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REGULARLY SCHEDULED CLASSES WITH LINDA VALENTINO

PLACES TO DANCE / SPECIAL EVENTS

TOURS TO BUENOS AIRES

TANGO MUSIC

 

 

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Text Box: Learn Argentine Tango as it's                really danced in the clubs of              Buenos Aires 
with LINDA VALENTINO 
Teaching both 1950s-style rhythmic tango (estilo confiteria) and 1940s-style smooth, salon tango, as they are danced in the milongas of Buenos Aires.
No tricks, no lifts, no drops, no show steps, NO NONSENSE! Just good social tango.
CLASS SCHEDULE (As of September, 2008) 
Wednesdays in LOS ANGELES starting September 10th--NEW CLASS! 7:30 - 10:30 pm: Leader's Class & Practica is BACK! MEN of Tango: Perfect your lead by learning what you're trying to make the woman do. Under-standing the follower's role is the key to dramatically improving your leading skills. Class from 7:30 to 9 pm, leaders only. Followers welcome for the practica from 9 to 10:30 pm. Class and practica for leaders $15 or buy 10 classes for $135; Practica $5 for followers!
Wednesday Class located at:  Sophie Dance, 310 South La Brea in Los Angeles  (just south of Third St. on the east side of the street next to Subway Sandwiches; plenty of free parking on La Brea)
Thursdays in LOS ANGELES  7:30 - 9 pm: Tango Fundamentals  For Beginners (This class is for beginners, or anyone who wants to work on the basic elements of the dance)  $15 per person, or buy ten classes for $135
Thursday Classes located at : Sophie Dance, 310 South La Brea in Los Angeles  (just south of Third St. on the east side of the street next to Subway Sandwiches; plenty of free parking on La Brea)
Fridays in HOLLYWOOD  8:30 - 10 pm: Tango Technique Classes Plus Practica (10 to midnight) (Rotating series of classes addressing various aspects of tango technique, such as leading and following, connection, dancing on a crowded floor, improvisation, musicality, milonga, tango waltz etc.)  August 29th--October 31st: MILONGA! Learn this exciting dance--the predecessor to tango! Milonga is easy and lots of fun. We'll learn milonga rhythm and steps, starting with milonga lisa (smooth milonga) and moving on through milonga traspie (more advanced, with lots of double-time steps and syncopations). $15 per person, or ten classes for $135 
PRACTICA from 10 pm to midnight: FREE for those taking the class; $5 for practica only
Friday Classes located at : Hollywood Dance Center, 817 North Highland Ave. in Hollywood  (1-1/2 blocks north of Melrose; plenty of free street parking)
Saturdays in HOLLYWOOD                                        2 - 3:30 pm: Tango Fundamentals  (This class is for beginners, or anyone who wants to work on the basic elements of the dance)  $15 per person, or buy ten classes for $135
Saturday Classes located at : Hollywood Dance Center, 817 North Highland Ave. in Hollywood  (1-1/2 blocks north of Melrose; plenty of free street parking)
Sundays in HOLLYWOOD 1 - 3 pm: Intermediate/ Advanced Tango  $15 per person, or buy ten classes for $135  (PLEASE NOTE: There will be NO CLASS in Hollywood on the following Sundays: May 11, June 15, July 13, August 10, September 14, October 12, November 9, December 14)         
Class located at : Hollywood Dance Center, 817 North Highland Ave. in Hollywood  (1-1/2 blocks north of Melrose; plenty of free street parking)
Sundays in PASADENA                                                 5 - 6 pm:  Tango Fundamentals for Beginners                      6 - 6:30 pm:  Practice for All Levels                                         6:30 - 7:30 pm:  Intermediate/Advanced Tango   $15 per person, or buy six classes for $69 
Classes located at:  The Dance Family Studio, 1795 East Colorado Blvd., Pasadena (NEW LOCATION!) (at the corner of Allen; lots of free parking in the lots behind the studio; enter the studio through the double doors off the parking lot)
Linda Valentino has been dancing tango for over 18 years and teaching for over 12 years. She began studying tango in the U.S. with Michael Walker and Luren Bellucci and Danel and Maria Bastone.  She has made 10 trips to Buenos Aires to study with many of the most renowned master teachers in the dance.  
In 1995, when Michael and Luren relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico, Linda was invited by the studio owner to take over their classes in Los Angeles.  She trained to teach tango in Buenos Aires, observing and studying with the best teachers of social tango. 
One of Linda's particular mentors was the late Nestor Ray, one of the legendary, great milongueros of Buenos Aires. Linda taught with Nestor for two years in Los Angeles, up until his death in 2003.  She now teaches his rhythmic style of close embrace tango. 
Equally proficient in leading and following, Linda emphasizes good technique for social dancing, including posture, position, effective leading and following, improvisation, floorcraft, and understanding and dancing to the music. Linda was the first resident teacher in Los Angeles with a solid background of training over several years in Buenos Aires. She was the first Los Angeles teacher to regularly take groups of students to Argentina so that they could observe and dance tango in its "natural habitat" --the milongas of Buenos Aires.