If you're new to tango (or just tango-curious) and wondering whether a free practica at the beautiful Hillside Club is for you, this is my experience as a beginner-friendly guide.
Why We Picked This Event
Lindsay Newbold is a familiar face from the practica on Mondays Tango at the Beat, but she is also the organizer of La Bruja – Tango at the Berkeley City Club. On one of those Mondays she announced that there would be a free practica the following Sunday in Berkeley. That would also include a mix of golden age, nuevo and alternative tandas. A "tanda" is a small set of songs (usually 3–4) by the same orchestra or in a similar style. Between tandas, there's a short break called a "cortina" – that's usually when you change partners. A new place, in Berkeley, a practica, and my recent favorite neo and alternative tango songs? My feet basically RSVP'd before my brain did.
Who Is This Event For?
Beginners, role-switchers, open-minded dancers, people exploring alternative tango.
What Is Practica?
Like in everything, if you want to be better in any dance, you have to practice more and more. Simply put, a practica is somewhere you can practice your tango. The main focus of a práctica is on practicing the dance, techniques, and improvisation.
Some people go to a practica just to enjoy dancing.
Some people use it as a safe space to try out new moves or sequences, or to refine their technique without the pressure of a milonga atmosphere. A milonga is a social tango dance party, usually a bit more formal and with more traditional codes.
And many people go to a practica to get verbal feedback and input on their dance from their dancing partners and to work out together what is working and not working and how to improve.
There are still tandas, and in this event some tandas consist of only neo tango or alternative tangos – while you also hear traditional tandas (golden age orchestras).
What Is Neo Tango (Nuevo Tango)?
My cousin who was into any possible different and new music groups at the time had introduced me to the "Gotan Project". If you ever listened to the band Gotan Project, you will know what I am referring to as neo tango. But it was pioneered by Astor Piazzolla. It is a modern evolution of traditional tango, embracing a diverse music, a fusion of electronic, tango, jazz and classical music. It allows more improvisation, incorporating movements like wraps and leg movements.
What Is Alternative Tango?
It is a broad term for any non-traditional danceable music (different from the electrotango – neotango) – it is actually not tango music at all. It includes music from many other genres that has a structure or feel that makes it suitable for dancing tango. Pop, jazz, blues, French waltzes, and any other music are all sources of alternative music.
Alternative tango music is not created to dance tango to, meaning sometimes it can be difficult for dancers to lead/follow as it is hard to figure out if it is tango, vals or milonga that we are dancing into.
Event Details
Location: Hillside Club — 2286 Cedar St, Berkeley, CA 94709
Time: 7:00 pm–10:00 pm (different DJ each night)
When: Monthly event – the date is announced based on the Hillside Club's event calendar availability. Visit the tango calendar for future dates.
Price: Free event ($0)
Parking: Plenty of street parking in the neighborhood in one of the safest areas, so arriving or leaving after dark feels comfortable.
About Hillside Club
The Hillside Club was founded by a group of Berkeley women who wished to protect the Berkeley hillsides by promoting the development of the community in environmentally sensitive ways. The current building at Cedar Street opened in 1906 but was rebuilt with a new design in 1924 one year after a fire completely destroyed it. The current one was designated a City of Berkeley Landmark in 2004. The dancing committee was formed in the 1920s. Currently Hillside Club with its current building provides a sense of community with its social and cultural events.
There are no stairs but a wheelchair accessible ramp at the entrance.
The lobby opens to a nice waiting lounge and to the restrooms then you continue to the main hall where you see the big stage and nice wooden floor (no matter if they want to protect the floors from the heels) and chairs around in front of the walls. You can feel the historical atmosphere immediately.
Hillside Dance Committee flyer – free admission, flat shoes, no stilettos.
A Quick Guide to Feeling Ready for the Night
Bring layers – until you warm up, you might feel chilly in the big social hall.
Shoes
Hillside Club does not allow stiletto heels on the wooden dance floor. You can wear either flat dance shoes or dance shoes with low heels, such as character shoes or west-coast swing shoes. Socks or sneakers are fine too.
Dress Code
Unlike milongas, you do not need to dress up. You can wear your comfortable casual clothes that will allow you to practice your dance comfortably. Think comfort over couture — this is a practica, not a red-carpet milonga. Bring layers — until you warm up, the big social hall can feel a bit chilly.
