Tangotales.com

Just a quick post about this lovely series of podcasts I have just discovered on iTunes. So far, there are about 50 podcasts focusing on different aspects of tango, the history, the dance, specific composers, etc. It is presented by the divine Elmira (whose lovely Russian accent has completed hypnotised my boyfriend) and by including frequent musical breaks, I’ve been enlarging my tango music repertoire and am now completed in love with tango vals. Please check out the website www.tangotales.com (you can also download the podcasts here) -I’m learning such a lot from it!

Milonga

I had my first class learning milonga yesterday. Up until last week, I didn’t even know it existed (that shows you how far I still have to go!) and it was frantic and scary but also quite, quite marvellous! I messed up and got lost loads of times but for about 30 seconds I followed one perfectly and the music had such energy and infectiousness happiness about it that I couldn’t help leaving the dance floor with a beaming smile.

The start

This blog is about my experience of learning Argentine tango. I started on this journey about five months ago but feel that I have only really begun to ‘get’ tango in the last two months. For me, these last months have been an exhilarating and frustrating time. Each week I discover a new bit of tango that I love – a particular song, a phrase or a movement but along the way I have also had a number of setbacks and lows. I wanted to write this blog as a beginner because as much as I have been inspired by reading other tango blogs, I have not yet managed to find another which covers those first baby steps when we start trying to listen and learn tango. I can’t promise that my stories are going to be full of new insights or witty observations (although I will try!) but I hope to be truthful in what I have seen and experienced. I am simply someone who is earnestly trying to create my own relationship with tango. Please enjoy the journey with me!