Interview with Helaine

2011-10-31T13:48:00.000-07:00

When and why did you start dancing Argentine Tango and how long have you been teaching tango? I’ve heard that you have an unusual story.

Yes, I do have a rather unusual story about how I arrived at tango. I’d be happy to share with you my background that led me to discover tango, and how tango became the greatest joy in my life, a joy I felt compelled to share with other people like me.

One afternoon back in 1988, my manager, a Vice President in a major investment bank on Wall Street called me into HIS manager’s office, where together they told me they had nominated me for a first-tier Vice President position. Instead of jumping for joy, I felt my heart contract. In climbing the corporate ladder, I had neglected a big part of my soul! Though I'd had outstanding training in drawing and sculpture in a great New York art school, I chose a corporate career because I “never wanted to be a waitress again”. My New York “yuppie” life was frenetic and, naturally, in the banking world it was essential to keep your emotions tightly under control. Besides missing a sense of natural, heartfelt, human expression, there was certainly no "platform" in this environment for the deep artistic expression that I craved.

So I declined the VP nomination and left Wall Street to follow my dream of starting a residential art school for young international painters and sculptors in Umbria, “the green heart of Italy”. I barely spoke Italian and it was a huge commitment we both made, with many personal sacrifices. Gradually, over years of struggle, it became more and more successful and gratifying! However, as executive director of the highly acclaimed art school that I had founded, I was facilitating the creative process for hundreds of others, and still working as an executive, with neither the time nor the mental space to engage in my own artistic process. The sensation of frustration and longing persisted, creating a vague ongoing malaise, like a low-grade fever.

At the same time, since I was always working at my desk or sitting in meetings and lectures in the prestigious institute I had created, I began to lose the sense of my body and watched as my vitality went into hibernation. Working out at the gym bored me. But I noticed that when I would go to the local village fairs to dance “country-bumpkin-ballroom” (as I called it) to accordion music, I happily danced all evening and the more I danced, the more my youthful shape began to return. Dancing with local farmers and stone masons once a week was for me a much-needed frivolity and engaging entertainment. But my inner voice told me seriously: “Either I become a dancer, or I’m going to keep getting more sedentary and matronly”. (“Dumpy” was the word I really used!)

And what about my sensuality? In the second year of the art school’s operation, I persuaded my husband to leave his job as a buyer at Macy’s Department Store and come and work with me, and we completely relocated to Italy. Sound like a dream-come-true for a professional New York couple? Over the next 5-6 years, the Art School was our joint obsession and passion, replacing the romance in our relationship with a respectful and dynamic professional collaboration. So not only was the Artist in me retreating inward more and more, but so was the Woman. While so many women I knew said they envied me for both my relationship and my lifestyle, I was quietly dying inside. I was secretly living with an enormous sadness, and I yearned for a way to arouse the Woman that was dormant deep within me.

Then, in the summer of 1994, I saw an outdoor performance of the now legendary company Tango X2 (Tango por Dos), and was thoroughly bewitched. I knew instantly that this dance was for me, though I wondered whether I could do it. With no Internet back then, I managed to find a small, dedicated school in Rome, and started driving 100 miles each way to take lessons and attend “milongas” (social tango events). I endured this exhausting and expensive commute twice a week for several years because when I danced tango it was the only moment in my life when I felt completely myself and completely free. I could express myself both artistically and sensually when I danced tango in a man's embrace. Tango became the medium for the poetic expression of my feminine sensuality.

And so, Tango became my obsession. After 6 years of traveling for milongas, workshops and festivals to Rome, to Bologna, to Amsterdam, Miami and finally several trips to Buenos Aires, I decided to bring tango to Umbria. I accepted an invitation to teach in a local dance school in 1999, and in 2001 after my divorce, I left my art school to my ex-husband (staying on as a part-time consultant for a year), and dedicated myself full-time to my passion for tango. I started teaching my own regular tango courses, as well as organizing workshops and tango events in the picturesque, nearby town of Todi, attracting tango dancers from all over Italy. I hired Argentine maestros who were already traveling in Europe to teach the workshops, and hosted the artists in my home. During our quiet hours together, I would beg them to teach me how to teach. And so I gradually built a sound pedagogic repertoire, and pioneered the first tango community in Umbria. My skill and confidence as a teacher continued to grow. Within two years I was traveling all over the region for my full-time calendar of classes, driving about 600 miles a week, until 2003 when I settled in Perugia, Umbria’s capital and largest city. Some of my advanced students took over the teaching in the smaller towns.

