The Edinburgh Tango Society was formed in October 1997 to promote Tango in Edinburgh and beyond. It is organised by volunteers on a non-profit basis and is funded by its own activities.
Activities carried out by ETS are:
• Organising regular social dances including milongas, practicas, classes and other special events such as talks, brunches and live music events. Arranging workshops and classes with local and visiting international dancer teachers.
• Supporting other tango related activities within the Edinburgh community.
Sintonía Tango School in Edinburgh offers Argentine Tango classes for Beginners, Improvers, Intermediate and Advanced dancers in a friendly environment. We also run weekend events and Intensive Weeks. We have a wide range of online classes also available. The school is directed by Ricardso & Jenny Oria.
John and Irene have been dancing for the last 25 years and have had a go at most things. They started off doing modern Jive at LeRoc and Ceroc but over the years have dipped their toes into Salsa, Latin & Ballroom Lindy Hop and West Coast Swing. They have been dancing tango on and off for many years but have taken it more seriously over the last five years or so.
Music has always been John’s big love and he has been a DJ for many years, playing music for all the different styles they have tried. John and Irene started Demon Dance Co and ran their first event in 2002. They still run events for modern Jive and Blues which are advertised on our website dancedemon.co.uk, however, in the last few years they have been running Alternative Tango events. In conversation with other tango dancers, they found that there was quite a few who liked the idea of dancing to more contemporary music without the strict etiquette of traditional tango, so they started running the Alt Tango Edinburgh milongas in the Lifecare Centre in Cheyne street, Stockbridge.
At the end of last year John and Irene were asked to run an Alt Tango in Glasgow and now run three successful Sunday Alt Tango tea dances in Bearsden. There definitely is a growing following for what John and Irene do. The alt Tango events are advertised through their Facebook group page Alt Tango Scotland rather than the Demon Dance Co website.
John also DJ’s for Traditional Tango working predominantly with Tango del Jueves Thursday practilonga at the Greyfriars Charteris Centre, at Tango Mac in Glasgow and Milonga del Viernes Friday milonga at Pilrig St Pauls.
The Glasgow Tango Collective organises Argentine tango dance classes and events in Glasgow, with the aim of encouraging more people to enjoy this wonderful and beguiling dance. We offer a range of classes for all dancing levels, a regular practica and milonga, and unique events that bring the world’s best tango teachers, performers and dancers to this amazing city.
The Edinburgh Tango Society has details of our events in Edinburgh, including the long-established Tuesday and Sunday milongas in the Counting House. And Paisley Tango run regular events in Paisley, Glasgow’s nearest neighbour.
Now, let’s dance…
Teaching
I have been a tango teacher since 2001 and I’ve taught all over Scotland. I focus on technique and connection to create that beautiful feeling when you dance. In my group classes (my classes over summer and those I do for the EUTS) everyone leads and every one follows, this creates equality between dancers and allows conversation and understanding.
Balanceo Shoes
I am a seller of Balanceo shoes, one of the best brands in the world. There are shoes for women and men, which are so comfortable you’ll never go back!
DJ’ing
I have been playing music for the various milongas and practices in Edinburgh for many years now. I do what is asked, be it traditional golden age, a night of alternative or the perfect mix!
Argentine Tango classes, milongas and events organised and supported by Particia Nunn and Billy Henderson in and around Inverness.
Learn Authentic Tango with Ani through Classes, Practica and Deep Dives, Private Lessons, Tango Jams and Workshops with visiting world class Damian Thompson in residency teaching and performing alongside Ani. In collaboration with Dance Base, Scotlands National Dance Agency, Ani runs a series of Foundation/Beginner Drop-In Classes/Courses and Practica combinations for everyone wishing to learn or improve their Argentine Tango. She also offers a Thursday Open Practica and Friday Class in Dalry, that caters for those who wish to develop a sophisticated Tango vocabulary with exciting and more challenging moves. Additionally, if you are visiting Aberdeen, you can find Ani at the Holburn Bar on a Tuesday night teaching all levels. In all events you can stick with the same partner if you choose or rotate with the class. And you are most welcome to learn both roles and interchange during class. Why not give it a try! Do drop in! Everybody is welcome!
Private lessons in conjunction with class accelerate your learning. These are intensive sessions bespoke to you, as you gain a deeper insight into your Tango practice. Arming you with the personal tips and skills you want to be considering working on as you attend Classes and Practica. The latter being the perfect transition into the wonderful world of social dancing, you’ll find a few options for practicing available from Ani. And when you feel ready to social dance you will find her in a wonderfully friendly group of fellow participants, regularly at Milonga nights in Edinburgh.
Ani’s approach and policy is that learning Tango should be made easy, comfortable, fun and sociable. That does not compromise technique, quite the opposite. She is passionate about dancing qualitatively and with ease and being able to just express the joy of dancing!
To find out more about Ani’s Tango please see Who’s Who on this website and to take a closer look still at all her dance work visit her website. And please do feel free to contact her anytime.
Dance Base is Scotland’s National Centre for Dance. As a creative charity located right in the heart of Edinburgh, Dance Base aims to both support Scottish dance artists to develop successful careers and provide opportunities for dancers of all ages and abilities to develop new creative skills through dance, improve health, fitness levels and wellbeing and participate in a range of social activities. Ani has a long standing relationship with Dance Base in her previous incarnation as Artistic Director of Elbow Room Dance Company.
Edinburgh Embrace Milongas are friendly events with a party atmosphere! Everyone is welcome! There is a cash/card bar. Water and snacks are also provided!
We are a non-profit making organisation, proceeds are used to support people in crisis. We have supported the victims of the 2023 Turkey/Syria earthquake disaster, the UNICEF Children of Gaza appeal and regularly support Ukrainian refugees. Let’s tango to support people in crisis❤️
Welcome to Tango del jueves. As a team of volunteers aided by our wonderful tango community members, we run a weekly Argentine Tango practilonga every Thursday evening and a monthly milonga both at Greyfriars Charteris Centre.
Our weekly Tango del jueves starts at 19.30 and finishes at 22.00pm, every Thursday. Entry fee is £5
Our monthly Milonga del viernes milonga, is held on the first Friday of every month from 20.00 until 23.45. £10.00 entry.
Our beautiful venue is at Charteris Centre, 138-140 Pleasance, Edinburgh EH89RR.
TDJ was launched in April 2019, with the blessing of Jenny and Ricardo Oria, to continue the good work they established at La Redonda.
We aim to provide a safe and friendly, welcoming place where dancers at all stages on their tango journey can practice, dance, catch up with fellow tangueras/tangueros and come together to share and contribute to the running of the practilonga and the milonga.
Whilst we have a small core team who arrange and are responsible for the room hire and management, we aim to actively encourage our tango community to volunteer their time to host the meeting and greeting for our fellow dancers etc. We also encourage you to practice your DJ skills! Give us a shout if you wish to be our DJ at the weekly practica or our monthly milonga.
We look forward to welcoming you all.
Abrazos
Kim, Douglas, Duncan, Sheila, Harvey and Liz – the TDJ team
