Guidance for selecting your ability level for workshops.

It is notoriously difficult to assign levels with which everyone agrees to workshops, but we have put some guidance below. We do not wish to deter anyone from pushing themselves to their limit, but we do ask that when choosing workshops, we ask that you be considerate of other dancers who may have to work with you and be realistic about your own ability level.

Alongside some workshop descriptions, we have also put some things you may be expected to know in advance in order to gain the most from the workshop.

Level Description Probable experience

Beginner

You have never tried tango or you are just starting out with tango and have had no more than a handful of lessons.

0 - 3 months

Improver

You have a good grasp of the core principles in tango and are getting a feel for improvisation. You can lead or follow the cross, ochos and some other basic figures.

5 - 12 months

Intermediate

You have been dancing for a few months and you are becoming hooked on tango! You wish to refine your leading or following, learn new ways to combine steps and improve your musical interpretation. You are comfortable attending and dancing at milongas.

10 months - 2 years +

Advanced

You are an experienced tango dancer, but you wish to continue to improve. You enjoy exploring new subtleties, energies, movements and ideas. You are equally confident in tango, milonga and vals. You have excellent balance and technique and dance with equal comfort in both close and open embrace. You are a leader who is able to lead new partners or a follower who is responsive to the lead. You move easily between cross and parallel systems, can dance on a crowded floor. You progress around the floor, dancing well with the music. You are probably able to dance sacadas, back sacadas, colgadas and volcadas.

3 years +

Master

As well as doing all of the above, you are able to analyse and dissect complex patterns in tango. You lead or follow improvised combinations accurately and with good musicality. You have excellent disassociation, excellent balance, an awareness of yours and your partner's axis and express the music in all that you do.

5 years +

All Levels

The class will be structured so that it is accessible to dancers with all levels of experience except absolute beginners.

It may be that the particular skill being taught can be accesed at different levels based on your previous experience - e.g. musicality.

Alternatively, the teachers may teach a range of skills anbd less experienced dancers should be prepared for the possibility that they will be to able to access only some of them, whereas more experienced dancers will find some of the skills more straight-forward.

A third possibility is that the teachers will spot the more experienced dancers and give them some more challenging options to work on.

At least a basic knowledge of tango.