Dear Maleva,
I'd like to pick your brains about my options as a follower who's brand new to tango but very experienced at other forms of dance (swing, waltz, polka, contradance, ragtime one-step and blues, plus a background in ballet). I've just started taking group tango classes at another studio, and I'm frustrated by the learning curve.

My leaders in the beginner class are so new to dance-in-general that I feel like I'm spending my time & money (both precious to a starving actress!) being used as a teaching tool on their behalf. And while I'm a quick study at most dance forms, tango is a totally different animal, and it's hard to learn much opposite leaders who can't lead yet.

Would your "follower's bootcamp" class make sense for a beginner? Or are private lessons the way to go? Basically, I'm looking for any suggestions on how I can make the most of my instruction.
Thanks in advance for your input- it really means a lot!

Dear Reader,

It's hard on women in beginner classes for 2 reasons:

1- they progress faster than men because in a way they have less to think about than the men at first, especially if dancing in general is not new to them.

2 - many teachers concentrate on teaching step patterns rather than technique. steps are more for the guys, technique is for everyone. Make sure you are taking classes with a teachers that is giving things for the followers to work on as well as the leaders.

You will often get more out of private lessons than group classes because all the attention is focused on you and you get to dance with an expert. Of course, they are more expensive. Take one or two if you can afford to, and do research to find a teacher who's style you like and who has a good reputation for teaching.

Everything in my follower's technique class is for the women (obviously). We practice posture, walking backwards, ochos, specific steps from the woman's point of view and do a lot of embellishment drills to build foot and leg strength and speed. I give advice on general technique throughout the class as we do embellishments.

However, honestly I think one of the best things you can do as a follower to progress quickly is to throw yourself out there and go to the milongas as much as you can. Dancing with leaders who are better than you is a great way for you to learn the 'steps' and get comfortable doing them and comfortable in the embrace.

2 quick pieces of advice I can give you as a beginning follower are:

-make sure you stretch your free leg back straight when walking, so you dont bump knees with the leader, but keep your weight over your standing leg until the leader steps, so you don't break the connection

-really learn to wait for the leader on one leg, in balance, until he puts you into another step. Don't change weight or go anywhere without him. If you make a mistake an wind up on the wrong foot, let him fix it, don't try to catch up to where you were supposed to be.

Happy Dancing!