If you haven’t danced tango before, the main thing you need to know is that there are many different approaches to tango as a dance – with no clear system for classifying them. There are various styles, e.g. ‘close hold’ or ‘open hold’, but the key difference is whether the dancers move stiffly through pre-set routines or dance in a more fluid, subtle and genuinely improvised way. ‘Ballroom tango’ (as seen on Strictly Come Dancing) is definitely in the first category. The tango actually danced in tango clubs (‘Argentine tango’) varies. Many people – especially in the UK – just quickly learn a few routines and dance a ‘semi-ballroom’ style of Argentine tango. The Argentineans call this ‘export tango’: it’s just for foreigners who want to look like they’re dancing tango. But a few of us make the decision to slow down and concentrate on the basics: posture, connection and ease of movement.

At Tango Serendipity, we work on the basics… You’ll need to bring a bit of patience, as it takes a while before you’re introduced to the more explosive aspects of tango, but when you do reach that stage you’ll be doing it properly – without bad habits or short cuts. And it’s much less stressful: no routines to learn, no counting. The sessions are more about exploring than memorising; we hardly ever use the words ‘left’ and ‘right’.

Ten reasons to try Argentine tango with Tango Serendipity:

easygoing atmosphere
Focused, quality tuition but without any of that ‘Strictness’. No prima donna teachers, no competitions – just clear, precise teaching with a light-hearted attitude. Tango Serendipity classes and events are put together in a way that makes it easy for newcomers to feel comfortable from day one. We were all beginners once…

tango: the most improvised and dynamic partner dance
The original, Argentine tango is completely different from the ballroom version often seen on TV. It’s smoother, it’s more subtle and it’s based on improvised social dancing in clubs. We don’t learn choreographies, there’s no rulebook to follow. In Argentina, tango is about finding your own way through the music. There is a performance version of Argentine tango, but that’s strictly optional…
Forget any notion of domineering males and submissive females: tango develops intuition and assertiveness in both women and men – the roles are different but equal. In Argentine tango the woman is not just a ‘follower’ and heels are optional. Guys: it’s a bloke-friendly teaching environment, there are no sequences to remember and don’t worry about those frilly outfits on Strictly Come Dancing. We don’t go there.

fabulous music
Once again, totally unlike ballroom tango with its abrupt, staccato marching-beat. The music played in milongas (tango clubs) is generally taken from old 78s from the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s. Key instruments include piano, violin and bandoneón (a kind of over-sized concertina – once heard, never forgotten) but usually no drums. It is sometimes compared with ragtime and jazz: European melodies played with a West African feel.
Some milongas, often with a younger crowd, also play contemporary remixes from bands like Gotan Project, along with other music styles, e.g. klezmer, chanson and gypsy-jazz – true to tango’s rich heritage of evolution and experimentation.
all ages, and no partner required – really!
Some clubs cater for an older clientele, others attract younger dancers, most are mixed. The gender balance can fluctuate, but is generally pretty even. At least half of participants come to classes on their own.

you can do it
If you can walk you can learn enough social tango to look and feel good, guaranteed. Remember, tango can be as dynamic or as simple as you want – you choose.
People sometimes say “I’d love to learn tango, but I can’t dance.” That’s rather like saying you’re not going to take driving lessons because you can’t drive. If you want it, you can have it: beginners classes are for non-dancers. You do need a bit of patience – but even that is learnable(!) That said, don’t worry if you can’t commit on a regular basis. You can drop in and out as much as you like.

dancing fit
We’ll show you tango’s key moves, but the main focus is always on learning balance and ease of movement: how to ‘be in your body’. Most people are worried about the two-left-feet syndrome, but this can always be overcome with practice. Co-ordination really is learnable, you just have to take the first step. Before long, people will be commenting on how well you move in everyday life.
All shapes/sizes welcome: Argentine tango is a gentle but addictive way of burning off excess calories. It will keep you flexible and is great for posture and confidence-building. You’ll stand straighter, clothes will fit better on you – who could ask for more?

