Welcome to our Tango Göteborg Community!
If you read this post you most likely went through our 4 weeks introduction to tango course. Beyond Connect With Joy, it makes you an official member of our Göteborg tango community, and everywhere else. The Tango communities present in all cities form a big family where you should always feel welcome.
❤️ Stay in touch with us at Connect With Joy by clicking “follow” on Facebook, and Instagram. We regularly share tips and inspirations there. If you enjoyed your introduction, we would also be grateful to give us a good word as a review on our Facebook page and Google business page.
📍To discover our local community, join Tango Göteborg Facebook group.
📅To keep track on all the tango related events in Göteborg, check regularly our Tango Göteborg Calendar.
🇸🇪 If you want to know what is going on around Sweden, join Sweden Tango group.
🌍You can even find out if there is a milonga or a practica in any city of the world here.
We have a fairly broad tango network and can help you to get in touch with local tango dancers in other cities. Feel free to ask!
During the course, we touched upon a bit of tango history, taught you a few basic figures and shared a tiny bit of our love for tango connection and musicality. Check our blog to learn more about those different elements.
Connecting with the community in real-life
Once you are out there at a practica or a milonga, you will be met by welcoming and supportive dancers. Most of the time, people are curious about new faces. Sometimes, it happens that everyone is a absorbed in their own bubble. Do not feel discouraged! Dare to approach someone, explain that you are a beginner, ask a few questions and you will most likely get interest back.
Dare to invite!
Try to feel if someone would be open to dance with you. As a beginner, you can always go with a classy line… “Would you mind helping out a beginner to develop by dancing one or two dances with me?”. And bam, here you go, on the dancefloor. If you are unsure about the codigos and customs to enter and navigate the dance floor, ask your partner to help you with that.
Scared to invite someone more experienced to dance? Remind yourself that they have been beginners too! Most of the time, people are happy to help to develop. Moreover, you have a lot more to bring to the dance than you think, even as a beginner. Your energy and your personality are what makes you unique and interesting.
If the person declines to dance with you, try not to take it personally and get discouraged. It might be that she/he had a bad day, is not in the mood, has pain somewhere and doesn’t want to take the risk to dance with someone new to them. Just try your chance with someone else!
When to ask for feedback, and when not to?
Getting feedback is a great way to develop, however, there is a time to ask and give feedback, and there are times when we should not.
✔️At the practica
The practica is definitely the right place to share feedback. Explore together with your partner by asking how it feels, if she/he can suggest trying something specific. When taking the initiative to give feedback, make sure that your intention is right.
Signs that you might want to reflect on why and how to give feedback:
👉If it makes you feel more than your partner.
👉If your partner feels pushed down.
❌At the milonga
Even if you are the most eager beginner, try to refrain from asking for feedback at the milonga. Milonga is party time and asking for feedback is a party-pooper. It is time to let go and to trust that the moves you know will guide you. Dive into the essence of tango by connecting with your emotions, your partner and the whole room. If you don’t know what is the difference between a milonga and a practica, check our article about tango customs and codigos.
🤷♂️During the class
Unless it is something that you have agreed on with your partner, try to not ask for and give feedback. Stay focused on the exercise the teacher gave you and try to improve based on what you feel in your body. The teacher will give you space and time to share feedback when it is interesting to do so.
A word about sexism, harassment, and abuse of power
It seems like harassment and assaults happen less frequently in tango than in other dance scenes. It is still important to know what to do if and when someone crosses your boundaries and shows disrespect. Connect With Joy signed under a local initiative for a safer social dance scene that pushes for that all teachers and organizers of events take responsibility to create a safer dance scene. If you experience any form of sexism, sexual harassment, or other abuse of power in our classes and events, please let us know as soon as possible.
Tango playlist
If you want to get familiar with tango music, here comes a playlist with some of the most famous tango. You will discover different orchestras, all of them with different specificities. Enjoy the sound of tango!