ucsd Argentine Tango Club

When: Every Tuesday 20:30-23:00 (20:00-22:00 during the summer), every week, even if Mount La Jolla is belching hot magma all over campus.
Where: Conference Room of the Rec Gym on Muir college campus at UCSD. To get there from north or south of UCSD, head toward UCSD on I5, take La Jolla Village Dr exit and go west on La Jolla Village Dr. This will become N Torrey Pines Rd. Turn R at Muir College Dr and find parking, then walk to the Rec Gym. See map. From east of UCSD, go west on La Jolla Village Dr, then follow the above directions. When in doubt, use google maps or mapquest.

Where can I park?

If you are driving you will need to purchase a permit or use the parking meters (recommended for non-UCSD members). The meter fee is 25c per 15mins. The metered parking spaces are shown in the map. If you are willing to walk, you may be able to find a free parking spot on La Jolla Farms Road or Torrey Pines Scenic Drive, both just to the west of campus.

How soon can I start coming?

Immediately. Do not hesitate.

How do I enroll? Is it ok that I'm not a student/from out of town?

No enrollment needed, but we appreciate being sent an email if you are not a student. Out-of-towners are welcome - diversity is a good thing.

What equipment do I need?

Dance shoes or dance sneakers are best. Sandals will make your feet prone to injury if stepped upon. (nonetheless, sometimes I dance in my socks) Sneakers are ok but you may find pivoting difficult. The dress is informal, typical student attire. Some people dress up a little.

How much does the practica cost?

Priceless.

Statistics

What is the male/female ratio at the practica?

mean=1, standard deviation=.5

How many people attend?

mean=30, standard deviation=15

Mostly students? Mostly beginners? Mostly couples?

Yes, yes, no. Students make the bulk of the population. About half of the people who come are regulars. There are some couples, but they usually dance with everyone.

General

What's it like?

I always come at the beginning, and usually there are 0 or 1 people there already. The space is a giant rectangular wooden floor, larger than that of any other tango venue I know in SD. The floor is just slightly slippery. On 2 walls are mirrors so that you can see what you are doing. There are also ballet bars for stretching. There is a set of sliding glass doors on one wall and a dark pleasant courtyard beyond where people sometimes go to rest, think, or talk.

Inside there are high quality speakers mounted symmetrically on the walls and a big black box containing the sound system. If I'm DJing that night I will connect my computer to the amp and start playing music within about 5 minutes. I try to keep the volume set low enough so that people can talk without yelling.

Within a few minutes, people start trickling in. Every week, a few of those people ask, 'Is this where the tango thing is?' and one of the club officers will usually chat with them for a while. The hard-core regulars will start dancing immediately. I usually practice walking and rhythm for the first few minutes and then look for a partner. A few people want to talk a lot. A few people will cling to the walls and need prying off.

I usually want to test leading theories (e.g. can I lead a gancho more efficiently in a slight volcada position? Can I slow down a follow who wants to dance faster than the music by being more grounded? How much can I lead without touching the follow?), and try to test them on as many people as I can find. Some people mostly want to socialize, some just come to dance to relieve stress, some come to work hard and get better, some come to get help from other dancers. Almost everyone is very friendly. Dancing with beginners can be fun, so I usually try to ask them onto the floor if I can.

After a few dances with one person the returns diminish, so most people will thank the person they are currently with and ask someone else to practice after about 3 songs.

If the club is holding a workshop that week, I will make an announcement about 1/2 hour in and introduce the instructor. Workshops usually last about 1 hour.

About an hour into the practica, the population hits its peak of around 20 people at once. The total number of people who come during the night is around 30. At the end, I rudely stop the music and people ask if we can let it go on for a little longer. The energy is pretty high by then. Then people say their goodbyes and slowly disband.

Is the practica only for experienced dancers? Will anyone help me there?

There is a mix of experience, from 0 to 25 years of dancing. Most people fall into the 1 year or less category. Most club officers have a few years of experience. A few people had never danced one step in their lives, came regularly, and picked up the basics just from the practica. No one is explicitly assigned to help beginners, but if you ask, almost anyone will be willing to help.

I want basic knowledge. Is the practica for me?

If you thrive in an unstructured learning environment, then yes. If you need to hold a teacher accountable for whether or not you learn something, then no.

I want to practice. Is the practica for me?

Yes.

I need help. I'm afraid of socially dancing because I don't think I'm skilled enough yet. Can I get anything out of the practica?

Yes. The practica provides a low-pressure environment that helps some people get used to the idea of walking up to a total stranger and asking for a dance, knowing full well that it might suck. People are less judgmental at a practice session than at a dance. It's expected that we all work on the things that we are not good at.