experienced teachers
With Tango Serendipity the accent is on learning to move comfortably: getting the basics and getting them right. The teaching team have many years tango experience – regularly travelling abroad to explore different tango scenes and training with some of the world’s top tango dancers. Our tango knowledge is built on a solid foundation of yoga and tai chi, along with other pursuits like contact improvisation and contemporary dance.

easy on the wallet
We’re all worried about the recession: tango events are modestly priced and the dancing is free – like all the best things in life. And moving away from a social life that is based on drinking can often save a few pounds (both £ and lb).
Argentine tango is a cheap and painless way to get fit, and the balance/posture training at home costs nothing. Whether you are an employee, self-employed or unemployed, investing in yourself is an excellent way to get where you want to be in your career. Don’t shuffle into meetings and interviews; let tango teach you to walk like a tiger!

wouldn’t you at least like to know a few basic steps?
Partner-dancing used to be an essential part of our culture. It wasn’t about competitions, it was just part of going out on a Saturday night. Most of us today wish we could at least do some basic partner-dancing but feel too awkward. Tango Serendipity beginner classes are a chance for you to become a competent dancer in a stress-free, supportive and up-beat environment. We go a lot slower than on Strictly – the emphasis is on becoming comfortable with the basics, at your own pace.

great nights out
Argentine tango is about social dancing, a night out with a difference, an inclusive atmosphere, a great way to meet people. And although you can spend a lifetime exploring tango, you’ll learn enough of the basics to get you onto the dance-floor in just one session.
Don’t miss your chance: give Argentine tango a try! Meet new friends, do new things with old friends, or just get fit, flexible and have a good time. We were all made to move with other people: tango will change your life forever.

Tango: a dance with a past…
Nobody really knows quite how tango came into being. Despite its modern image as the most chic and sophisticated of all dances, it found its orginal form during the 1880s and 1890s in the roughest urban slums around the River Plate. Not just Buenos Aires, but Rosario, Montevideo (Uruguay) and anywhere that culturally diverse immigrants could be found living crammed together in desperate poverty. The men were mostly employed in the meat-packing factories that fed Europe, the women (who were often out-numbered ten to one) frequently resorted to working as ‘waitresses’ in the seedier bars around town.

Originally, tango meant the sound of a male voice with guitar, singing of homesickness, lost love, gambling, physical strength, sexual prowess… A kind of South American blues, but celebrating the good times too. West African rhythms were blended with European tunes, people began to dance, bands were formed and the tango as music and dance was born.

By the turn of the 20th century tango had become known by the more well-to-do members of society, who reacted with horror. It was simply too wild. However, a popular pursuit among upper-class Buenos Aires playboys with a taste for adventure was to go into the slum districts to explore a different kind of night-life. Some of them learnt to dance tango, and took it to formal Society balls in Paris… Ladies were swooning, letters were being written to the papers, great was the turmoil. But this new, improvised way of dancing was just too addictive and Europe was soon caught up in its first tango craze.

It’s said that tango ‘went to Europe in rags and returned in a dinner jacket’. Tango’s newfound popularity amongst Europe’s well-to-do allowed it to escape from the slums back home, albeit in a more refined, less obviously African form. Interest faded in Europe (leaving a highly formalised version of the dance now known as Ballroom Tango), but by the 1940s tango reached extraordinary heights in and around Buenos Aires; this is when tango came of age.

During the 1950s political changes in Argentina led to a crackdown on tango. It was seen as subversive and its dancers went underground. Tango was almost forgotten as a dance until the 1980s, when a combination of political freedom and revived international interest brought new interest in the cities of its birth.

The original Argentine tango is finally breaking free of its ballroom image around the world. Its rare blend of nostalgia, evolution, sensuality and style has seen it spread to every continent, from New York to Moscow, Cape Town to Copenhagen. Like jazz, there has always been great diversity within Argentine tango – both in its music and the way it is danced. Subtle, simple and stylish in the dance halls, or explosive and acrobatic on the stage, Argentine tango is as varied as the people who dance it.