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La Chispa Tango Práctica - Open Práctica
Practical tango spark - practice practice
Event by: La Chispa Tango Práctica, Sabrina McEwan, André Plombe
Location: De Wittenstraat 100, De Wittenstraat 100, Amsterdam - Amsterdam-West
About event
After Monday’s highly successful open práctica (many new people!) this Sunday afternoon’s práctica will be open (no theme) as well.
We will bring back the themes after this but are going to do open prácticas in-between.
🔥Free entrance for you (and you only) if you bring someone with you who has never been to La Chispa before!
As to the founding principles of La Chispa Tango Práctica:
📌 Less advanced/skilled/experienced dancers primarily practicing with more advanced/skilled/experienced dancers - as was done in Buenos Aires in the Golden Age of tango. Two beginners practicing together usually means doubling the mistakes and perpetuating bad habits. No offense, just reality. This ‘knowledge transfer’ also allows the supposedly better dancers to test and transfer their understanding.
📌 Please don’t play the teacher - even when you are ‘higher level’ and ‘know better’. You can learn something from almost everyone as one person may be better in technique or sequences and the other in musicality or connection, et cetera.
We encountered and heard of people who - no doubt with the best intentions - gave unsolicited advice to their practice partners - which evidently is not always appreciated. So be sensible; ask if you can give feedback, or use an indirect, impersonal approach (e.g. “can we try this again? because I feel we lose connection during this move”). Be patient, be open yourselves to receive feedback, etc.
📌 Also -reminder- practicing does not merely mean dancing a couple of songs with someone. La Chispa is not a milonga-without-cortinas; it is a práctica. Think of a plan - to work on connection, posture, certain steps, sequences, pausing, pacing, walking, turning and so on, instead of merely seeing what will happen.
📌 It is expected you don’t practice with only one person during our práctica - as La Chispa is community-focused - but indeed, this principle does not mean you need to practice with everyone! As long as you change around a bit, with whomever you feel comfortable practicing. We acknowledge that you might not want to invest in or receive feedback from everyone random. Although there is no mirada/cabeceo, to just walk over to someone and expect that person to practice with you is quite another extreme. You obviously are free to decline if you are approached like that.
‘PRACTICA’-LITIES:
Entrance fee €5 - in CASH! Free entrance for you (and you only) if you bring someone with you who has never been to La Chispa before!
BYOD: bring your own drinks – and snacks!
LOCATION: De Wittenstraat 100, 1052 BA, Amsterdam
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT: From Central Station bus 18 or 21, stop Nieuwe Willemsstraat, or bus 22 stop Nassauplein. Or rent an OV-fiets and pedal westwards for 8 minutes.
BY CAR: Parking in the street €6,50 per hour. MyWay parking at Tussen de Bogen, Jordaan or De Wittenkade approximately €3,50 per hour (but check price, and reserve), or ParkBee De Wittenkade approximately €4,50 per hour (but check price, and reserve).
⭐ What is La Chispa?
La Chispa is a social tango práctica inspired by the oldskool Golden Age tradition. Dancers of all levels are encouraged to learn from each other, with more experienced dancers supporting those with less experience—just as it was in the prácticas of Buenos Aires. There are no rigid structures, just a space for exploration, learning, and community.
Abrazo,
André, Becky, Iulia, Sabrina and Willem
We will bring back the themes after this but are going to do open prácticas in-between.
🔥Free entrance for you (and you only) if you bring someone with you who has never been to La Chispa before!
As to the founding principles of La Chispa Tango Práctica:
📌 Less advanced/skilled/experienced dancers primarily practicing with more advanced/skilled/experienced dancers - as was done in Buenos Aires in the Golden Age of tango. Two beginners practicing together usually means doubling the mistakes and perpetuating bad habits. No offense, just reality. This ‘knowledge transfer’ also allows the supposedly better dancers to test and transfer their understanding.
📌 Please don’t play the teacher - even when you are ‘higher level’ and ‘know better’. You can learn something from almost everyone as one person may be better in technique or sequences and the other in musicality or connection, et cetera.
We encountered and heard of people who - no doubt with the best intentions - gave unsolicited advice to their practice partners - which evidently is not always appreciated. So be sensible; ask if you can give feedback, or use an indirect, impersonal approach (e.g. “can we try this again? because I feel we lose connection during this move”). Be patient, be open yourselves to receive feedback, etc.
📌 Also -reminder- practicing does not merely mean dancing a couple of songs with someone. La Chispa is not a milonga-without-cortinas; it is a práctica. Think of a plan - to work on connection, posture, certain steps, sequences, pausing, pacing, walking, turning and so on, instead of merely seeing what will happen.
📌 It is expected you don’t practice with only one person during our práctica - as La Chispa is community-focused - but indeed, this principle does not mean you need to practice with everyone! As long as you change around a bit, with whomever you feel comfortable practicing. We acknowledge that you might not want to invest in or receive feedback from everyone random. Although there is no mirada/cabeceo, to just walk over to someone and expect that person to practice with you is quite another extreme. You obviously are free to decline if you are approached like that.
‘PRACTICA’-LITIES:
Entrance fee €5 - in CASH! Free entrance for you (and you only) if you bring someone with you who has never been to La Chispa before!
BYOD: bring your own drinks – and snacks!
LOCATION: De Wittenstraat 100, 1052 BA, Amsterdam
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT: From Central Station bus 18 or 21, stop Nieuwe Willemsstraat, or bus 22 stop Nassauplein. Or rent an OV-fiets and pedal westwards for 8 minutes.
BY CAR: Parking in the street €6,50 per hour. MyWay parking at Tussen de Bogen, Jordaan or De Wittenkade approximately €3,50 per hour (but check price, and reserve), or ParkBee De Wittenkade approximately €4,50 per hour (but check price, and reserve).
⭐ What is La Chispa?
La Chispa is a social tango práctica inspired by the oldskool Golden Age tradition. Dancers of all levels are encouraged to learn from each other, with more experienced dancers supporting those with less experience—just as it was in the prácticas of Buenos Aires. There are no rigid structures, just a space for exploration, learning, and community.
Abrazo,
André, Becky, Iulia, Sabrina and Willem
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