Partner
No partner needed. Everyone is welcome to lead and follow. Role-switching is encouraged.
Asking for a Dance
People still follow the mirada and cabeceo rules, and the leader's cabeceo to join the practica. "Mirada" is the eye contact, and "cabeceo" is the little nod that says "would you like to dance?" But you can also ask. I asked my friend when I noticed that a neotango tanda was about to start – I could not miss the neotango :)
Skill Levels
You'll see everything from first-timers to intermediate and advanced dancers who still want to practice their tango.
Snacks & Water
This is a free practica event and therefore no snacks are available. There's a water table, fountains in the bathroom area, and you're encouraged to bring a water bottle. And trust me, tango hydration is real. Your future self will thank you.
Vibe
Friendly, relaxed, and practice-focused. Plenty of room for beginners to experiment without feeling watched.
Crowd Size
Around 30 dancers – enough dancers to keep it interesting, but not enough to test your collision-avoidance skills. Well, it is a new event; once we spread the word, it might get more crowded.
Stories From the Dance Floor
Such a Great Surprise
A dancer that I met when I first started to learn and dance tango showed up and she remembered my name fully. We chatted and she proudly said that this was the first tango event after a very long time. Well sometimes we give long breaks to dance, but then a good event like this one calls us back to the dance floor.
I Felt Very Comfortable Dancing With You
I danced with a beginner dancer, I could feel the excitement. I still feel the same excitement when I am dancing with a new dancer – the only difference is the skill level maybe. But you never know – today's nervous beginner might be tomorrow's dancer who accidentally sweeps you into the best tanda of your month. And you might be making an impression that the person will never forget. I never say no to the beginner dancers; I also think every beginner has a way of revealing either a new movement… or a new flaw in my posture I didn't know existed. When the tanda ended – he turned to me and said "I felt very comfortable dancing with you" – and suddenly the whole tanda felt like a five-star Yelp review for my tango soul.
Missing the Cabeceo
I was sitting at my seat and watching a couple dancing when the tanda started, then my friend came and stood in front of me and said – you were not looking in my direction so I had to come to you. Sometimes my temporary trance of tango anthropology — observing dancers like a curious field researcher, which is very helpful for learning new movements — means I risk missing a dancing opportunity… so be aware.
Breaking a Tanda – The Ultimate Sin?
I thought that it was me but as much as I love neotango/alternative tango, sometimes it is hard to figure out where the neotango/alternative tango tandas finish. Is it the cortina (the little break) or another song? In one of the tandas, I acted very quickly and thanked my partner and started to walk and there my partner's face said: "Wait—already?". Then I noticed, it was not an official break – bummer – thankfully it was practica and not milonga. If there's a place to accidentally commit "tanda crimes," it's here.
Unless there is an injury, not feeling well, discomfort for any health reasons or inappropriate behaviour, you do not leave the dance floor before the music ends; the social code requires you to dance through the whole set. I quickly apologized for the mix and clearly expressed that I enjoyed the dance a lot and I thought that it was short actually. We both laughed and continued to dance.
So You Are an Alternative Dancer
My tango DJ friend who loves the traditional tango but also could not say no to my request to dance into neo tango told me that he could feel my energy was different during that music. And he said – so you are an alternative dancer – so I have been told. Apparently my neo-tango energy is visible from outer space.
That Was Fun
A new face I had never seen or danced with before, finally the subtle head nods, and I accept with a nod and smile. The excitement of the unknown. Are we going to click with the dance style and energy level? Am I going to be introduced to a different musical interpretation or movement dynamic that I hadn't experienced before? Or are we going to misunderstand each other or will we miss steps? (Even if it happens, thankfully it was just practica and there was no pressure.) But – no, none of them.
We danced in mutual enjoyment and harmony – we found our shared flow and it was rewarding. Even more – as my new partner said at the end of the first song – "That was fun!" That was fun indeed… the kind of fun where you immediately hope the DJ plays one more song so you don't have to say goodbye yet.
Summary
If you love good floors, good music, and good humans, you'll probably love this practica too.
Why My Events Bridge?
This isn't just a calendar—it's a living, breathing map of connection. And yes, this event sits inside the broader ecosystem that helps our Bay Area tango scene thrive. If this post helped you find your next dance, consider buying me a coffee ☕—it keeps the bridge open and the spirit flowing.
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