Spire Tango Practica (Alt/Contemporary)
Why We Picked This Event
David Kaminsky is a professor of Music and Dance at UC Merced, whose specialization is in social partner dancing. I know him from alternative tango and fusion dance events. In one of those events, part of the community announcements, he mentioned that he was hosting an alternative /contemporary tango practica in Oakland every 4th Saturdays. I love neotango and therefore I have been willing to try this event for a long time now. As with many dance plans, “a long time” here means somewhere between intention and calendar alignment.
What Is “Alt/Contemporary Tango”?
Alt is a shortcut for alternative, hence referring to alternative tango and contemporary tango is another way of describing the neotango.
Traditional tango is called “golden age” and refers to the time from mid 1930’s to mid 1950’s. Post golden age tango is called contemporary and alternative tango is any non-tango music that you can dance to. Some people find it very hard to dance into alternative tango but that’s where the improvisation comes. This is also where you realize how attached you are to predictability — and how interesting it is to let go of it.
Key Details
- Location: 825 Athens Ave, Oakland, CA
- Dance: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm (Michael Arntz was the special guest DJ for the day; otherwise David Kaminsky). Arrive right at 2 pm — it’s free dancing from the start, and the music is already playing when you walk in.
- Parking: Street parking. The church is in a residential neighborhood, so it might be tricky to find a spot. I arrived early and I was lucky enough to find one, but you might need to park a bit further and walk back. Since I am not familiar with this part of Oakland, even though it is daytime, I suggest you do not leave anything visible in the car as a precaution.
- Fee: $10 – $20 sliding scale ($15 recommended)
- Payment: Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, or credit card at the door (no cash — apparently cash is on a sabbatical)
- When: Monthly event every 4th Saturday
About the Location
The Spire church is not your usual church. While the actual spire draws the eye upward, the red doors and stairs bring the eye downward. It’s the kind of place that makes you feel both curious and slightly more upright, posture-wise. From the entrance, you get the Gothic feeling. Here, services and gatherings often integrate creative movement, performance art, workshops, and expressive practices. From the flyers and announcement board, I understand that in addition to alternative/contemporary tango they also host Goth Yoga (a combination of Goth Music and Yoga).
When you enter the main hall, someone will welcome you at the desk on the left. That person will assist with check-in and payment. There are benches along the walls. You can leave your belongings underneath the benches and change into your dance shoes. Nice wooden floor to dance on.
A Quick Guide to Feeling Ready for the Day
Shoes
Depends on your comfort level — sneakers with over-shoe socks, heels, flat practice shoes — whatever you prefer.
Dress Code
Comfortable, elegant, dressy — again up to you. In other words: wear something you can move in, and something you won’t resent by the second tanda.
Partner
No partner is needed. While traditionally females were the follower and the males were leaders, some dancers switch roles and they can do both (follower/leader). This gives an opportunity to the female dancers to be able to dance where there is a gender imbalance at the dance event.
Asking for a Dance
Even if it is practica, leaders still follow the cabeceo rules — this is where the leader makes eye contact and gives a slight head nod or tilt, and the follower catches the eye contact and responds with a nod. But there are some courageous followers that approached the leaders and asked to dance directly as well. And yes — sometimes courage wins over tradition, and that’s usually fine too.
Skill Levels
Beginner friendly — if you are a beginner, you can ask for help and you will get a crash course on the side (emphasis on crash course, not crash landing). Someone that I know from fusion was trying the event for the first time with absolutely no prior tango experience and a dancer who is professionally a teacher (not tango teacher though) helped my friend learn the basics of tango.
Floorcraft: The dance floor follows a line of dance. If you’re a beginner and want to practice or learn, it’s encouraged to use the space in the back or corners so you can explore without impacting the main flow.
Snacks & Water (Food)
By the time I was entering, somebody was leaving. She told me that she was leaving to buy some snacks — so yes. Every dancer needs some energy in between the tandas. Restrooms are available on site. Water is provided, but it’s a good idea to bring your own bottle.
Vibe
Super relaxed. Tandas are 2 songs — this allows the experienced dancers to dance with beginners. Beginners will not be under the pressure of finishing traditional tandas that consist of 3–4 songs. Yet the experienced ones can continue to dance with the same experienced partner for the next tanda, making it a traditional tanda for themselves.
Crowd Size
Approximately 20 dancers — it was just after Christmas and before the New Year, hence some people could still be traveling (that mysterious time when calendars exist but schedules do not).
