Sydney Argentine Tango Lessons – Sydney Inner West – Stanmore / Camperdown

Argentine Tango Beginner Class Lessons 2025 start on Tuesday 4 February – same location –syllabus tbc

Argentine Tango Class Lessons – refer belowTerm Four 2024 starts on 15 October
Argentine Tango Private Lessons – contact Graham to arrange a booking – 0429 924 009
We also teach social Ballroom and Tango for your Wedding Dance – contact Graham to discuss

Never danced before?
No problem, you don’t need to wait for a new term
Our classes and lessons are designed in such a way you can join any time and still learn quickly
Graham would be “delighted” to teach you the Argentine Tango, and looks forward to you joining us

The Argentine Tango Music

Sydney Tango teacher and studio owner Graham, focuses on the music of Tango, we live musicality and focus both on the music and the quality you bring to the music you choose to dance to. How to dance the music, how to hear the music so you can dance to it, and more importantly how to adapt what you already dance if you are an existing dancer.

tango band

If you are a beginner we teach you right from the start the importance of being able to use the music you hear to express your own creativity when you dance.

The music stacks up in layers. There is the base layer, which is the main beat, that changes from orchestra to orchestra and even song to song. Most orchestras play very similar music in certain yearly time periods, i.e. if you know the structure and the end to one song, you have a good chance of understanding it for most if not all of the songs that orchestra plays in that time period.

Then the melody is on top of that. Sometimes a solo from a Bandoneon or a Paino. Sometimes changing the timing or leaving a pause. Sometimes stronger and louder or sometimes soft and gentle.

All these elements can be expressed and some would argue should be expressed in keeping with the orchestra and the texture of the dance and the available floor space.


Yes the time period also affects Tango music, most orchestras re-recorded the same songs at different times with different arrangements. There is a saying “success leaves clues”. Many Tango orchestras have played for decades, and at least one orchestra played for 50+ years. The music has evolved over time for each orchestra including different instruments, but within each time period and indeed over the entire lifetime there are many similarities that make it easier once you hear them.

Once you know the clues, your dancing will become richer and far more musical.
Why is this so important?

There is a lot of structure to Tango music. In almost every Tango there is Legato, meaning slow, more romantic, elegant music. Then it changes from Legato to Staccato meaning faster rhythmical music. There is Quatro tempo or 3/4 tempo, Syncopa, or Syncopations. There is the closing of a phrase, and the opening of the next one marking a very definite change in the music.

Argentine Tango is an improvised dance shared with a partner. These musical changes create challenges for the unwary and un-initiated. Dancing to the music means you should be able to express the structure of the music but also the texture of the music. Does the music suggest short, sharp, quick, small steps? Or more elegant movements with much more time? Does it change a lot as Pugliese’s music does?

There are seven main orchestras in the golden era of Argentine Tango. Sydney’s Tango Delight studio and it’s teachers, focus on one orchestra per term, helping you to understand the differences between the orchestras, to make your Tango dancing a much more rewarding and fulfilling experience.

We help Followers understand when it is good to improvise and how to do it well. We help Leads understand what a good clear lead is, and how to give your Followers time for their own self-expression and enrichment. How to express Tango, not just with steps, but with musicality and quality of movement, even if you are only a beginner.

FAQ

No, not at all however, please keep in mind when we are discussing musical options you might miss some and it will be a long time before we rotate back to the same orchestra unless for very specific reasons.

While this is not a big challenege, particulalry as you understand the music better, from time to time, you may not have a full range of musical choices. This will not impact your enjoyment of Tango, you will still learn and enjoy what you are learning and improve what you already know and use every week.

A lot of the focus is on the quality of your dancing, not just the number of steps you can do. As well as learning, new musicality, we will constantly be revisiting fundamentals, showing different possibilites and exploring ways to adapt and improve the leading and following.

TERM ONE

TUESDAYS
Beginners: 7 pm to 8 pm
First: Tuesday 6 Feburary
Last: Tuesday 9 April (10 weeks)
Orchestra: Carlos DiSarli …more
Beginners welcome to join mid-term as the syllabus caters for this
Existing dancers can join to work on and improve their technique

TERM TWO

TUESDAYS
Beginners: 7 pm to 8 pm
First: Tuesday 30 April
Last: Tuesday 2 July (10 weeks)
Orchestra: Juan D’arienzo .…more
Beginners welcome to join mid-term as the syllabus caters for this
Existing dancers can join to work on and improve their technique

THURSDAYS
Intermediate and improvers: 7 pm to 8 pm
First: Thursday 2 May
Last: Thursday 4 July (10 weeks)
Welcome to join mid-term as the syllabus caters for this

TERM THREE

TUESDAYS
Beginners: 7 pm to 8 pm
First: Tuesday 23 July
Last: Tuesday 24 September (10 weeks)
Orchestra: Francisco Canaro …more
Beginners welcome to join mid-term as the syllabus caters for this
Existing dancers can join to work on and improve their technique

THURSDAYS
Intermediate and improvers: 7 pm to 8 pm
First: Thursday 25 July
Last: Thursday 26 September (10 weeks)
Welcome to join mid-term as the syllabus caters for this

Milonga: 8 pm – 9 pm …more
First: Thursday 25 July
Last: Thursday 26 September (10 weeks)
Bookings required …more