From the time I founded UmbriaTango in January 2001, till my return to the U.S. in November 2008, I taught over 700 Italians to dance tango, mostly highly intelligent, cultured, professionally accomplished men and women between the ages of 35 and 65, as well as college students and dynamic seniors. So often, those mature, high-achievers confided in me that, no matter how satisfying their careers or family lives were, discovering Argentine Tango had been a turning point for them, giving them a profound sense of joy and personal fulfillment they had never quite experienced before.

I often witnessed a transformation, as my students discovered, explored and confronted areas of their inner selves that they had previously kept locked away. As they progressed, they began to unleash their inner expression, especially the expression of their masculinity and femininity, and with the same sense of freedom and spontaneity that I discovered many years before.

Why on earth did you leave Italy and come back to the U.S.?

As my school UmbriaTango grew, I trained 6 couples of instructors who by 2008 were ready to open their own schools, while others began expertly organizing milongas, workshops, and special events, including the famous Chocotango Festival in Perugia, the city of chocolate. I was proud of my students for the quality and seriousness with which they worked. Tango in Umbria continued to grow with less effort on my part. You could dance every night of the week, and there was a choice of tango schools to attend. The Umbrian press and TV called me "the woman who brought Tango to Umbria".

And so, I had fulfilled two great dreams: pioneering Umbria’s first international community of artists, and then its first tango community, both of which are still going strong today. After 20 years abroad, I sorely missed my own family and my own culture. Knowing that I had enriched the lives of thousands of people, I was ready to come home. I worked all of summer 2008 to find new leadership to take over my school. In November 2008 my students organized a farewell gala in my honor in a beautiful castle. About 200 of my former students attended. Four days later, I made the big move back to the U.S., to Naples, FL, and happily reconnected with my family.

With what kind of people do you work most successfully?

I work with 2 main categories of people, whom I consider my ideal clients or students:

1) TANGO NOVICES and Near-Novices:

The men and women who get the most from working with me are accomplished professionals and businesspeople who are deep-down seekers and thinkers, people who are not satisfied with the superficial in their relationships or in their recreational and cultural lives. They might feel a desire to reconnect with their sexual and sensual sides, get more enjoyment their masculinity or femininity, and feel more magnetic to the opposite sex, or to bring a new facet of romance or excitement to their already good relationship.

They are often seeking a way to explore their own creativity, a way to give an artistic voice to deep feelings they know are worthy of expressing! If they feel inadequate on the dance floor, they may wish to overcome their dance-anxiety.

Due to their years of dedication to their professions/businesses and to their families, they may have neglected aspects of their self expression in terms of their sensuality and their playful or artistic creativity. Regardless of all the successes they enjoy, they may be quietly experiencing something missing deep down within them, or in their relationship with their spouse/partner. Or they may be single and not currently enjoying their sensual sides. They may have suppressed their masculine or feminine identities for the sake of their professionalism, or to be "politically correct".

2) EXPERIENCED SOCIAL TANGO DANCERS:

People who have already discovered Tango and who LOVE dancing tango, and tango music and culture. They may humorously call themselves “tango addicts” or "tango junkies", and they may feel frustrated. They may suffer from dance anxiety or feelings of inadequacy at milongas. Or they may simply feel that they are not getting the satisfaction they know is possible with tango. They may wish that more advanced dancers invited them to dance or accepted their invitations more often.

Or they may feel successful as social tango dancers and enjoy their dancing, and want to take their dancing to a higher level by getting clear on very specific fundamentals, or by developing a more sophisticated sense of musicality. My "Permission Seduction Diagnostic Evaluation" helps men and women pinpoint the areas in which they wish to improve.

I fit your "Tango Novice" description, but what if I have two left feet?

People who think they have two left feet are often my favorite and most successful students! I can help you overcome this idea about yourself in just a few sessions, showing you how coordinated and naturally rhythmic you can really be - with my no-stress, natural method that progresses at your best pace. One of my gifts is discovering and cultivating a non-dancer's hidden talents.

How are you different from other Argentine Tango instructors?

