Blog - Tangosynthesis

Three Years of Teaching Dance

19 Sep 2019 - by Graham

It was three years ago today that I opened Jivebeat and taught my first ever dance class. This was not something Iâ€™d ever imagined that I would be doing, particularly since I started dancing so much later in life than most of those who end up making a career out of it (I was 42 when I went to my first class), but I knew from the moment I clipped a radio mic to my head and started going through the fundamentals that it was something I was going to enjoy. The story of how I got into dance teaching almost by accident, and how at some point this switched from being all about modern jive to focusing on tango has been told many times before, so Iâ€™ll let you read about that elsewhere. But I rarely talk about the ups and downs of running a dance class, and [read more...]

Graham will be back at Learn to Tango Kent

18 Oct 2018 - by Graham

From November I'll be back to teaching Tango in Tunbridge Wells at Learn to Tango Kent for a while. This will be on Monday evenings in the Showfields Hall, so if your week is a bit short of tango, or you just want to see your regular teacher out of his natural habitat, then pop down to Tunbridge Wells and join in. Mark is teaching the beginners' class from 7.30pm, then I will be teaching the improvers and intermediates from 8.30pm. Practice from 9.30pm-10.30pm. The address of the hall is: Showfields Hall 1, Rowan Tree Road Tunbridge Wells Kent. TN2 5PX You may want to check that postcode if you're using a SatNav, as there seems to be a bit of dispute between them as to where that goes. The address is correct though. [read more...]

Graham will be teaching at Learn to Tango Kent

27 Jun 2018 - by Graham

Yes, that's right, for the whole of July (and possibly some of August) I'll be teaching Tango down in Tunbridge Wells at Learn to Tango Kent . This will be on Monday evenings in the Showfields Hall, so if your week is a bit short of tango, or you just want to see your regular teacher out of his natural habitat, then pop down to Tunbridge Wells and join in. I'll update this post with the format of the evening once I know the details, but the address is... Showfields Hall 1, Rowan Tree Road Tunbridge Wells Kent. TN2 5PX You may want to check that postcode if you're using a SatNav, as there seems to be a bit of dispute between them as to where that goes. The address is correct and confirmed though. See you there in July! [read more...]

What Makes a Tango Teacher

05 Nov 2017 - by Graham

In my last post I wrote about how I accidentally became a tango teacher and turned Jivebeat from being a Modern Jive club into a Modern Jive and Argentine Tango club. But there has to be more to becoming a tango teacher than standing up and teaching your first class, doesn't there? There must surely be a process to follow or an exam to take? Or is there? Unike LeRoc which has a recognised path to training as a teacher and obtaining a teaching qualification, there is no equivalent qualification available in the UK for Argentine Tango. You can train and qualify as a ballroom tango teacher through the IDTA or other similar bodies, but ballroom tango is not the same as Argentine Tango, and as there are more differences than there are similarities between the two dances a qualification in ballroom tango would be of no real use. [read more...]

The Accidental Tango Teacher

02 Nov 2017 - by Graham

Not many people can say that they became a tango teacher entirely by accident, but that's definitely how it happened in my case. When I first started Jivebeat, I assumed it would always be predominantly about Modern Jive, with maybe a few guest teachers brought in from time to time to demonstrate other dance styles or maybe teach a 'fusion' class. I had qualified as a Modern Jive instructor, and all my efforts were going into developing that style and working out our curriculum. But then one evening in Sevenoaks after a fun but small beginners' class, I asked everyone what they would like to do next. I offered them a more advanced Modern Jive routine, maybe some dips and leans, styling or musicality tops, or perhaps they'd like to try some Argentine Tango. And unanimously they all decided they wanted to try some tango. I had been learning [read more...]

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