Saturday:

See below for full event descriptions
Private lessons contact Brian Spellman (860) 200-4395

WMT Big Tango weekend is brought to you by Western MA Tango, a non-profit org that is made up of amazing volunteers. If you’re looking to help in a large or small capacity please contact westernmatango@gmail.com

Full Event Details
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Overview: Learn how to move together with grace and ease. As the cliche goes it takes two to tango. As a leader you’ve been told to follow your follower but what exactly is that feeling? As a follower you’ve been told don’t move alone, but how do you balance not moving alone with moving in collaboration? This pre-milonga class will explore these contradictions in tango.

Learning Objectives:
-Isolating lead and follow
-Leading self vs leading your follower
-Implementing interpretation of lead

Level: All (Assuming beginner course complete)

Overview: In this workshop we’ll be working on the fundamentals of colgadas. It’s all bananas. If you don’t know you’ll find out. Creating colgadas provide such a magical sensation but takes time to recognize this out of axis feeling.

Learning Objectives:
-Introduction to colgada feeling
-Recognizing in and out of axis
-Exercises to practice the sensation

Level: Pre-advanced +
-Understanding of proposing and receiving movements
-Understand how to lead/follow
-The 6 steps
-Ochos
-Pivots
-Basic to the cross
-Basic understanding of axis
-Understanding of torsion

Overview: I know what you’re thinking, a weight change how sexy can that be? You want to learn boleos, ganchos, colgadas, volcadas. But if you can’t lead/follow a weight change it’s going to possibly limit these movements. Harsh… we know.
Sure a weight change may seem simple. It’s a piece we learn immediately in beginner class but it’s underutilized in adding variety to your dance. When the dance floor is crowded and you need to abandon your default pattern it can rescue you. When the tandas are 4 songs long but you’ve used all your patterns it can rescue you. When you’re following you’re able to distinguish the intent of the movement. Find the answer yourself, to weight change or not to weight change.

Learning Objectives:
-Adding weight changes in non typical areas
-Eliminating weight changes in typical patterns
-Weight change vs side step
-Technique for weight changes for proposing and receiving

Level: All (Assuming beginner course complete)

Private lessons contact Brian Spellman (860) 200-4395
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Andi Babbs is an instructor at Ultimate Tango. She has intensively studied with Anita Flejter and Hernan Brizuela. Over the years, she’s learned from dozens of tango artists worldwide. She has visited Buenos Aires multiple times, and while there, she has taken many workshops with tango maestros. In addition, she’s been a guest teacher at various places in the USA. Her enthusiasm is unparalleled. When she’s not at her home studio, she can be found exchanging ideas, continuing her tango learning, performing, and teaching tango. She is also the host of Andi-longa and a Tango DJ.
https://www.ultimatetango.com/team

Brian Spellman
Argentine Tango found Brian when he was working as a nightshift janitor at a soda factory in Connecticut, feeling quite directionless. Soon enough, he was getting all of his work done in two hours so he could spend the rest of his shift practicing the steps, or passing out in a closet to build energy for dancing at the next opportunity. Several trips to Buenos Aires and many wonderful teachers later, Tango has the ultimate grip on Brian’s soul, and he’s happier for it. He is currently an instructor in Florence, MA, on the Western MA Tango Board, Tango DJ, performer, and has been a guest instructor in various places in the USA.

Video/Photography Policy
No video or photography will be allowed during the workshops/ class without both instructors permission
No video or photography during performances will be allowed without permission from both performers