I believe that I differ from most other teachers in several ways:

1) While some tango and social dance teachers have a syllabus of steps and figures, some teachers improvise sequences of steps for each class, which may or may not emphasize technique, I created my 9-module proprietary system, “The Permission Seduction Tango Mastery System™”(outlined below), to train the whole man and the whole woman. Only one of my 9 in-depth modules is about figures and steps (actually 7 walks, plus 25 figures and their variations). Each of the other modules helps you master specific skills to ensure that from your very first months you will be on the road to becoming a good tango dancer with whom it's a pleasure to dance! I give full attention to each area of study until you've mastered it. Soon you will begin to enjoy expressing “your deepest self” as a creative man or woman in an intimate embrace with the opposite sex.

2) I am not eclectic in my tango teaching. I teach exclusively pure, classic Tango Salon - not "Milonguero Style", not "Tango Nuevo", nor any kind of Fusion. My teaching of Tango Salon is influenced by the elegant style from the neighborhood of "Villa Urquiza". To see examples of Argentine artists dancing in this style, which I have nicknamed "Rose Vine Tango", please visit my blog and enjoy the videos.

3) While other North American tango instructors take a “politically correct” approach to tango, calling men “leaders” and women “followers”, so that women can also lead if they want and men can also follow, and same sex couples can feel comfortable, I focus on making your sexual identity more powerful, starting from day one. I do not care to be a "politically correct" tango teacher. I distinguish between the man’s role and the woman’s role. We now have plenty of neutrality in the workplace, and I don’t believe we need more of it in our social or private lives! I call Argentine Tango “a 3-minute date at kissing distance™”! I help you develop your innate gifts and strengths so you genuinely become more confident as a dancer, but also as a man or as a woman. You will feel really good, learning to dance with my approach, and you will express the true, natural and best YOU. I teach women how to “let their panther come out and play”. I teach men how to make women melt in their arms! I help you reclaim the pleasure of being a man or the pleasure of being a woman.

4) If you already dance Argentine Tango, I’ll take you with whatever vocabulary of steps and figures you have now, and help you become a better dancer – and I guarantee it! Although I can help you round out your repertoire of figures, I’d recommend that we work to help you dance like a dream using what you already know! I may even recommend that you put aside your vast repertoire of figures, if this applies to you, and focus with me on the quality of your basics, so that your partners start to say “Mmmmm . . .” when they finish a tango with you! I know of no other Argentine Tango teacher anywhere who offers you a comprehensive system that trains the whole man or the whole woman, helping even experienced dancers to identify and systematically acquire the skills they need – or crave!

If we decide to work together, what will you expect of me when I enroll in one of your programs?

Most people who choose to work with me are seeking more than a light diversion through dancing. They are seeking to achieve greater, more consistent joy in their lives, to better enjoy their masculinity or femininity, to create greater intimacy and deeper communication in their relationships, to deeply explore their own creative potential. I am an expert at helping people achieve goals like these.

If you want gratifying results – and many people who work with me do experience a joyous transformation over time – you must accept responsibility for your part of the process! I expect you to consider your lessons important appointments for yourself, and to practice the initial concepts as you move about your day. I expect you to attend the weekly milonga and other opportunities for practice at the Tango Club. When I give you brief practice assignments, such as 1 minute-per-day exercises, I expect you to do them. I expect you to call in advance when you cannot attend a class; I request 24-hours' notice for cancellations or rescheduling. I expect you to take the agreed upon number of lessons at pre-agreed upon times each week, and not skip or become erratic in attendance, or your learning won't be effective. If you must miss any classes, I expect you to schedule make-ups lessons at least 24 hours in advance, whenever possible during the same week of the absence, or as soon as possible. I expect you to arrive on time for your lessons.

And when you start to experience the deep satisfaction that my students often enjoy, in your dancing and in other areas of your life as a result of your work with me, I expect you to write or allow me to record your glowing testimonial, and to refer other people whom you think would benefit from learning tango with me!

For what type of person is this program NOT going to work ?

My programs have a limited number of spaces currently available for new students. Therefore I am selective about whom I will teach.

People who are mainly looking for a collection of steps, patterns and “moves” to execute to tango and other music will probably not be happy working with me. Unless you are seeking a way to understand how your own body moves and how you feel as it moves, and become more aware of how that affects the man or woman with whom you’re dancing, and unless you are seeking deeper communication with the opposite sex, you will have little patience to stick to the journey upon which I am here to guide you.