Stories from the Dance Floor
On Dancing Below Eye Level — I Feel What You Feel
I danced multiple tandas with my new tango friend that I recently connected with, after many years of being in the same environment without knowing each other. He is tall, I mean really tall :) I asked him how it feels for him to dance with people shorter than him. He said he has no choice since everyone will be shorter anyway :) (He is funny) but it does not matter because he adjusts, he said. From the follower perspective, it takes a while to adjust your arm position because you do not want to be an obstacle on the leader’s left arm preventing him from leading. But practica allows you to try different variations until you find your comfortable position and then you connect through non-verbal communication, through the beauty of tango.
As a follower, you have to pay attention that your neck is long and relaxed, your head is tilted to the right slightly (not fully, otherwise it hurts :), that you avoid pressing forehead and face upward and check if you can breathe easily — if not it is ok that you adapt without apology. It was very fun dancing with him.
Permission Granted, Roles Reversed
A couple came and sat next to me at the bench — strategic observation headquarters. I have never seen them before in any dance event. The beauty of the new events: you meet new people. When a courageous follower approached them, asking one of them to dance with her, the male dancer looked at the female dancer seeking permission. There was a non-verbal communication with the eyes and then I heard if that was ok to dance with her. The female dancer said yes.
Then she turned to me and asked me to dance since we were the only 2 at the bench. I mentioned that I did not lead (maybe I should start learning to lead as well — the thought appears from time to time). She said she was the leader. Then we started to dance. She was an amazing leader and I definitely made sure that she knew about it. I learned 2–3 new moves by responding to her lead — when you learn from a lead is one of the best things.
Now Why Is That?
You Feel Safe in the Movement
A good leader gives clear, calm signals. Your body doesn’t have to guess or defend itself: you can relax. That sense of safety lets your nervous system soften, which is surprisingly powerful. When there is no confusion, dancing becomes pleasure instead of effort.
Your Body Understands Before Your Mind Does
With a skilled leader, things just work. Steps arrive at the right moment, with the right energy. Even without knowing the technique yet, your body experiences what “correct” feels like. That understanding is deeply satisfying.
You’re Invited Into Presence
Good tango leadership pulls you into the now. You’re not thinking about what comes next or what went wrong: you’re listening, responding, breathing together. That shared presence can feel almost meditative.
You Feel Seen and Respected
A strong leader doesn’t overpower; they adapt. They listen to your balance, your timing, your comfort. That responsiveness creates a quiet emotional validation: I matter in this dance.
Learning Becomes Effortless Joy
Instead of correcting you verbally or forcing patterns, a good leader teaches through experience. You succeed first, then understand later. That flips the usual learning struggle into something playful and empowering.
It Mirrors Something Deeply Human
At its best, tango reflects ideal cooperation:
- one person proposes
- the other responds freely
- neither dominates
- both create something neither could alone
I am simply describing how it feels to dance with a good tango leader. This feeling doesn’t come from leadership alone, but from the meeting point between clear intention and a follower who is present, responsive, and alive in the dance.
I also believe these principles can be adapted to any healthy partnership: clarity between partners; feeling understood without words (or without the need to justify, explain, or defend yourself); presence; adaptability to each other’s needs and boundaries; growing together through experience; and mutual creation.
Summary
I love the no pressure environment of practicas — it gives you more room to make mistakes without being tense and learn from your partner, receive and give feedback if the partners are open to that. Therefore I strongly recommend this relaxed, welcoming environment to everyone.
Like my tall tango friend who danced every tanda except the one that I kept him talking to me instead, you can dance non-stop, or use the bench to observe and your bench neighbor happens to be a leader… Benches have a way of doing that.
Support the Rhythm
This platform began as a simple meeting point, a connection between two people from completely different backgrounds. One came with the desire to build tools people could actually use. The other came with curiosity: to learn, to connect, to feel, and to truly see the other. My Events Bridge grew from that shared space, and it continues to exist for the same reason: connection.
At its heart, this is a place for dancers, events, and communities to feel more accessible and more human. Through event listings, reflections, and reviews, the goal is to guide people toward spaces where they might feel welcomed, seen, and encouraged to keep moving, on and off the dance floor.
If you’d like to support the work behind this platform, you can do so through Buy Me A Coffee. Your support helps cover the time spent reviewing and writing, platform and hosting costs, and the ongoing improvements that allow this space to grow and stay accessible.
By supporting this platform on Buy Me A Coffee, sharing it with others, or engaging with the work here, you directly help this rhythm continue.
Thank you for being here and for supporting the rhythm in the ways you can.