cost will only be $6.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Dance Conmigo invites its tango students to dance next to Mont Royal Metro


Elias from the Tango School "Comme Il Faut" has organised an event to dance tango in front of Metro Mont Royal Thursdays 16 and 23 of August from 7 to 9 pm.

Dance Conmigo would like to cooperate by inviting its students to come to dance tango in an urban environment.

Come Dance Argentine Tango with us at the heart of the Plateau Mont Royal  on Thursdays 16 and 23 of August from 7 to 9 pm.

Dance Conmigo will also be organizing a dance party on September 1st at studio Metronome from 8:00pm to midnight. The party will start with a Bachata class in on Dance floor and a Tango class in another dance floor. The cost will only be $6.

______________________

Jeudi les 16 et 23 aout, entre 19h et 21h Tango Comme Il Faut organise une pratique d'ete en milieu urbain, devant le metro Mont Royal. Venez danser en plein coeur du Plateau Mont Royal.

Danse Conmigo organise une soirée dansante le 1er Septembre au studio métronome  à partir de 20h00 à minuit. La soirée débutera avec un cours de Bachata dans une salle de danse et un cours de Tango dans une autre salle de danse. Le coût  sera $6.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Boleos



In this video we worked on Boleos.

 Boleo could be done either high or low.  Trying to keep the knees together, with one leg back, swivel and return on the supporting leg with a whipping action of the free leg.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Ganchos (Tango Class at Dance Conmigo)



In this class we started covering Ganchos.

Ganchos are easily done in combination with other movements such as Giros or Back Ochos.

 If we start guiding our partner for a back ocho and then, insert our leg as she is trying to collect her feet, then a beautiful gancho might turn out from the maneuver.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Turn to the left in Tango




I love this step for it simplicity, how it feels and how practical it is.
At any time during the tango walk, the leader can step outside partner with his right foot and by having a firm connection on the follower's back, he can stop her back momentum and redirect it to the left.

The follower would step around the leader's right foot, take a step forward and then spiral by leaving her weight on her left foot.

From this half turn position, the leader can create a circular cadencia creating about 180 degree turn and coming back to the line of dance.

One of the things that I love about this step is how easy it is to execute in a crowded room and how easy it is to execute in close embrace. It also an easy step to pull out of your pocket in case of a need to do  a sudden change of direction or to kill some time while there is an opening on the dance floor.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Ochos in Tango for the leader



Usually, when we learn about Ochos, we always think about them as a move that the follower does. But When the leader does Ochos as well, it creates an element of surprise and it is a very easy step to guide and follow.  Give it a try and try switching from back to to front Ochos several times.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Two men Dancing Milonga




I have never seen such perfect tango danced by two men.

Dance Conmigo teaches private and group classes in Montreal http://www.danceconmigo.com/tango

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Sacadas workshop at Dance Conmigo May 25th 2012




Dance Conmigo teaches private and group classes in Montreal http://www.danceconmigo.com/tango

This was a Sacadas Workshop hosted by Alain Guillot and Cheryl Williams  held at Dance Conmigo studio on May 26th from 13h00 to 14h30.

Sacada means displacement of a leg or foot by the partner’s leg or foot or whole body. Sacadas can be discrete and hardly noticeable or big and flashy. In this video we did some Sacadas that were physically challenging, but very fun to do and visually attractive.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Ocho Cortado



Dance Conmigo teaches private and group classes in Montreal http://www.danceconmigo.com/tango

Ocho Cortado is a change of direction. It generally occurs on "5" or the cruzada position.

From 5, the leader takes a bouncing step forward and immediately brings his partner back to his right side. 

The secret in a good guiding is to keep a firm connections with the follower's back. As she steps back with her right leg, the leader prevents her from moving her left foot.

 After the bounce they both open facing each other and transferring the weight (leader to the right leg, followers to the left leg).

 The next motion is basically a pivoting move in which the leader transfer his weight to his left foot and rotating his shoulders to the left while bringing his partner with him.

 For the follower, she will be guided to transfer her weight to the right foot and the pivoting motion will encourage to cross her feet coming back to the Cruzada or "5" position.

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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

michelle + joachim | "androgyne" - 2 - basel ostertango festival 2011





Dance Conmigo teaches private and group classes in Montreal http://www.danceconmigo.com/tango

This is an amazing performance by Michelle Marsidi and Joachim Dietiker with Soledad Orquesta playing live at OSTERTANGO FESTIVAL April 2011 in Basel, Switzerland. This guys are my inspiration to practice and teach.

