Argentine tango, danced by couples in a close embrace, isn’t particularly well suited to social distancing. When in full swing, the floors of milongas (Argentine tango dance halls) are packed with pairs, sometimes dancing cheek-to-cheek. And while this all seems incompatible with online dancing, especially solo dancing, the migration of Argentine tango classes to the digital world demonstrates the innovation of the tango community – and that there’s much more to the dance style than simplified tropes.
A member of our online ladies’ dance club reticently suggested an online Argentine tango class… if possible. And luckily, Leandro Palou and Maria Tsiatsiani of London Tango Academy were the perfect match to teach a special solo tango workshop for beginners.
Do you adore Argentine tango?
Check out our interview with Tango Fire choreographer, Germán Cornejo.
Leandro & Maria of London Tango Academy
Leandro Palou and Maria Tsiatsiani are famous for (but perhaps not credited widely enough) for their Argentine tango choreography on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing – the British version of Dancing with the Stars in the USA. The dancing duo also have performed tango in more than 230 cities, danced on London’s renowned West End stages and judged at the FITTA Championships in Buenos Aires.
Together, they also direct the London Tango Academy. The UK-based Argentinian tango school, established in 2003, has warmly welcomed more than 15,000 diverse students since their opening. During non-Covid times, they teach at a handful of studios (mostly in London) along with a larger team of instructors. Leandro Palou, a former native of Argentina, highlights the cultural aspects of the dance, while Maria Tsiatsiani draws upon her professional ballroom dance background.
“Each and every one of our dance teachers represents the real spirit of Argentine Tango. With strong dance backgrounds and in-depth knowledge of the Tango culture and history, the Tango Academy faculty are quite simply the best in the business.”
– London Tango Academy
In this video, Maria Tsiatsiani and Leandro Palou perform at the Karlsruhe International Tango Festival.
Video by Sivis’Art
London Tango Academy Online Class
Introduction to Argentine Tango
So, you know there’s [ballroom] tango and Argentine tango, right?
Although most of us probably can’t properly articulate the differences between tango and Argentine tango, we can see that traditional Argentine tango differs from the tango style that has been coiffed and codified (and simplified) for dancesport competition standards.
Together, Leandro and Tayo (one of our club members) breeze through some key differences between Argentine tango and American tango. There is a difference in frame (how the couples hold each other), to start. Plus, there is the improvisational nature of Argentine tango and how it relates to the music, as well as the social aspects of dancing in a milonga.
Argentine tango is very complex and nuanced. Which is why Leandro believes dancers must practice for an entire decade to evolve beyond ‘beginner’ status, where the dance becomes truly interesting. (This echoes modern dance great, Martha Graham, who said it takes about ten years to ‘make a [mature] dancer’.) However, Maria light-heartedly interjects that their students do progress through multiple levels during their first decade at tango school.
Solo Tango Choreography: Skeleton + Embellishments
Maria taught us a short solo Argentine tango combination by starting with the bare skeletal structure of the dance. She walked us through the steps, reviewing the foot placement and the counts until we felt comfortable with the basic ‘sketch’ of the dance. At the start of the session, we simply stepped through the dance, as if we had learned the floor patterns via footstep diagrams.
We had a rond de jambe and side-step, back steps into a cross-over step and steps advancing forward into a baby lunge.
But the steps truly began to take form as we played with our energy and the quality of the movement. We attempted to channel the silken quality of Maria’s steps when she discussed the pushing and pulling action of the legs, propelled by the feet.
She told us to imagine we were moving sand on the ground, an image to help us achieve the correct amount of tension. This added more texture to the simple steps, helping us to glide more smoothly, which transformed the combination into a dance.
Even sans partner, we learned a little bit about the hold. While it may appear rigid to bystanders, in Argentine tango, the couples have a supple hold that allows them to manoeuvre into a myriad of different steps more easily.
We held our left hand in front of our chest, with our palms rotated slightly up. Maria explained this is a courteous way to give your partner a nice ‘lifted’ feeling, and Leandro discussed the consideration that all leads should give their partners, too. They stress that dancing is a co-creation, rather than a series of commands from one ‘lead’ to one ‘follow’.
Argentine Tango Demonstration & Chat
After we ran through the combination a few times for Leandro and Maria, with lovely, encouraging comments from them both, we watched them perform the choreography. Maria threw in some playful syncopated foot taps, and they continued into a gorgeous, improvised dance.
They move together so seamlessly, it would be easy to assume they had rehearsed the segment hundreds of times. Watching them dance together is pure magic!
We wrapped up the class with some more discussion about Argentine tango – about how it is exotified and continually cast as a passionate dance, when family members regularly dance together, which completely dashes the romantic stereotype. This is, in part, due to the limited exposure people have to the Argentinian tango – like posters from ‘tango spectaculars’ and snippets from popular ballroom dancing TV shows.
Learn more about the difference between ‘tango spectaculars’ and milongas.
And Strictly Come Dancing fans were particularly keen to gain some behind-the-scenes insight from Leandro and Maria. I initially thought they choreographed the occasional full group opening number, featuring the professionals, but they actually choreograph all of couples’ Argentine tango routines.
We learned about how quickly they must create a piece to a song chosen by the production team. They first work with the professional dancer before rehearsing with the ballroom pro and celebrity together. And Leandro even gives the cameramen guidance on the best way to shoot the dance. Very cool!
Our online Argentine tango class with Maria and Leandro encompassed so many aspects of the dance genre – from the glitzy showbiz side to the traditional dance that’s kept alive by thousands of everyday people in person – or online.
“I’m so proud, after more than 25 years of dancing, to pass on the gift of Tango to so many students at the Academy every week. It is my pride, my life!”
– Leandro Palou, London Tango Academy Director
London Tango Academy Online Dance Class Summary
Physical intensity: 1 / 5 – although I could feel my calf muscles and adductors the next day, even though I didn’t wear heels.
Most challenging moment: I found making the steps flow tricky, and I felt goofy striking the ‘lunge pose’ solo. But I still loved it!
Best moment: Fawning over Maria and Leandro as they demonstrated the combination and carried on improvising – since their dancing is so dreamy…
Three words to describe class: Engaging, encouraging, conversational.
Your Turn to Try Argentine Tango
Although Leandro and Maria taught a bespoke beginning Argentine tango lesson, just for our Dance Dispatches Social Club members, you can learn from them at London Tango Academy, which offers in-person and digital lessons.
They provide a range of Live and On Demand classes, including an Absolute Beginners Course for new Argentine tango hopefuls. You can also book a free online taster class, too.
Exclusive Offer: Dance Dispatches readers receive a 68% discount, booking the beginners’ online tango course for just £40 (as opposed to £127).
This is not an affiliate link. Simply remove the spaces and email hello @ dance dispatches . com with the subject ‘Tango’, so we can help you to grab the deal.
Note for Maria & Leandro: I see a mixture of London Tango Academy and Tango Academy on your site. Please let me know if you’d like me to use one over the other – or a combination of both.