If you tend to be erratic in your attendance to regular appointments, or if you are unwilling to make time in your busy schedule for several hours a week (including practice time), this will not be the right program for you.

If you are in a very difficult moment financially and cannot now make an investment in your personal growth and current and future enjoyment of life, we will probably not be able to work together. I will be happy to refer you to colleagues who may be more suitable teachers for you.

Finally, if you are given to negotiating on structure, scheduling and pricing of programs offered to you, it is unlikely that we will work together. While I do my best to honor reasonable requests from regular students when there are occasional scheduling issues, there is no place for negotiating on established prices and program design.

Continue with “The Permission Seduction Tango Mastery System™”

Interview with Helaine continued - "The Permission Seduction Tango Mastery System™"

2011-10-31T13:42:00.000-07:00

What do you mean by "Permission Seduction™"?

Thousands of Argentine Tango instructors around the world teach steps and figures, but I knew how starting to deeply master the language of tango had changed my own life. It wasn't just about learning a vocabulary of "moves".

I came up with the "Permission Seduction™" concept because I discovered that so many people are yearning for satisfying intimacy with the opposite sex, but are unconsciously held back by decades of political correctness, professionalism, and family responsibility. When I returned to the U.S. after many years in Italy, I heard so many sighs and complaints here from both singles and married people about their frustrations with their intimate or romantic lives. (Today Italians, like other Europeans, are not very different in this way from North Americans.)

I thought, "IF ONLY THEY KNEW what was in store for them the moment they cross that threshold into a room filled with tango music! If only they knew that in that room, the woman who ignored you at Starbucks (or even your wife with whom you may have settled into a routine) is going to stand tall like a queen before you when you approach her to dance, wrap herself around you and snuggle up to your cheek and your chest - but this will happen only IF you've earned her confidence in your skill at the language of tango." I thought, "It's a kind of seduction, isn't it? Seduction in a safe context, seduction where the boundaries are clear for your 12 minute 'date' on the dance floor."

The most important thing about learning tango is the YOU you'll discover and reveal in the process of acquiring the skills to play this heartfelt and creative game of "Permission Seduction™". As you master the language of tango, you gradually master the art of truly delighting and receiving delight from the opposite sex! This is an art that has been largely lost in North America and in Europe.

In tango our learning process never ends, and so our potential for inner growth through our tango never ends. And it can be so fulfilling because, by using the non-verbal language of Tango, you can express yourself, uncensored, and feel your self-expression welcomed by the other for those 12 minutes of your "tanda" (set). "How can I describe it?", I wondered. And one day, I remembered marketing guru Seth Godin's book "Permission Marketing", which suggested a name that summarized for me a very important aspect of Argentine Tango.

What exactly is the “Permission Seduction™ Tango Mastery System", and what does it include?

Since I began to teach Argentine Tango in 1998, and over the course of more than 10 years of teaching tango full-time, I have developed a highly effective series of learning modules that get excellent results for people who want to learn to dance well from the start. The men’s and women’s programs are similar, but necessarily slightly different. Here are the 9 modules I’ve developed for each:

The 9-Module “Permission Seduction™ Tango Mastery System FOR MEN” – from absolute beginners through advanced levels.

1) Master your axis (balance) to move securely and solidly whether walking or pivoting. Includes the 5 most essential tango skills.

2) Develop a powerful and penetrating tango walk, including “the split-second difference in your tango”.

3) Master the tango embrace as your means of communication and seduction.

4) Develop a clear and confident lead. This includes mastering the woman’s axis – understanding it, respecting it, and even guiding it.

5) Learn to confidently and safely navigate the room. Understand and respect the "ronda" (line of dance), using the exquisite simplicity of "the Rose Vine" to creatively combine walks and figures as you develop your unique artistry.

6) Fill your "Rose Vine" by choosing from your vocabulary of 7 walks and 25 traveling and stationary figures (and some of their variations).

7) Develop good musicality to give “flavor” to your improvisation! Learn Helaine’s “6 Building Blocks of Tango Musicality™”.

8) Master the art of the Dynamic Dialog: Be 100% present! You’ll learn how to break down walls and make a true connection with the woman with whom you’re dancing, as you express your masculine self artistically in the context of the intimate tango embrace.

9) Feel like a King at every milonga. Includes how to be embraceable and irresistible, the art of inviting women to dance, and making your dama shine! Be the man with whom women secretly hope to dance during the milonga!