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Monday, May 14, 2012

Cadencia (Tango move) @ Dance Conmigo



Dance Conmigo teaches private and group classes in Montreal http://www.danceconmigo.com/tango

Cadencia is a shifting of weight, sometimes in place, sometimes in one direction or another. This step is very useful for avoiding collisions and making direction changes in small places. Many times we use it at the beginning of the dance to communicate the Rhythm of the music and to ensure that the first step will be taken with the correct foot.

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Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Sacadas Atelier/Workshop @ Dance Conmigo

(English below)
Dance Conmigo vous invite à un atelier de Sacadas, animé par Alain Guillot et Cheryl Williams, qui se tiendra au Dance Conmigo studio (3655 Saint Laurent #207) le 26 mai de 13h00 à14h30.

 Sacada signifie le déplacement d'une jambe ou d'un pied par la jambe ou le pied de votre partenaire. Venez et apprenez plusieurs variations de sacadas.

 Cet atelier est ouvert aux danseurs qui ont plus d'un an d'expérience en tango. Aucun partenaire n'est nécessaire, cependant si vous n'avez pas de partenaire, inscrivez-vous et payez avant le 22 mai. Cela nous donnera l'occasion de vous assurer que vous aurez un partenaire.

 L'atelier comprend 60 minutes d'enseignement et 30 minutes de temps de pratique. Le prix est de 15 $.




Dance Conmigo invites you to a Sacadas Workshop hosted by Alain Guillot and Cheryl Williams to be held at Dance Conmigo studio on May 26th from 13h00 to 14h30.

 Sacada means displacement of a leg or foot by the partner’s leg or foot. Come and learn a few more variation of this visually pleasant step.

This workshop is open to dancers with more than one year experience. No partner is necessary, but if you do not have a partner, register and pay before May 22nd. This will give us an opportunity to make sure that you will have a partner.

The workshop will be 60 min of teaching and 30 minutes of practice time. The price is $15.

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Sunday, May 6, 2012

Alain & Silvia Dance Tango at Dance Conmigo party. Cinco de Mayo



Dance Conmigo teaches private and group classes in Montreal.

Dance Conmigo host a party the first Saturday of every Month at Studio Metronome. Each party starts with complementary one hour course of a different dance.  After the dance class three dance floors are open to our guests. One dance floor for salsa, one dance floor for Argentine Tango and one dance floor for Ballroom and general dancing.

On May 5th there was one class of West Coast Swing and  at abut 10:30 pm there were three performances. Two of the performances were students of Cheryl Williams who showed couples how to do their first dance before their wedding and one performance by Alain and Silvia.  Alain And Silvia danced to "Finally Moving"  by Pretty Lights.

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Saturday, May 5, 2012

Leg extensions in Tango



Dance Conmigo teaches private and group classes in Montreal www.danceconmigo.com

This is one of my favorite steps when we are performing. It is simple and visible. It is like an eye candy for an audience while the leader prepares in his mind for the next movement.

Leg Extensions are very versatile. it can be done almost instantly with big breaks of the music. Extensions can be done ether when going to the left (on 2) or going to the right (on 7) or while going back and/or forward.

For the follower, once she becomes sensitive to the first one, all the other ones are easy to understand and easy to follow. I am sure that both, leader and follower, will find this movement easy and fun, plus it is pleasant to the eye.
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Saturday, April 28, 2012

Alain and Halina dancing Tango (Organito de la Tarde)



Dance Conmigo offers private and group classes in Montreal. (www.danceconmigo.com)

Alain and Halina were invited to do a Tango demonstration at a biweekly Caribbean dance party called Family Dance. This parties are organized at Studio Metronome by dance teacher Emile Darius. In this evening they dance "Organito de la Tarde" by Carlos di Sarli.

Halina Dudyk have been coming to Dance Conmigo for over 6 years, and although Halina is above all a social dancer, she enjoys the challenge of performing in front of an audience.

Alain is a Tango addict.  He will take advantage of any possible opportunity to talk about Tango, teach Tango or perform Tango. Alain would be delighted to teach or dance at your next social event.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Variation of Crossing on "5" of Tango basics



Dance Conmigo teaches private and group classes in Montreal (www.danceconmigo.com)

This is a variation of the basic 8 step pattern of Tango. This movement, although not significantly different from the regular basic step, it give a different feel and look to the dance.

