Contemporary Partner Dances
Expand your movement vocabulary with these complementary dance forms
Beyond Tango: A Complete Movement Journey
While Argentine tango forms the core of our practice, we believe in exploring complementary dance forms that enhance our overall movement capabilities and expression.
Each partner dance offers unique gifts and insights that contribute to a well-rounded dancer. By studying multiple forms, you'll develop greater versatility, adaptability, and a deeper understanding of the universal principles of partner connection.
Our additional dance offerings are carefully selected to complement the philosophical and movement principles of our Zen Of Tango approach. Each brings its own transformative potential and can be integrated into your overall movement practice.
Brazilian Zouk
A flowing, sensual dance that emphasizes waves, head movements, and deep connection.
Brazilian Zouk evolved from the traditional Caribbean Zouk music and dance, developing into a unique partner dance that is characterized by fluid body movements, dramatic head movements, and a deep connection between partners.
Why Zouk Complements Tango
Zouk offers several complementary elements to tango dancers:
- Upper Body Fluidity: Where tango focuses on precision and groundedness, Zouk develops flowing upper body movement
- Surrender and Trust: The dramatic head movements in Zouk require deep trust, enhancing the emotional connection with your partner
- Musicality: Zouk's relationship to contemporary music helps dancers develop new ways of expressing musicality
- Sensuality: Like tango, Zouk explores the sensual connection between partners but with different movement vocabulary
Our Zouk Classes
We offer Zouk classes with an emphasis on integrating the mind-body awareness from our zen practices:
- Foundational Zouk movements with mindfulness
- Conscious connection and communication techniques
- Flow state development through continuous movement
- Safe head movement techniques informed by yoga principles
Contact Improvisation
A dance form based on the physical principles of touch, momentum, and shared weight.
Contact Improvisation is a form of dance improvisation developed in the 1970s that focuses on the physical sensations of weight, balance, momentum, and inertia. Dancers explore the dialogue of movement that emerges when bodies share touch and weight.
Why Contact Improvisation Complements Tango
Contact Improvisation offers valuable skills that enhance tango practice:
- Heightened Physical Awareness: Develops extraordinary sensitivity to subtle physical cues
- Weight Exchange: Explores weight-sharing principles beyond what's typically found in tango
- Improvisation Skills: Builds comfort with spontaneous movement creation
- Balance and Counterbalance: Enhances core strength and balance awareness
- Dissolution of Lead/Follow: Creates a more democratic dance dialogue
Our Contact Improvisation Jams
We host regular Contact Improvisation sessions that focus on:
- Basic principles of weight-sharing and rolling point of contact
- Integration with tai chi principles of yielding and following
- Mindful awareness of the present movement moment
- Safe falling techniques and responsible partnering
West Coast Swing
A smooth, improvisational partner dance characterized by elasticity and musicality.
West Coast Swing (WCS) is a partner dance with roots in Lindy Hop that has evolved into a highly adaptable dance form that can be danced to almost any music with a 4/4 time signature. It's known for its elastic connection, improvisational nature, and emphasis on musicality.
Why West Coast Swing Complements Tango
WCS enhances a tango dancer's skills in multiple ways:
- Elastic Connection: Develops a different type of connection than tango's more consistent embrace
- Musicality: Emphasizes interpreting different elements of music, complementing tango's rhythmic focus
- Pattern Versatility: Provides a framework for creative pattern development
- Lead-Follow Dialogue: Creates space for followers to contribute significantly to the dance conversation
- Adaptability: Builds skills in adapting to different types of music and movement qualities
Our West Coast Swing Classes
Our WCS classes integrate mindfulness principles with traditional technique:
- Foundational patterns with emphasis on connection quality
- Musicality development through conscious listening
- Improvisational skills with mindful presence
- Lead-follow dialogue enhancement through zen awareness
Our Integrative Dance Philosophy
At ZenOfTango, we believe in a holistic approach to partner dance education.
While we specialize in Argentine Tango with a zen approach, we recognize that each dance form offers unique lessons and insights. By studying multiple dance forms, you develop a more comprehensive understanding of movement principles, partnership, and self-expression.
Our integrative philosophy identifies the universal principles across dance forms:
Connection
The ways partners communicate through physical touch, energy, and intention varies across dances but shares fundamental principles.
Musicality
Each dance relates to music differently, expanding your overall ability to embody and express musical elements.
Balance
Physical balance, energetic balance between partners, and balance between structure and freedom are explored uniquely in each form.
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Expand Your Dance Vocabulary
Join our other dance classes and discover new dimensions in your movement practice.
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