Tango 21

I bought a Groupon over a year ago and was excited to take some ballet lessons in my neighborhood. I grew up taking ballet from 9−14ish and took adult lessons a year before so I am not a beginner. I know the lingo and the moves. The teacher here is very difficult to understand through a thick accent. He rarely did the moves with us (but he did quickly show them before the music started). It was stressful and embarrassing. Not a class for beginners! Also when my turn out wasn’t good enough he grabbed my hips and legs to move me into place. I do not like to be touched so this was really jarring. Such a bad experience that I did not go back and wasted 4 of the 5 classes I purchased. I actually gave my roommate my pass to use towards 2 tango lessons instead.

I attended four tango classes at Tango 21 in April/​May 2011 with a Living Social. I wanted to meet new people, learn a new skill, and (yes) maybe even impress a girl down the road should I ever be caught in a tango dance situation.
The first three classes were tough, but I was encouraged by Liz Sung, who was very patient with me. I’ll always remember that because we were also the only Asian people in the room.
By the fourth class, though, I remember the director Jorge Niedas becoming unhappy with me. After doing my best through a piece, he hovered criticizing my every move and complimenting my partner when we weren’t doing anything differently. I was persevering as best as I could when he cut in front of me with my partner, said «You’re terrible at tango» and danced the rest of the piece with my partner while I stood there shocked. I tried to put on a smile, but I was miserable and humiliated standing in the corner while all the couples went on.
When I started getting emails about future events, I told producer Dinah D’Antoni I wouldn’t be returning. When she asked why, I said «I felt that the class was too serious and overly critical to be fun. I was also interested in meeting new friends, but there were just too many dating/​married couples.» It was so hard to summon the courage to go to a dance studio, especially both as a male and single around all the couples, and with the unprofessional and inappropriate feedback I got, I don’t think I’ll ever dance again. Why would I subject myself to treatment like that? It’s just not worth it. Lesson learned: Life is better as a wallflower.

I have taken Argentine tango classes with Jorge and Liz since 2007. They are amazing teachers, and they really love what they do. When you come to Tango 21, you don’t just take classes, you become part of the tango community that is international, cool, and passionate about this dance. You make friends and you find a new amazing pass-​time.
Jorge’s classes inspired my boyfriend and I to go to Buenos Aires and explore the argentine culture. After we got engaged, we decided to dance tango as our first dance. We took private classes with Jorge and LIz, and they created a beautiful routine for us that wowed all our guests. Tango 21 feels like home, and is one of my favorites places in Chicago. I would highly recommend it to anyone!

It’s a bit weird for me to take dance classes in a school or the Ukrainian Cultural Center, but once you get past the church social club vibe, Jorge is a really good teacher. He’s super nice and easy going. The location and times are great for me since a lot of dance places are located in neighborhoods that are less convenient for me. There is some repetition of the basic steps (since there is no real first class or last class, it’s continuous with people jumping in along the way) which may annoy some people (my partner), but I don’t mind.

I’ve now taken about 5 classes, so I feel I have a pretty good sense of the teaching style, and I’m very impressed. Jorge is encouraging, but meticulous and always striving to help his students improve. I’ve been to other dance studios, but this is the one that I’m sticking with.