 1. The leader takes a regular back step.
2. The leader takes his regular side step. Here I like to take my side step less than 45 degrees from my "one" so that I can indicating our new direction.
3. On my "3" the leader creates Contra body movement of about 45 degrees
4. On "4" both leader and follower take a side step (similar to step "Two")
5. On "5" the leader crosses his feet on the back while the follower crosses her feet on the front.
 6. On "6" the leader rotate the follower's shoulder to align her to go on the line of dancing.
 7. "7 " and "8" should be the same as our regular basic step.

Pictures of the Role Reversal Class

Role reversal in not only a great tool to improve the communication between partners. It is also very fun. All during the class, both leaders and followers could not stop laughing while finding themselves in the other side of the dance. I could see their brains racing to process all the information that they already had but which had to be applied from a different perspective.

I do not know how to thank my student for being so patience with us the teachers. Thank you guys. 



Thursday, April 26, 2012

Circular Colgadas: Michelle & Joachim




Circular colgadas are extremely deceiving. At the beginning they seem to be so easy and natural, then as the dancers try learn all the elements that come into play, (body pasture, changes in the abrazo, momentum of the movements, foot positioning) the dancers can realize how difficult this movement can be. After many hours and even weeks of practice, it begins to feel natural, the dancers can get in and out or the circular colgadas with little hesitation  and finally, when the dancers feel comfortable with the movements they realize how easy and natural it is do and wonder how did they ever dance without circular colgadas.

At Dance Conmigo, we dedicated almost the whole Winter 2012 session to learning, practicing and experimenting with  Circular Colgadas. The students were delighted and now it has become part of their every day dancing.


Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Tango Music for Beginners



Dance Conmigo offers Private and group tango classes

If a person registers for a tango class, love the class and the music, the next logical step would be to get some music to practice. But here comes the question: Which is the best tango music for beginners?

Usually my first tango lesson every session starts with walks. Without explaining any of the characteristics of the Tango walk, I ask students to walk as if they were walking in the streets and then I put a tango song. This Tango song has to be a song in which the beat is clear and constant.

Some of the favorite composers used for beginner classes are Carlos Di SarlyFrancisco Canaro and Miguel Calo; their music has a clear and simple tempo that is easy to follow in our Tango infancy.

After one to three years, a tango dancers begins to understand how to walk in harmony with the music. It is at this moment that the dancer could start experimenting with other composer such as Juan D'Arienso, Anibal Troilo, Ricardo Tanturi.

Of course, when a tango dancer goes to a milonga, he/she does not know the names of the songs that the DJ is playing, and at the beginning, perhaps every song sounds the same, most of them have a violin, a piano and a bandoneon, but the first purchased song should have a clear and steady tempo that would be easy to follow as we concentrate in doing a perfect tango walk.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Forced Crossing in Tango


Dance Conmigo  teaches group and private classes in Montreal.

This week we introduced a simply, playful step that we called "Forced Crossing". The idea is that on our "3" step, the leader will step outside partner in a way in which, when he transfer his weight to his right foot, he pushes her leg and will force her to cross.

Although the step is not intuitively obvious, after doing it a few times, it has a very natural feeling. Its playful nature allow us to use it while dancing tango or dancing milonga.

Try it and let me know how it worked out for you.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Tango Vals, Javier Diaz & Daria Nikolaeva



Tango vals, danced by Javier Diaz & Daria Nikolaeva in St.Petersburg, Russia, 21.04.12.

Dance Conmigo is teaching Tango vals this spring session 2012

When we dance regular tango, there is a lot of room for interpretation of the music, the leaders constantly switch from the tempo to the melody, make long pauses, do contretemps steps or simply dance to the music inside of their head, and somehow, it all seem to work out.

When we dance Tango vals, we have to be more aware of the music and the tempo.  Tango vals is danced to 3/4 time and the tempo could change from slow to very fast within the same song.

Although most of the steps are taken from traditional tango, dancers tend to choose more turning steps, and also choose not to pause as they frequently do in Tango.

So how do we dance Tango vals?

Generally the music is too fast to step in each one of the 3 beats of every measure, to do so would be exhausting. The most common solution is to accentuate the beat 1 of the 3 beats.

Once that we have gotten used to the rhythm stepping on "1", the next step would be to do some syncopations and step twice per 2 beats of music instead of the more traditional tango walk of one step per 2 beats of music. Dancer would generally step on "1" and then either on "2" or on "3".

Although not a regular tempo, in class, I prefer to teach in series of "slows" and "quick-quick". I find it easier to explain to students and for myself as well. That would be 1 step of the 1-2-3 tempo, or two steps within the 1-2-3 tempo.

