Workshop Information
The workshop levels and registration system at this festival are different
than most other festivals, so please read this entire page carefully. We offer two
tracks: intermediate and advanced. The intermediate track workshops can be taken by dancers
registering with partners as well as by people
registering solo, and are intended for most dancers.
The advanced track workshops are open only to dancers registering with a partner and are
intended for professional tango instructors and the most advanced social dancers in North
America. If you are interested in Advanced track workshops, you must be approved before
you will be moved to the workshop roster.
There is also an all-levels technique class for followers and one for leaders.
Don't have a regular partner? Don't fret... just click here for the partner forum!
The Intermediate Track
If you...
Are comfortable in close and open embrace,
Have good navigation skills and solid balance,
Understand many tango figures,
Listen to the music and let it affect the way you move,
...then please register for the Intermediate track of workshops. This year, the
intermediate track topics include Arrastradas, Quick Colgadas, Different Syncopations, Bloqueos,
Musicality, Changes of Direction, Alternative Embrace Possibilities, Improvisation, and Connection,
Navigation and Tight Turns. Every one of the festival's instructors will be teaching intermediate
workshops, and several advanced dancers will be taking these workshops to gain access to the topic
offerings. Partner rotation in these classes will not be mandatory. Dancers in this track are
welcome to register for classes with a partner, or to register singly and rotate partners
during class.
We will make every effort to balance the intermediate workshops between leaders and followers
by using a waiting list system during preregistration. Everyone who preregisters will be added to the
waiting list. Registrants will be moved from the waiting list to the workshop roster in the following
order: first, Springstep Festival Pass holders registering with a partner, then SFP holders registering
solo when another solo registrant (SFP or A la Carte) joins the waiting list to balance out the workshop.
Finally, on October 15th, preregistration closes and A la Carte registrants (solo and with partners)
will be admitted to open workshops in order of registration date and in a way that will keep the workshop
balanced. People who name a partner on the registration form will be admitted to the workshop with
that particular partner.
As you probably know, a balanced workshop makes for a better experience for all attendees. However,
the process requires some time and finesse, so please be patient with us as we strive to make your
workshop experience the very best one possible.
Seeking a partner for a workshop? Try the Partner Forum
The Advanced Track
If you...
Are a professional tango dance instructor or performer,
Have 4+ years of class and workshop participation in the style of the instructors,
Have danced in many cities and countries and can dance well on a crowded floor,
Are able to execute a figure without having to see it demonstrated,
Can explain the mechanism and technique behind most tango figures,
...then the Advanced workshops may be right for you. This year, the advanced track topics
include Cuartas Sacadas, Disassociation, Changes of Embrace, Piernazos, Horizontal Circular Motion,
Simultaneous Ganchos, Volcadas and Apoyaditas, Choreography Express, and Rebotes. Advanced
track dancers must register
with a partner that they will work with for the duration of each class. We understand that
the restriction of registering with a partner for the advanced track may be novel for some registrants,
however, it is general practice in other places (such as Buenos Aires and Europe) to not change
partners in advanced tango classes and workshops. If you do not have a partner, you may use the
Forum to search for a match.
If you are interested in registering for advanced workshops, please fill out a registration form and
have your partner do the same. This form will include your self-assessment, your prior Argentine tango
experience and a way for us to contact a teacher that is familiar with your dancing. Please
note that just because you've taken advanced classes and workshops in other settings does not mean
this is the correct level for you at TdlM. The teachers expect that you have a very high
level of skill and will not slow down the class if you fall behind.
Priority admission to these workshops will be given to professional Argentine tango teachers and Springstep Festival Pass holders through October 15th. A la Carte registrants will receive their workshop confirmations after this date. However, advanced workshop space is limited, and we anticipate that not everyone will be able to be accomodated. Registrants that are not are not placed on a workshop's roster may join an intermediate workshop or will be refunded for that workshop.
Partner Search
We know that many people don't have regular partners in tango, so we've provided a way to help you find one! Please use the festival Forum to look for a partner for workshops if you want to (for the Intermediate workshops) or need to (for the Advanced workshops). You may register for Intermediate workshops with or without a partner named on the registration form, but if no one is named then we expect that you will be rotating partners throughout the workshop(s). We cannot accept registrations for the Advanced track unless a partner is named on the registration form.
Tango Terms
Volcada - a falling or leaning step
Apoyadita - a variation of a volcada
Rebote - a rebound
Bloqueo - a block
Colgada - a hang from a shared axis
Cuarta Sacada - the fourth sacada
Piernazo - a high gancho
Arrastrada - a variation of a drag
If you need more explanation than these provide, there are many decent "tango terminology" guides
on the web, however, not all of these terms will be found on the guides. Tango dancers are constantly
inventing new moves or new variations of old moves and it takes a while for people to agree what to
call them.
Oh, and what's Choreography Express? Carolina and Diego will teach you a choreography
in one workshop. If you're not a professional performer the benefit to you will be learning new steps,
embellishments and style. If you are a professional performer, you'll also acquire a deeper understanding
of how this Tony-nominated couple (for Best Choreography in the show Forever
Tango) constructs a performance.