Does it help to take classes concurrently while attending the practica?

It's probably the fastest way to learn.

Do I need a partner?

No. Even if you do have one, make sure that you dance with others at least as much. Those couples that don't dance with others tend to 'grow into each other', and can't dance well with anyone else after awhile because they can't distinguish between the idiosyncrasies of their partner and traits common to all dancers.

Has the practica changed over time? Will it continue to change?

Yes. We have grown slightly more technologically sophisticated, and slightly more organized over the years. We are training more DJs and hopefully we will have a more regular schedule of guest teachers.

Email list

What does it mean to be put on the email list?

By sending an email to tango [at] ucsd [dot] edu you will be add to the tangogroup-l list, and you will get an email about once per week reminding you of the practica and any other events we conduct. This is useful if you want to know when we host workshops, when we hold dances, whether the schedule changes, etc.

I just want to share my enthusiasm, can I send an email gushing with excitement?

Yes!

Does the tango club like getting spam requesting that it join the forces of evil by giving out its email list?

No.

Club

How is the club organized?

The club is mostly run by a core group of zealous tango maniacs who wake up every morning with La Cumparsita stuck in their heads. They organize the practica, maintain the email list, and plot with students and teachers in the area to make fun stuff happen for the rest. Then there is a larger group of regular dancers who enjoy it, but don't "need" it. Finally there is a group of transients who come for a few weeks and then leave (don't knock 'em, some of these are very good dancers and contribute a lot to the atmosphere).

Are you guys affiliated with [insert organization here]? Can you pass a message on to [insert teacher's name here]?

We are affiliated with UCSD and SOLO. We are not beholden to any studio nor teacher, though we are friends with many. If you want to contact such organizations, do so directly. Most teachers publish their contact info on the web.

Tango in SD

What dance venues are there in SD and what would you recommend?

See tangosandiego.com if you want less bias. I like Milonga Sin Nombre on Fridays since they have the best dance floor and best sound system in the area, and because I help to run it. The North Park Milonga on Thursdays is around as good, and definitely the best if you're on a tight budget. El Mundo Del Tango has a pretty big dance on Saturdays. It's a little intimidating for beginners, but it can be fun. Then of course there's the UCSD practica on Tuesdays.

What places are there to learn and what would you recommend?

Aside from the club's introductory series, beginning and intermediate classes at UCSD are the cheapest at about $5 per class. These usually run for a several weeks and have good continuity. (Also the values taught by the UCSD teachers are part of what helped to found the club in the first place.) There are classes before dances such as the ones at Milonga Sin Nombre or El Mundo Del Tango. These tend to have less continuity, but give food for thought. Pattie Wells and the Turquoise also have classes. Google 'tango san diego' for more info. El Mundo Del Tango has extensive education programs, but they can be expensive. Linda Garwood holds some of the best workshops around at The Tango Bar
in La Mesa. And of course the tango club at UCSD holds its free practica every week. I'm a cheapskate, so I prefer free events and UCSD classes, which have by far the best value for your dollar.

Learning

What is the best way to start learning?

Take a class and keep an open mind. Do not assume that everything you are told is indisputable truth; teachers sometimes are good dancers but not good explainers. In these cases, don't focus on what you can't get out of the teacher, focus on what you can get. Every teacher has a different point of view and will emphasize different things. Take what you like and discard the rest. Don't blow lots of money on workshops when you're just beginning. They can be discouraging because they usually assume you know a lot and often teach specialized techniques that will only work with other people who took that workshop. Classes that meet regularly, and where the teacher can get to know you, are better suited for beginners. Dance with everyone you can. Dance with people of all levels. Try to sense what's 'good' about those that seem to be good. Try to emulate those that look good. (or feel good!) Practice outside the classroom. Go to dances and practicas to see if what you learned works and what needs adjustment. Once you feel comfortable with the basics, take some workshops. This can be good to see different perspectives. Knowing the basics will let you better appreciate those perspectives.

Offer to DJ for the practica. We love variety.
Become a principal member. This involves going to a few meetings each year, mostly in the fall, signing stuff, and helping to promote the club through demos, tables on library walk, etc. It's mostly fun stuff - I have yet to twist anybody's arm to do any of this.
Submit photos or videos that we can put on the web site. Photos of tango events on campus or of members out in the dance community would be especially welcome.

Does the club ever perform?

Yes. We perform occasionally, and actually get far more invitations to perform than we can handle. If you'd like to perform with us, contact us.

written by Chris Calabro

This page was last modified on May 31, 2008 5:45 PM .