The 9-module “Permission Seduction™ Tango Mastery System FOR WOMEN” – from absolute beginners through advanced levels.

1) Learn the secret to perfect balance in both walking and pivoting; master your axis. Covers the 5 most essential tango skills.

2) Master the powerful and alluring tango walk, including “the split-second difference in your tango”, and the sensual "tango glide"!

3) Master the tango embrace as your means of communication and seduction.

4) Develop the 3 fundamental attitudes that will make you stand out as a superior and fascinating dancer.

5) Follow beautifully – but like a tiger, active and dynamic, never passive! Includes taking responsibility for your role in the micro-navigation.

6) Understand the language of "Rose Vine Tango": Respond with sensitivity, yet with your full personality, to an essential vocabulary of 7 walks and 25 figures and their variations, without memorizing patterns. Master these movements and be ready for any surprise a partner may lead!

7) Develop good musicality and become skilled at using beautiful adornos in your seduction as you interpret the music! (Embellishments with your free leg.) Learn Helaine’s “6 Building Blocks of Tango Musicality™”.

8) Master the art of the Dynamic Dialog: Be 100% present! Learn to break down walls and make a true connection with the man with whom you’re dancing, as you express your Womanly self artistically in the context of the intimate tango embrace!

9) Feel like a radiant Queen at every milonga. Includes how to be embraceable and irresistible, the art of attracting invitations from from the men with whom YOU want to dance, and how to enjoy any milonga whether or not you are dancing.

These systems are designed for novices as well as experienced tangueros and tangueras.

What results can I expect?

In six months to two years of studying tango consistently with me, you will:

- Acquire an excellent sense of balance.

- Develop elegance and poise in your posture and in your movements.

- Gradually become an expert at communicating with your body, mind, and heart with the opposite sex.

- Gain unshakable confidence in your magnetic masculinity or your alluring femininity!

- Renew the romance and spice in your relationship; if single, discover an intriguing and meaningful way to connect with the opposite sex.

- Creatively, freely, and skillfully express your deepest self.

- Elegantly express your sensual side.

- Become absorbed in something so different that you can live a vacation on demand, as if by flicking a switch. (It gets you into the Vortex!)

- Discover a new world of cultural enrichment.

- Keep learning and growing with this skill and knowledge, no matter what levels you achieve.

- Make embracing and being embraced a regular part of your life.

- Discover a whole new branch of your social life (singles and couples alike); join a new circle of warm and intelligent people.

- Men: Have women eager for your arrival at every milonga!

- Women: Consistently attract invitations from the best male dancers in the room!

- Gain access to a worldwide connection - a passport to new friends with the same passion in cities around the world.

How quickly can I expect results and begin to enjoy dancing tango?

This depends on the frequency of your lessons (as in Gold through VIP programs), and the regularity of your practice. Most of my students who take private lessons start letting go and enjoying dancing tango at the Tango Club practilongas and other milongas in the Naples area by the second or third month. By the sixth month you will probably feel confident to dance in milongas in larger cities. (Diamond and VIP participants should feel competent to dance in Buenos Aires after 6 months!) By one year, with consistency, Gold and Platinum students can, for example, become solid intermediate level tango dancers, and decide how they want to progress from there.

Tango seems so intricate and I don’t have any dance experience. What can I do to be sure that I will learn to dance tango, or if I already dance, will significantly improve?

Be consistent with your lessons and practice, listen to Argentine Tango music at home or in your car (you may want to select from resources I point out so that you’ll be listening to the real thing!), do the exercises I sometimes recommend, watch the wonderful 3-minute videos I often send.

Do I need any special clothes or shoes for my lessons or for dancing Tango?

Comfortable clothes for lessons, a little dressier than casual for our Thursday night milongas and our Sunday brunches. Milongas are often on the dressier side, especially on weekend evenings. You’ll want to be sure you feel and smell fresh and clean, and have fresh breath, because tango is often danced with our bodies and faces close to each others'.

Shoes: For your initial lessons, please wear comfortable shoes in which you feel stable and can wiggle your toes, preferably with leather soles. You will know when you are ready to invest a little extra in tango shoes, which will feel a lot better than street shoes when you dance, and they will look very cool!

How will my investment in this tango program pay off?

Many people go for years taking workshop after workshop at tango festivals in different cities and when visiting artists come to their towns. But most just learn steps and patterns without becoming better dancers, because they came to workshops without proper preparation.