In the dance floor you might find dancers who never syncopate and who would only make steps on the "1" and this would be perfectly fine, but I have never seen a dancer who syncopates on every beat. Here comes the liberty of interpretation, where a leader can switch from stepping on every "1" and occasionally switch to the quick-quick syncopation.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Role Reversal in Tango




Dance Conmigo offer private and group tango classes as well as instructional dance videos. http://www.danceconmigo.com/tango

It happens often during private classes that I guide a leader to better show him what the follower is supposed to feel and I ask a follower to guide me, so that she can better understand what the leader is asking of her.

If from time to time we decide to reverse roles we can enhance the appreciation of each other and we can see the dance from another perspective.

 By understanding the other dancer's role, we can improve our connection and confidence when we hit the dance floor.

Alain

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Sebastian Arce & Mariana Montes - Amurado - Palermo 2012

Sebastian Arce and Mariana Montes dancing Amurado in Palermo Italy.



From searching youtube, I am getting the impression that the best tango videos are presented in Italy. The speed and grace of this dancers is spectacular.

Dance Conmigo teaches Tango Classes in Montreal.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Javier and Geraldine dance "poema" 2004 Taipei Tango Festival



It is amazing how big tango is. There are festivals and masters all over the world. One of my favorite is Geraldine.  If I ever dance with her, it will be like a dream coming true. Until then, I will continue practicing and dreaming.

Dance Conmigo offer private and group classes in Montreal.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Andrea and Gato at Portland TangoFest 2004



This is a great example of great communication between a man and a woman in Tango. Their movements are sharp and passionate. Excellent musicality. Great flexibility and expression.

If this video inspires you to dance Tango, Dance Conmigo offers Group and private classes in Montreal

Sunday, April 15, 2012

CHICHO & JUANA in TANGO OCHO STUTTGART



 Beautifull improvisation of CHICHO & JUANA on Piazzola's Avemaria. The Master shows his briliant technique on soltadas, colgadas, volcadas, ganchos, boleos, arastres,...

Dance Conmigo offers Private and Group classes in the area of Montreal

Sitges Tango Festival 2008 - Pablo Villaraza y Dana Frigoli


SITGES TANGO FESTIVAL 2008
 Pablo Villaraza y Dana Frigoli
 1. Don Juan
2. La Milonga Que Faltaba

This Dancers are a great inspiration. There is high complexity of sharp movement and fantastic musicality.

Dance Conmigo offers Private and Group classes in the area of Montreal

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Tango Foot push, Sacada, Body wrap (Dance Conmigo)

Dance Conmigo offers private and group classes http://www.danceconmigo.com/tango
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We did a nice decoration. The leader bring the follower into a sentada  position, then he searches contact with her foot and pushes it into the air. When She is coming, back, he guides a back ocho.

We also worked with a Sacada and a body wrap.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012


 Dance Conmigo offers private and group classes http://www.danceconmigo.com/tango
 we are also in Facebook

I just saw this video and I thought that it was worth sharing with the following observations:

  1. The Leader steps forward with his whole body, the follower stretches her leg back and then transfer her weight. 
  2. The leader pushed himself with foot on the ground ant with the other one, he steps on his heel. 
  3. They use close embrace for walking and open embrace for doing other combinations. 
A few of the most elaborate move, we have done it in class. Do you recognize some of them?



Friday, March 30, 2012

Tango, promenade and leg wrap



Dance Conmigo offers private and group classes. http://www.danceconmigo.com/tango 

 I just want to clarify that most of these steps are NOT suitable for a milonga. These steps are mostly to have fun and to work the coordination and connection with the partner.

In this class in particular we worked on Promenade walk. We did our promenade walk by keeping our shoulders toward our partner, but pivoting our hips. Eventually the leader places himself facing his partner by getting her out of her axis, creates a leg wrap. Finally, the leader syncopates and places himself once again in a way that he can continue his walking on the line of Dance.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Tango and Blues, a beautiful marriage


Tango demo by Nick and Tara at the end of class at the Denver Blues Summit 2008

To learn Tango in Montreal Canada, Dance Conmigo offers private and group classes. In addition, Dance Conmigo organizes a party the first Saturday of the month with three dance floors, one of witch is for Argentine Tango. The next party will be April 7th 2012.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Sebastian Achaval y Roxana Suarez - Color cielo



Tango "Color cielo" performed by Sebastian Achaval and Roxana Suarez
Rome 2010/07

To learn Tango in Montreal Canada, Dance Conmigo offers private and group classes. In addition, Dance Conmigo organizes a party the first Saturday of the month with three dance floors, one of witch is for Argentine Tango. The next party will be April 7th 2012.

