Tangroupe, UCSC’s Argentine Tango Team and Club, was founded by Brett Griswold and Jennifer Small Griswold in September 2007. Since then, the group has grown from its four founding members to an organization with currently over 150 students involved. Tangroupe is a social club, performance group and competition team that engages with the wider Santa Cruz tango community.

We welcome all levels to come and learn the sensual art of Argentine tango, especially beginners! If it is your first day, we suggest wearing comfortable clothes, and most importantly socks, so you can safely and smoothly move around the floor.

Here is the class schedule for this year:

Lesson/Practice: Sundays 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the Activities Room
Fee: $15 per quarter
First Half of the Lesson: Sundays 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Learn how to tango! This time will be used to focus on preparing club members for social dancing by teaching a variety of tango basics, from the ground up: learning moves, dancing etiquette, dance patterns, different styles of tango music, etc. In addition, we are excited to bring in at least one guest instructor per quarter!

Second Half of the Lesson: Sundays 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Our second half of the practice will be dedicated to learning show tango moves and performance skills. Over the course of the year, members have the opportunity to learn choreography for a routine that will ultimately be performed at our annual end of the year show and around campus.

Check out this year’s performance song:
The Hurt by Diego Boneta

Comp Team Practice: Sundays 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Activities Room
Fee: $30 per quarter (covers the Lesson/Practice fee, and any wardrobe needs)
Competition team practice involves learning advanced choreography and dance moves at a quicker pace. We compete at competitions in California, and occasionally at events in downtown Santa Cruz. The music used for competition choreography is generally more traditional and challenging.

Competition song:
El embrujamiento by Sexteto Milonguero