TERM FOUR

TUESDAYS
Beginners: 7 pm to 8 pm
First: Tuesday 15 October
Last: Tuesday 17 December (10 weeks)
Orchestra: Anibal Troilo …more
Beginners welcome to join mid-term as the syllabus caters for this
Existing dancers can join to work on and improve their technique

THURSDAYS
Intermediate and improvers: 7 pm to 8 pm
First: Thursday 17 October
Last: Thursday 19 December (10 weeks)
Change of venue for Thursday nights to Leichhardt, bookings are required at present
Once venue is confirmed this will go back to join mid-term as the syllabus caters for this

Milonga: 8 pm – 9 pm …more
First: Thursday 17 October
Last: Thursday 19 December (10 weeks)
Change of venue for Thursday nights to Leichhardt
Bookings required for all Milonga classes …more

Argentine Tango Milonga Course

Orchestra Term 01: Carlos Di Sarli

Doing it with Strings

While Di Sarli is most notable for violins and elagance, it is just as important if not more important to focus on the pianos, which he himself played.

We explore changes and time periods. Most notable his recordings after 1950. His recordings form 1954 onwards are some of his best quality soundwise, however, dancers generally prefer the 1950 – 1954.

…back to Term 01

Orchestra Term 02: Juan D’Arienzo

King of the beat

In the years befor D’Arienzo came to the forefront of tango, the music was ebcomeing more sophistacated, turning more to the ear. Much richer, there was infulence and callings from Rock and Roll and Jazz. D’Arienzo in his second recording period took Tango back to Rhythmical, stecatto music and took it away from more sophistacated appreciated by many to those that just wanted to dance in this faster. more rhythmical way.

Like all tango there is varience and the violins do play a role, but alwyas the strong Rhythm and Compas (tempo) is there. Later in his career there are a lot of strong pauses or stops in some of his music. It is a shame more of this period does not get played, It adds a nice variety.

While the music it strongly staccato and rhythmical, there are changes in tempo and also mood and “texture”, or as they say the colours of this Tango.

At our Dance studio in Sydney’s inner west in camperdown we continue to explore the music of this fine orchestra and many others on an ongoing basis.

…back to Term 02

Orchestra Term 03: Francisco Canaro

Canaro is considered to be more simple Tango and indeed it is
But don’t be fooled

Francisco Canaro and his Orchestras had a 5 decade career in Tango, often so misunderstood, simple more rhythmical but also full of different musical instruments and also changing base rhythm give the Tango dancer lots of opportunities.

He was an inovator, his music changed and adapted, some was influenced by Jazz.

There is usually a rhythmical base and it has many pauses and a lot of moments with instruments filling in the soft notes where the base is paused or soft.

We explore all of this and the phrases and the endings to elevate your dance to this style of music.

…back to Term 03

Orchestra Term 04: Anibal Troilo

The rise of the Orchestra Singer

Aníbal Troilo, was a pivotal figure in the evolution of Tango music.
A virtuoso bandoneón player and innovative composer, Troilo brought a new level of sophistication and expressiveness to tango in the 1940s and 1950s. His orchestra, characterized by its rich, velvety sound and emotional depth, became the benchmark for the Tango genre.

There are also many great Instrumentals in Troilo’s peak that are loved and danced all around the world and requested at many Milongas. His instrumentals are considered a MUST at most Milongas in Buenos Aries. And yet he is probably most known for his work with singers taking the lead as a musical instument and not just an accompianist.

Like many Tango Orchestras he adapted to changes, and at least twice in his career, he used the evergreen classic structure of Staccato (choppy rythmical) changing to Legato (slow and flowing). Dancing to Troilo’s music requires an appreciation for its nuanced rhythms and dramatic pauses. His tangos often feature a strong, steady beat overlaid with intricate melodies, allowing dancers to express both power and subtlety in their movements.

The key to interpreting Troilo’s music on the dance floor is to listen closely to the bandoneón lines, which often carry the emotional core of the piece. Dancers should aim to embody the music’s intensity during its crescendos and utilise the characteristic Troilo pauses to add moments of tension and release to their dance. The walking steps (caminata) should be smooth and grounded, reflecting the rich bass lines of Troilo’s orchestra. During the more lyrical sections, dancers can incorporate expressive embellishments and slow, dramatic movements that mirror the bandoneón’s plaintive tones. Above all, dancing to Troilo’s tangos is about feeling the music deeply and allowing it to guide your movements, creating a seamless fusion of sound and motion that honors the maestro’s enduring legacy in Tango.

…back to Term 04

Payment

Payment is cash on the night or direct deposit
Refer to Special Offers page

Location


Sydney Argentine Tango Lessons – Sydney Inner West – Stanmore / Camperdown
Community Hall
Cardigan Street, Camperdown (corner Salisbury Road)

Thursdays for Term Four may be at Leichhardt, please check when you make a booking

Sydney Argentine Tango Lessons Stanmore, Inner West venue
Sydney Argentine Tango Lessons Stanmore, Inner West venue

Directions

Public transport: Bus down Parramatta Road – stop near Bridge Street
Landmarks are 99 Bikes and McDonalds on either side of the corner
Walk down Bridge Street and turn left into Salisbury Road

Street parking: is available in either Cardigan Street, or Salisbury Road