Join us.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Back Volcadas


Dance Conmigo offers private and group classes.
www.danceconmigo.com

I use Back Volcadas as a decorative step or as a complement to some other move.

The way I do it is by doing my regular 1 & 2 of the basic. On 3, I step outside partner and after transferring my weight on the right foot, I guide a small but dry and firm "J" movements with my torso.

If my partners' right leg is loose enough to be guided, her leg would do a small (or big, depending on the energy given) circular movement that would culminate by hooking behind her left foot. At the end of the circular movement and the hooking behind, she will transfer her weight to her right foot.

The leader would rotate her shoulder to help her liberate her left foot and he will guide her out by doing a regular 3,4,5 or by guiding many other back volcada.

To see our class calendar go here: http://www.danceconmigo.com/schedule

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Testimonial from Rogerio, a tanguero native from Brazil

Rogerio's coment after a tango party

"Amazing... I started to go to practicas (slowly... from time-to-time) one year ago (March 2011) on Sundays afternoons. I had to say that I was pretty scared... and pretty clumsy :).


Tango is tough for beginners... mainly for guys... if you are a guy... you are really in the "bottom of the food chain" in Tango :)


It takes a lot of guts...


But now... in spite of the fact that I know that there is still a steep learning curve ahead of me... I am not intimidated anymore. It is something natural for me to go and ask a lady to dance Tango with me. I hope you understand how (good) it feels.

Even yesterday... where basically all the dancers had high level (really impressive)... I knew that I was probably the "least experienced tanguero" on the dance floor, however, I did know that I was "good enough" to dance with the ladies over there."

Every student/dancer has a learning process which could be long and tedious, but the satisfaction of achieving the desire result (to have fun dancing) is inmense.

For those of you who do not have instant results right away, do not give up, keep on trying... do not feel bad repeating the same level once or twice, as long as the learning process is fun, then there is no rush. Many professional dancers practice their basic movements over and over again. There is always much more to learn, but lets make sure that we feel confortable with what we know before moving to the next stage.

And never stop dancing!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Tango, fish tail, Simple flashy sacada, Nice body rotation #4


Dance Conmigo offers private and group classes.
www.danceconmigo.com

In this class we did some variation from the previous week. Specifically, I like to always show two versions of the same movements, one version for the milonga and one version for a performance.

During the last few classes I have been focusing almost exclusively on body rotations. I have encounter unexpected challenges as I am trying to explain the body feeling to the students. So far I am giving myself an 80% success rate. on my 20% failure, I am attributing it to not explaining things in a way that would be understood by a particular student, or the student not being experienced enough to to guide the move properly.

On the other hand, some time I practice learning a move for hour before explaining it. I think that it is only normal if the student do not get it perfectly withing the 55 minutes of one class.

I would truly appreciate any feed back.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Body Rotations # 3 (Dance Conmigo)



Dance Conmigo offers private and group classes.
www.danceconmigo.com

This is the third video of a the same subject of body rotations.

Our main objective is to always have fluid movements. Take the energy of our partner, use it and give it back. The movements should not be sharp and snappy, rather the should be fluid and continuous. We are always leveraging our weight with the weight of our partner.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Tango Demo at Dance Conmigo party March 2012



Dance Conmigo offers private and group classes.
www.danceconmigo.com

This was a monthly party organized by Dance Conmigo. In this party in particular, there was and Argentine Tango class, followed by general dancing in three different dance floors (salsa, Tango & ballroom).

Some time during the party, Alain and Cheryl danced an Argentine tango "Comme il faut" by Carlos di Sarli.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Body Rotations and Colgadas #1


Dance Conmigo offers private and group classes.
www.danceconmigo.com


In this class we started with a rotation after a "Pasada"
We also did a rotation when both leader and follower were stepping into a back ocho.
Finally we did a Colgada. After stepping to the side on two, the follower created a sandwich with the leader foot creating a common axis. The leader rotated her shoulder as if guiding a back ocho and then created a rotation with the momentum of his body. Very fun step that can be exaggerated to different degrees.

One of the best time of the week is when we teach this tango class. we have to thank our students for putting up with us and the out of the ordinary interpretations that we put on body movements.

Dancing is just another way of communication, expressing yourself with your body, feeling and interpreting the music as we feel inspired to do. Tango classes is just an enrichment of the vocabulary of movements that allows to communicate with our partner.

