Argentine Tango with Tom & Analii Stermitz

Tom is a teacher of Argentine Tango who specializes in the social style of Tango. That means: "the way tango is danced in the dance halls of Buenos Aires." This style is easier than more performance-oriented styles.

Analii has been a life-long dancer: from Hula to Ballet to Contemporary Dance. A degree in dance education from CU Boulder led her to a career in costuming, teaching dance, and movement therapy.

Our curriculum is a progressive series of skill building and vocabulary (steps) for navigating the dance floor and interpreting the music. Each musical element can be learned separately and integrated with previously mastered material like assembling a house with lego-blocks. This gives you a logical set of dance moves that "mix & match".

In our beginner classes you will learn basic tango steps, and how to mix-and-match them to navigate around the dance floor. No partner necessary!

Child-friendly space (reading, drawing, card games...)

Fort Collins Saturday Tango WORKSHOP

Saturday - Oct 19
12:30 - 3:00 pm
$20 for 1 1/2 hours

Empire Grange
2306 West Mulberry, Fort Collins

Saturday Afternoon Tango Workshop. We'll work on technique, skill-building, movement and improving your tango vocabulary.

Fort Collins Thursday Tango Classes
Tom & Analii: October 10 & 17

Northside Aztlan Community Center
112 E Willow St, Fort Collins

6:00 - 7:00 pm "Beyond Beginners"
7:00 - 8:00 pm "Tango Fundamentals"

Denver Wednesday Tango Classes

Denver Turnverein Basement
1570 N Clarkson, Denver 80218

$15 for beginner class
$20 for full evening

6:00 - 6:30 Beginner Orientation .
Half-hour check-in, intro and warmup before the beginner class
6:30 - 7:30 Fundamentals Tango Class.
7:30 - 8:30/9:00 Intermediate Topics & Practice.

Private Lessons - EVENINGS NOW Available

Denver Private tango lessons are available on Wednesday afternoons at the Denver Turnverein.

Fort Collins Privates by appointment at our Home Studio

About Tom

Tom was a founding member of Tango Colorado and he has 25 years of experience teaching Argentine Tango in Colorado, and has been invited to teach and DJ in other parts of the US or Europe. For 15 years he was the Artistic Director and Organizer of the Denver Tango Festivals, which brought hundreds of tango dancers to Denver twice a year. In 2023 Tom returned to event organizing with the "Denver Close Encounters" festival.

My understanding of Tango was totally upended after my first trip to Buenos Aires. After a couple of years learning Argentine Tango, I thought I knew something. I discovered however, that although I knew tango steps, the essence of tango is in the music, the embrace and the feeling. At that point, I really began the journey of learning tango "The way it is danced in Argentina."

"Social Tango" is a "musical embrace"

Tom & Analii StermitzTango Performance At Denver Does Tango

More about Tom's Classes

Phone: 303-725-5963

[email protected]

Featured Articles

Tango Classes in Denver with Tom Stermitz

Argentine Tango group classes at the Denver Turnverein on Wednesdays. Check-in and warmups at 6:00. Beginner & Fundamentals at 6:30. Intermediate material rotates through various topics for dancing tango "the way tango is danced in Buenos Aires". Intermediates attend the beginner class for review of musicality and fundamentals. Practice/dance time after 8:30.

Private Tango Lessons in Denver and Fort Collins

Private Lessons give you one on one focused attention with your work in Tango according to your learning style and needs. Privates are beneficial whether you are a beginner wanting to improve quickly or an advanced student looking for improved technique. Private slots are available in Fort Collins by appt., or in Denver Monday afternoons and evenings.

Testimonials From 25 Years of Teaching

My partner and I would like to thank you once again for the first rate instruction... . We attended the workshops because we wanted to learn about close embrace tango and have had very little instruction in this style of tango. We expected it to be interesting and educational, but we never expected that we would come away from the trip with a new and refreshing view of tango.

About Argentine Tango Styles - Social to Stage

Argentine Tango has a variety of styles. In the old days almost every neighborhood had it's own, typical style. When the tango social life collapsed from 1955 through about 1985, tango was kept alive by show dancers on stage, television and world tours. The tango revival of the 1980s brought social style Argentine Tango back onto the dance floors, almost unchanged from the heyday of the 1940s.

Golden Era Tango Music for Dancing

Argentine Tango is danced to the great orchestras of Buenos Aires from the 1930s, 40s and 50s. This was the "Golden Era" of tango. Modern tango music like Astor Piazzola is not used for tango dancing (except perhaps for performances).

Fifteen "Golden Era" Tango Orchestras

The tango CDs listed below are selected from the Golden Era of tango dance orchestras. They include many popular tangos that you would hear in a typical tango dance in Buenos Aires. I suggest choosing a few albums (D'Arienzo, Canaro, Di Sarli) from this list, and putting them on rotation while commuting, walking, or doing chores. Start with the more straightforward styles I've labeled rhythmic, walking or romantic rather than complex ones with lots of syncopation.

The Milonga: A Tango Party for Social Dancing

A social Argentine Tango dance is called a milonga, which in Argentina means a "dance party". This is a place to see and be seen, and a place to meet other tango dancers, many of whom have spent months and years perfecting their steps. It is not a place for beginners to learn how to dance; on the other hand there is something mesmerizing about the way a crowded dance floor moves together with never a bump between the dancers.

Mixing and Matching Tango "Lego Blocks"

The Romance of Argentine Tango! At its best Argentine Tango is a trance, danced so closely that you feel your partner's heart beat and share the rhythm of their breathing. Tango looks complex, but it's easier to get if you learn the dance as a combination of short, simple patterns, similar to swing or salsa. Confidence comes from competence.