Tango Instructors: What to Look for and What to Run From
Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels
Relationships are complicated, especially when money is involved.
And as a form of relationship that involves money, the right – or wrong – tango instructor can make or break your partner dance experience.
Here’s my top picks for what to look for as a beginner tanguero…and what to run from.
Look For…
1. Clear Payment and Pricing Policies
Tango instructors need to eat too, which is why their classes get pricey. Said priciness, however, should always be accompanied by clear, easy-to-find payment and pricing policies. Questions about said policies, such as those relating to cancellation fees, refunds, and security, should also be answered before you hand over your coins.
Regarding payment itself, methods may vary depending on the teacher and venue. For example, smaller tango schools usually only accept cash or written checks, while larger venues are decked out with PayPal, ecommerce portals, or Square, the little white credit card reader that attaches to electronic devices.
2. Previous Dance Experience
Just as you wouldn’t apply to a job you’re not qualified for, you shouldn’t enroll in tango classes that are taught by inexperienced dancers.
Determining a tango teacher’s experience, however, is a bit more nuanced than reading a resume. Some ways to qualify a tango instructor ahead of time include:
Online presence. Most dance teachers and studios have a website (my teacher’s page, for example, can be found here), and the existence of a website demonstrates a teacher’s dedication to their craft. Straightforward contact information, such via email or social media, are green flags as well.
Prior experience. Three years or more and proficiency in both partner roles are good qualification benchmarks for tango instructors; bonus points if a teacher includes their teaching philosophy on their webpage.
Pictures. This one varies, as some dance community members prefer privacy. If an instructor has an Instagram or gallery page on their website, review it.
In action. Sometimes the best way to qualify a dance teacher is to watch them in the flesh, especially if they have no online presence (it happens). Legit dance instructors should be advanced, with correct technique, few to no wobbles, and the ability to dance proficiently in all scenarios, such as through height and skill imbalances. Don’t be fooled by flashy moves; if, when watching an instructor, you feel like tango looks smooth and subdued, that’s a good sign!
3. Clear, Achievable Lesson Plans
Don’t get scared, but Argentine Tango is like math; techniques and figures compound upon themselves. Also like math, tango can get very confusing very quickly if it’s not accompanied by a defined lesson plan.
Qualified tango instructors will have two things on the lesson front: clear lines of demarcation, where progression can be observed and achieved in a timely manner, and defined, realistic course objectives, where students steadily acquire new figures while continuously refining fundamentals.
Qualifying tango teachers ahead of time is easy thanks to the internet.
4. Consistent and Reasonable Boundaries
Since dance lessons involve entering a student-teacher dynamic, boundaries are crucial for maintaining a classroom environment that’s conducive to learning.
Qualified tango instructors, schools, and communities should outline clear boundaries during your first lesson and consistently enforce them throughout your tenure as a tango dancer. Boundaries should also be easy to find and refer to, through either a written document or verbal exchange.
Some examples include:
Behavioral boundaries, such as appropriate attire, social etiquette, and collective responsibility for helping new dancers feel welcomed and included.
Personal boundaries, where you won’t be punished for saying “no” to anyone or anything that makes you feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
Professional boundaries, where teachers abstain from entering romantic or sexual relationships with current students.
Disciplinary boundaries, where punishment is proportional to the level of offense.
5. Active Support for Student Development
The final green flag you should look for occurs when you’re proficient enough to attend a milonga, or Argentine Tango social.
As leaders responsible for building and maintaining healthy, interdependent tango communities, qualified dance teachers should reserve at least one tanda for their past or current students, regardless of how a student looks or feels on the dance floor.
For example, I regularly danced with current and previous instructors whenever both of us were in attendance at an event, and I observed the same with other students as well.
Run From…
1. Inappropriate Behavior
Tango students and teachers are both adults, but don’t let the dearth of minors become an excuse for unprofessional behavior.
Because as the first point of contact when entering a tango community, instructors bear collective responsibility for modeling healthy behavior. Healthy behavior, after all, is what keeps healthy people around.
Full stop, if a tango teacher partakes in any of the following behaviors, cease taking future lessons with the offending party. If necessary, immediately remove yourself from the studio and report the incident to the appropriate authorities:
Inappropriate physical contact. While you might occasionally and accidentally brush against another’s naughty bits as a tango dancer, hands should never venture below the waist and hips should never make sustained contact.
Substance use during studio hours and/or teaching while inebriated.
Intimate relationships, such as romantic or sexual encounters with current students.
Offensive conversations, such as the promotion or glorification of conspiracy theories, hatred, violence, and discrimination.
Yelling is never acceptable. Photo by Alexandra Mirgheș on Unsplash
2. Mean-Spiritedness
Mean-spiritedness is like porn – you’ll know it when you see it, and when you feel it as well. Here’s some common warning signs:
Sadistic educational style, where students are ridiculed, mocked, or humiliated for disabilities, learning difficulties, or how they look while practicing.
Physical pain and discomfort that is ignored or dismissed when verbalized or demonstrated.
Condescending attitudes, profanity, and raised voices, especially when mistakes are made.
Internal emotional distress. You should feel motivated, supported, and fulfilled when leaving a dance lesson, not dejected, drained, or depressed.
3. Elitism
Like other hobbies with a difficult learning curve, Argentine Tango is unfortunately home to elitism, or the belief that some dancers are inherently more equal than others.
On the dancefloor, elitism often takes the form of fatphobia, ageism, and classism, and in the classroom, elitism occurs when teachers play favorites. And though painful to encounter, remember that elitism is related to other forms of discrimination, born out of insecurity, low self-esteem, and the desire for power and control.
Unlike the former red flags, however, elitism is a victimless crime. Since you can’t report it or discipline someone for it, the only way to get rid of it is to vote with your wallet. Don’t hand over your hard-earned dinero to dance schools or instructors who perpetuate elitism.
Partner dancing is no place for elitism. Photo by Hulki Okan Tabak on Unsplash
4. Gaslighting and Enabling
Sometimes bad things happen to good people. And sometimes good people are dismissed or minimized when they report bad things. Such occurrences are called gaslighting, and the people who turn a blind eye to nastiness are called enablers.
I have a zero-tolerance policy for manipulation, abuse, and exploitation, and your teachers should too. The reason for this is because communities that minimize abuse end up attracting, and keeping, nasty people, toxicity that will lead to community collapse if allowed to reach critical mass.
Take your coin elsewhere if an instructor diminishes, invalidates, or ignores your grievances, especially if they reoccur at the hands of the same people.
Three Strikes You’re Out
To prevent false positives and knee-jerk reactions, many dance communities implement a three-strike policy. In short, if an individual(s) offends three times, they officially have a pattern and will be asked to permanently leave a community.
5. Physical or Emotional Abuse
Not all red flags appear at first glance, hence why I recommend sticking with the same teacher for a minimum of three months.
Why three months? Because a stranger’s true character tends to show after you’ve gotten past initial interactions, when everyone puts their best foot forward.
If, within or after three months, you experience, witness, or learn of an instructor’s history of abuse, I strongly advise packing your bags and undertaking tango lessons elsewhere. Never support abusers, and never think you’re the exception to an abusive personality’s abhorrent rule.
Are you considering Argentine Tango lessons?