When we find that ideal communication with a dance partner, then a smile comes to our face and the joy overwhelms our hearts. This is what makes dancers so passionate about their dance. Then it becomes a gospel and we want to share that joy with every one that we encounter.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Tango at Le "Grand Bal en Rouge Rétro" - Édition 2012


On a beautiful night in Montreal, Shaima and Lyvia  from the Dance Troupe Ezzahra organized a fantastic event event called "Le Grand Bal en Rouge Rétro".

Alain and Cheryl were honored with an invitation to to perform an Argentine Tango for the second year in a row. The Tango was totally improvised using the song Bahia Blanca by Carlos Di Sarli.

Thank you Shaima and Lyvia for the inviation.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Giros to right and left. Tango 2 lesson 6


Dance Conmigo offers private and group classes.
www.danceconmigo.com
In this video, we start a giro to the left with a planeo for the leader.
we have paradas and ganchos.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Giros to the left. Tango 2 lesson 5



Dance Conmigo offers private and group classes.
www.danceconmigo.com

In this video we did Giros to the left.
We started with a cross system and feet crossed at 5
then we rotated our partner to our left.
To this giro we added a "lapiz" of foot decoration
We also showed how to exit steeping back
Finally, for complexity sake we did a giro to the left with a "barrida".

Dancer: Alain Guillot and Mariya Cherkasova

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Intercultural Program with École Josephine Dandurand



As part of its Intercultural program, École Josephine Dandurand has added to its regular field trip outing a dance lesson, offered in Spanish by Dance Conmigo. Students wanting to experience elements of Montreal's Spanish-speaking culture enjoy a day visiting Latin bookstores, eating at a Mexican restaurant and participating in activities conducted in Spanish. By taking a dance class in Spanish, students can reinforce their understanding of the language while picking up a fun and active social skill.

Dance Conmigo is happy to teach any of the dances in its curriculum in English, French or Spanish.


École Josephine Dandurand
90 rue Mackenzie-King
Saint-Jean-sur Richelieu

Dance Teachers: Cheryl Williams and Alain Guillot

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

FEb. 26th. Intermediate Tango workshop. Extreme rotations.

Sunday, February 26, 2012 at Dance Conmigo. 3655 saint Laurent. 1:30pm until 4:00pm

Teachers: Alain Guillot and Jade Pollack

Cost $20.

This workshop will be based on off-axis movements with an emphasis on rotation. Partners will
discover the subtleties of off-axis and shared axis movement. The workshop will introduce
new concepts to familiar steps and then increase in complexity as we apply the knowledge to
new and advanced figures.

Dancer's are not required to bring their own partner, but it would be preferred if they can sign
up with one.

We will try to cover a total of 8 different movements during the class. Within the rotations, we
will have a chance to look at colgadas, sacadas, ganchos and leg wraps.

After the 90 minute class there will be a one hour dance practice so that you can practice the
steps with class participants and new comers who will also be showing up for the practice.
During this time class teachers will be available to answers questions and provide tips.

Come join us for a workshop to experiment your balance, flexibility and creativity.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Tango 2 lesson 5 Giros, Barrida, Gancho


Dance Conmigo offers private and group classes.
www.danceconmigo.com

-In this video we did a basic Giro exercise,

-Then we did a Giro in which both, leader and follower, walk around each other.

- We did the same exercise by leader staying in place and follower walking around the leader.

- Finally we added some sacadas, Barriada and Ganchos to our giros.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Half moon with Parada and decorations. Tango 2 lesson 3


Dance Conmigo offers private and group classes.
www.danceconmigo.com

-In this video we started on "2"
-The leader guided the follow into back Ochos.
-At the end of the second back ocho, both the leader and the follow pivot and step back.
-Both dancers open
-Follower steps foward
-Leader searches her foot to create a "Parada"
-The follower one or several decorations
-The follower passes "Pasada"
-Both dancer finish with a walk or with 6-7-8.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Sandwich plus simple leg wrap


Dance Conmigo offers private and group classes.
www.danceconmigo.com

In this video we worked over a simple leg wrap.
The leader steps to the side on "2"
He searches contact with the follower foot
The follower closes her feet creating a sandwich
Leader rotates the followers shoulders,
Follower takes the energy from the leader's rotation and rotates her hips
As the leader's rotation becomes stronger
The follower hip rotation is more pronounced transferring to her leg.
The leg with a circular energy wraps around the leader's leg
The leader finish the movement by guiding a Back Ocho.
Dancers: Alain Guillot and Halina Dudyk
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