SETTING UP A NEW TANGO GROUP
Purpose
What will you be offering? Classes, practicas, milongas/social dances. Each of these will have slightly different requirements.
Type of Group
Will it be a privately run/for profit venture or a community/committee arrangement?
Venue
Where will people be coming from? Is the venue easy to get to – car, foot, public transport? Does it have parking at the venue or nearby? Free or paid. If paid, this adds to cost for dancers so important considerations.
Is the floor suitable for dancing – wood, smooth tiles etc. Tiles may be fine for a class but could be harsh for social dancing.
Do you need a kitchen? Who is responsible for setting up/ taking down, and cleaning?
Cost? Depending on where you are based, hire charges can be significant. Check what they include, including cancellations. Can you negotiate a discount for a regular booking?
Likely candidates: church/village halls, community centres, pubs/hotels/bars. Note that the latter expect people to buy alcoholic drinks. Dancers don’t usually drink so much so these arrangements tend to be short term.
Running classes
It is best to hold regular classes, ideally weekly, to create a routine for returning students and to build a community.
An hour is generally sufficient, but it is best to add time for practice and social chat at the end. If you have more advanced dancers, you may want to consider a slightly longer class or workshop – perhps 1.5hrs.
Teachers
Will you be teaching, or do you plan to use invited teachers? You can do both of course by teaching weekly and inviting other teachers periodically.
If you need to bring in teachers, you may have some in mind but if not, then have a look at the Association’s ‘Find my Tango’ map (https://map.argentinetango.co.uk) and see if there are teachers who might travel to you on a regular basis.
If you are teaching yourself, do have a clear methodology and a lesson plan. Some of UKATA’s members may be able to help with this so do give a shout out.
How much to charge
Check what other people in similar areas are charging. Inner city rates are generally higher than elsewhere. If you are bringing in guest teachers, they may attract a premium (again check with others, and the teachers). Think about whether to offer paid in advance blocks of classes at a discount. This acts as an incentive to keep people committed.
Music for classes
You may already have a selection of tango music to use. If not, there are resources available on Spotify and elsewhere. For beginners you may want to start with more rhythmical tangos with a clear beat. Many UKATA members have been teaching for years (decades even) so do ask for advice.
Milongas/Practicas
Is the space big enough. Do you have adequate quality sound system.
Do you need a DJ? If so, check out our tango map for those nearby – and do ask other members for recommendations.
Legal(ish) requirements
If you are bringing members of the public to classes or events you should have public liability insurance of between £1m & £5m. See our insurance Factsheet on the website. If you use guest teachers, they should have their own public liability insurance.
If you play music, you should consider a PPL/PRS music licence. See our Factsheet.
Depending on the venue and numbers, it is good practice to do a risk assessment (your insurance may require it so worth checking). Your venue may also have one – worth asking.
If you have unaccompanied students under 18 years of age, you will need a safeguarding policy.
Have a First Aid kit available in case of accidents. Ideally, your venue may have one, find where it is and how to use it.
Record keeping
It is good practice to keep a record of who comes to your classes and events, and to collect emails to keep in touch with them.
Once you are trading, whether you are making a profit or not, you need to record your income and expenditure for tax purposes.
Further Support: for practical help speak with surrounding organisers and teachers. This generates goodwill. And ask others in the UK Argentine Tango Association for their thoughts – we’re all here to help each other. If you would like to add further advice to this paper then please send your suggestions to members@argentinetango.co.uk