After 6-12 months in my programs, you will have the tools to learn more complex structures and combinations or go deeper into your basics, at a higher level because you’ll have a solid foundation using a language that the masters use, and you’ll understand how what the maestros say relates to your body. So if and when you invest in training with world class tango artists, you’re likely to get your money’s worth, more so than people who are less prepared, because you can “hit the ground running” and learn efficiently! So, after 6-12 months with me, you will see the value for your investment multiply!

More importantly, though you may seem to be making slow progress at the beginning, you'll be establishing a very strong foundation to dancing solidly, smoothly and confidently, and express yourself with pleasure. At 6 months, or 12 months, or 18 months, you'll really feel the milestones of progress in terms of your own enjoyment and "how good you'll feel" in general!

Continue with Programs

Interview with Helaine continued - Programs

2011-10-31T13:33:00.001-07:00

How will we work together and what does a program with you entail?

My programs include:

a) Depending on the program you choose, 1 to 5 hours a week of private 1-hour lessons; you decide the frequency when you enroll.

b) Weekly "milongas" (practice parties) plus optional, additional practice time at the tango club.

c) I recommend that you read the weekly e-newsletter article and watch the 3 minute video I often send in the newsletter. (You're already welcome to get my free report and special Tango Salon playlist, and receive the e-newsletter, or e-zine, at no charge, by signing in to the yellow box on the upper right of this page.)

How we’ll work together: I’ll take you through the steps of my comprehensive 9-module "Permission Seduction™ Tango Mastery System" (description above), at a pace that's right for YOU. If you are an experienced tango dancer, we'll choose from the modules that are most relevant for you, usually after going through my Diagnostic Evaluation together.

How long are the programs, and what are my options?

My regular programs run 6 months, which I’ve found establishes consistency that gets my students excellent results! (Note: Tango Novices, there's a special option for you.)

Programs for Tango Novices - How to get started:

After participating in my "Transformational Introductory Tango Lesson", if you know you would like to continue but don't yet feel ready to commit to the 6-month program, there are some shorter-term options designed especially for you!:

- Quick Start program with 8 lessons in 30 days. (Available to first time Tango Novices only as preparation for 6 month programs. Quick Start programs are not renewable.)

- Gold Basic, Gold Plus, or Platinum "no-frills" introductory private lesson 4, 6, or 8 lessons per month for 3-months. (Available to first time Tango Novices as preparation for 6 month programs. 3-month intro programs are not renewable.)

Both include Tango Club membership as long as you are enrolled.

* * * * *

When you complete one of the Tango Novice programs you can choose from one of the following next steps:

Regular 6-Month Programs:

- Gold Program - private lessons once a week - 4/month.

- Platinum Program - private lessons twice a week - 8/month.

Benefits of Gold and Platinum programs:

Bonuses: Enrollment in the "Tango Improvisation Mastery™" Online Home Study Program, a 6-month program of weekly video training with practice exercises to compliment your live program. For Platinum program: additional 20-30 minute musicality sessions before your lesson.

Tango Club Member privileges included with Gold, Gold Plus or Platunum: weekly "Milonga" (social tango night) included, 33% discount on private practice time, and light refreshments.

Elite 6-8 Month Programs, in Naples, or in Naples plus Buenos Aires!:

- Diamond **, 3 private lessons per week.

Naples Only 6-month Program - 75 hours total

Naples/Buenos Aires Program - 100 hours total, customizable (e.g. 75 hrs. Naples, 25 hrs. BA)

- VIP **, 5 private lessons per week.

Naples Only, 6-month Program - 125 hours total

Naples/Buenos Aires Program - 150 hours total, customizable (e.g. 125 hrs. Naples, 25 hrs. BA)

* * see benefits, below.

- Naples/Buenos Aires Option in Helaine's Elite Programs (Diamond & VIP)

- 6 months in Naples, with the option of an additional month of study with Helaine in Buenos Aires. For more details about this program, please visit http://naplesbavipprogram.blogspot.com/

Benefits of Elite program (Diamond and VIP levels):

- Enrollment in the "Tango Improvisation Mastery™" Online Home Study Program and Coaching Club, a 6-month program of weekly video training with practice exercises to compliment your live program, and online coaching feedback with optional participation in weekly evening webcast seminars.
- Additional 20-30 minute musicality sessions before your lesson.
- No additional charge for private practice time.
- Monthly excursions to an east coast milonga with Helaine.
- Eligibility to meet Helaine in Buenos Aires for an insider's experience in the great City of Tango. Details at http://naplesbavipprogram.blogspot.com/

* * * * *

Part-time SWFL Residents and Visitors - Choose from one of the following:

Shorter programs, such as my Boot Camps and VIP Days, are especially useful for experienced tango dancers in SW Florida, part time SWFL residents, and visitors.

