Thames Valley Tango - lessons & events

We are here for you. You are our customer, and our focus is on your enjoyment, well being, and positive experience of learning Tango with us.

Enjoyment & learning

We want you to have a good time. This is not always easy when you are learning something as unique and challenging as Tango, but even when it gets difficult or frustrating we will do our utmost to support you. After all - we have all been there - and we will certainly go there again!

We believe that you will learn Tango best through encouragement and guidance. There is no room for criticism or negative judgements when learning or practising, so please do not start blaming or criticising your partner. If something goes wrong then explore what you need to do to put it right, openly and constructively.

We are all learning, and we approach our dancing with humility. We enjoy sharing our learning, regardless of how good or experienced we are. We treat each other with courtesy, consideration, tolerance and respect.

Ask us for help - that's what we are here for.

Safety and Respect

Tango is an intimate and sensuous dance. The leader / follower relationship is a delicate one, and it needs the highest levels of respect between partners. We are vigilant to ensure we are creating a safe and wholesome environment where people feel free to enjoy themselves.

We are concerned for your physical safety. It is possible to injure your knees, hips, or back by practising too long, by wearing the wrong shoes or by failing to warm up and warm down properly. You know your body; please give any warning signals the attention they deserve.

On a crowded dance floor it is very easy for inattentive or selfish dancers to collide with, step on or kick other dancers. This should be avoided, and both students and visitors need to be careful. We are vigilant for your protection and safety.

Style

We do not believe in teaching sequences of steps. We prefer to teach an understanding of the principles of Tango, allowing you the freedom to explore and enjoy Tango for yourself.

We dance with a partner, and just doing the steps correctly is not enough. A beautiful dance happens when there is harmony between the dancers.

We dance for personal enjoyment through partnership. Tango does not need to be flamboyant or crowded with complicated manoeuvres designed to impress an audience. We prefer a few steps danced beautifully.

We dance to the rhythm or melody of beautiful music, both traditional Tango music and more modern "Nuevo" Tangos.