Never danced tango before? Feel free to just turn up at a social anyway. With or without a partner, it makes no difference.
You can just watch if you like, or take the brief Rough Guide To Tango beginners taster class and discover that while tango takes a lifetime to master, basic social tango is as easy as a walk in the park. Really.
Practica on selected Fridays at Niche Late Lounge
Running on an ad hoc basis over the summer; check the front page of this website to see when the next one is taking place.
8.30-10.30 or later. Admission £3 (£2 concs.), free to non-dancers.
A practica is a tango practice evening. All levels of dancer welcome! Partners and tuition provided!
Great atmosphere, excellent sound system, fine wooden floor. And Niche has an attractive 2-for-1 cocktail deal 8-11pm! (Impressive alcohol-free options for those who don’t drink and dance.)
One-off Events
CAMBRIDGE AUTUMN TANGO BALL WEEKEND – 3/4/5 SEPTEMBER
Lavish milongas in beautiful surroundings and workshops focusing on practical dance skills. Three days of dancing, plus time to explore the city.
Cambridge is world-famous for its magnificent colleges, which together make up the world’s fourth-oldest university (founded in 1209). Their intricate architecture, high walls and ancient wooden gates dominate the city centre, and they allow only very restricted access to visitors.
On the weekend of the 3rd-5th of September one of those colleges, in the centre of Cambridge, will open its gates to tango dancers for a series of unmissable events… Which college? We can’t say here; we were only able to persuade them to have us if we gave an undertaking not to advertise it publicly. But all tango dancers and their friends are welcome, just drop us a line and we will send you your invitation.
DANCING
Friday – Practica (with tuition available from experienced teachers), 8-11pm or later, £4/£2.50concs.
Saturday – Autumn Ball in the College’s opulent and spacious Great Hall, 8pm-1am, £8/£5. Non-dancers are welcome free of charge.
Dresscode: ‘Maximum Glamour’.
Both venues in the College have good wooden floors, and a lovely candlelit atmosphere. Excellent sound system, top class professional DJing. Mainly classic tango/vals/milonga in tandas with around 10% crossover music, carefully chosen. Argentine códigos are encouraged. Some soft drinks and light snacks provided on Saturday night; feel free to also bring your own juice/wine/anything. No bar, but the College will be providing wine glasses and corkscrews.
WORKSHOPS
Look here
CAMBRIDGE
Lots to see and do: 800 years of living history, a beautiful river (we’ll be organising a punting trip and picnics/meals in affordable restaurants, according to the weather), and much more: www.visitcambridge.org Tango Serendipity events have a strong reputation for being sociable and inclusive, so coming solo is fine.
ACCOMMODATION
Cambridge has many hotels and B&Bs, check the link above. Also, if you’re on a budget there are plenty of local dancers who are happy to offer a spare bed/sofa/floorspace to visitors. Just drop us a line.
SUNDAY
Private lessons available, and we’ll be meeting up for a stroll around the city.
In the afternoon there’s a practica at St Paul’s, 2-5pm (organised separately)...
…and in the evening Mano a Mano takes place at the very stylish Sorrento Hotel 7-10pm. The Sorrento is just half a mile from the railway station, with four trains an hour into London. Easy, free car-parking, 5 mins to the M11. (And for anyone who wants four days of tango, there’s also the milonga La Falena on Thursday…)
Dancing as though nobody’s looking…
Please don’t make video recordings, and please keep photography to a minimum, only photographing friends that you know will not mind. (Otherwise the atmosphere is changed for everybody.)