Beginning Tangos (ONLINE) - Next Session Dates TBA

A beginning level fiesta style flamenco dance class where we focus on improvisational bulerías and tangos

LOCATION: ONLINE

Schedule & Pricing

Next session dates TBA

ONLINE Live-stream | Wednesdays | 3:15-4:15pm PST 

Sliding scale of $8-$20

or

Class Flex Card ($80/5 hrs. $150/10 hrs.)

All payments are non-refundable, but you may transfer your payment to another class if you are unable to attend.

*** I understand that some people may be in a similar situation to me where you don't get paid when you don't go to work making this time quite possibly difficult financially. If this is your case and you would like to be at an online class but would choose not to attend for financial reasons, PLEASE don't let that stop you. Let me know and we'll make it work with either deferred or no payment.

How do I sign up? 

Class Description:

Learn the basics of improvisational bulerías or tangos. (WINTER session: tangos)

We’ll study palmas and jaleos, the basis of por fiesta forms, and, of course, the moves. We’ll begin with a simple piece which will serve as an outline to later enable you to improvise.

What will I learn?

  • The basic structure oftangos (or bulerías)

  • A choreography following the basic structure

  • The components of the baile (dance)

  • The palmas (hand-clapping) to accompany the baile

  • Basic jaleos (calls of encouragement), where to put them, what to say

  • The main concept to understand in order to dance well with the cante

  • Where to begin dancing in relation to the music

Beginning students are invited to stay from 7:30-8:30 every other week to practice dancing and/or playing palmas with live musicians! Details here.

I learned to dance por fiesta the hard way, and that's not how I want things to be for you. After much of doing, messing up, analyzing and figuring out, and thoughts of, "Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" I realized it was time to create a method [a FUN method] to present the necessary information in an understandable manner while providing a format for practicing and perfecting in a variety of scenarios. Consider these por fiesta sessions a synthesis of everything I've learned about bulerías & tangos designed to make them more accessible to you and hopefully help you learn from my mistakes!  

Laura has a super rare and highly marketable niche in the flamenco world. She's breaking down the structure and language of flamenco for those of us who weren't raised in the culture. It could take me years to crack this code on my own. It's exactly what I need, and exactly what I've been looking for. She's bringing the culture to us, serving it up in bite sized portions, even spoon feeding it when necessary. So grateful!" - Heather Cogburn

“Laura is a great dancer, and you can learn a lot just by watching her. But she is truly a teacher as well, and she has been willing to share her experiences of learning this complicated art form. As she absorbs and distills the vast ocean of flamenco stuff that we Americanos aren’t born into and don’t grow up with, she is dedicated to passing what she has learned on to us. Ok, that sounds like an obvious thing that a teacher would do, but actually, it might be a rare combo. There are inspiring teachers who can show you great moves, but they’ve grown up doing those moves, so it’s just hard for them to explain how they do it. Laura has gotten there the hard way, which is how most of us are going to have to get there, and she is determined to give us the benefit of all her hard-earned knowledge as a gift. This is what great teachers do: they open the door for us, and tip us off to shortcuts when they find them, and encourage us by their presence ahead of us on the road. Laura is a very generous teacher.” – Mia

"(Class) was amazing ... felt like a whirlpool at one point but with occasional glimpse into the total brilliance of this art form I found it so ... inspiring!  THANK YOU, and you all are so understanding of the beginner's situation.  Very good."  - Sheila Augustine

This class is held at the New Day Center for the Arts 5516 SE Foster Rd, Portland.

*Full monthly session discount, no make-ups/non-transferable.