- Permission Seduction™ Diagnostic Evaluation (for experienced tangueros/tangueras) – 6 page checklist, videotaped evaluation emailed to you Included in your Boot Camp or VIP Day.

- with 2 or 3 private lessons focusing on issues we identified together in your evaluation.

- Private Tango Boot Camp –

Basic - 9 lessons in 1-3 weeks.

Accelerated - 12 lessons in 1-3 weeks.

Both begin with my 6 page Diagnostic Evaluation checklist, as described above, and then the remaining 7-8 hours focus on the areas we agree together are priorities!

- VIP Day - A Boot Camp "stacked vertically"!

That is, the equivalent of a Basic Boot Camp in one day, including lunch and sunset/twighlight aperitif at my private beach club.

* * * * *

What are payment options?

You may handle your enrollment via major credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover), or with cash (in person registration only).

Pre-payment of your program is required. You may enroll in monthly, automatic credit/debit card payments, or save significantly by taking care of your enrollment in a single payment.

I have a busy life. Although I want more time to explore my creativity and enhance my relationship/s, I don’t have much spare time. How much time do I need?

I'd recommend no less than a weekly minimum of 1 hour for your lesson and about 2 hours of social practice time. Additional participation, such as one or two more private lessons per week, will produce results much more rapidly.

Helaine, based on everything I’ve read and heard about you, I know you’re the one I want to learn from. What are my options for getting started with you?

CONGRATULATIONS on making a decision to do this for yourself! I’m very happy to work with you to achieve your personal tango goals.

1) Start with the 90 minute introductory private lesson, listed on my home page.

2) Choose one of the introductory options exclusively for Tango Novices

a. The 30-day Quick Start program with eight lessons in four weeks.

b. The 3-month Gold, Gold Plus, or Platinum private lesson program.

(Both exclude video recording and are only available to Tango Novices)

3) Or one of the 6-month Regular Programs:

a. The Gold Basic private lesson program. (1x/wk - 4x/mo)

b. The Gold Plus private lesson program. (1.5x/wk - 6x/mo)

c. The Platinum Fast Track private lesson program (2x/wk - 8x/mo)

(Again, these include selected video segments of your lessons sent to you, and the other benefits listed above, under the program description.)

4) Or one of the Elite Programs

a. The Diamond Accelerated private lesson program. (3x/wk)

- Naples Only 6-month Program - 75 hours total

- Naples/Buenos Aires Program - 100 hours total (e.g. 75 hrs. Naples, 25 hrs. BA)

b. The VIP private lesson program (5x/wk)

- Naples Only 6-month Program - 125 hours total

- Naples/Buenos Aires Program - 150 hours total (e.g. 125 hrs. Naples, 25 hrs. BA)

(These two programs include video segments PLUS the other benefits listed above under the elite program descriptions.)

Okay, I know which program I want. How do we get started?

First go to http://Naplestango.com and book your 90-minute introductory lesson. The directions should be clear. Or you can go to my online scheduling program by clicking here:

and set up your 90-minute intro lesson or even a get-acquainted session!

CONGRATULATIONS on getting started!!

I have been receiving your free e-course and I’m very impressed with your writing and with what I have learned from you so far, but I live in another part of the U.S. (or Canada). Do you travel to other cities to teach?

I am sometimes available to teach workshops or boot camps in other parts of North America, and Europe. Consider too, that Naples is also such a beautiful place to visit, and has such a pleasant climate, that it is nicknamed “Paradise”! You might enjoy coming to Naples for a 9- or 12- lessons Boot Camp with me, in as little time as a weekend, or as much time as 3 weeks. My staff can even help you with the logistics. (Lodgings and ground transportation.)

Okay, Helaine. I’m ready to do this for myself, but I have a couple of additional questions. May I call you?

Yes, you can simply click on the “Book now” button below to set up a 30-minute “Get Acquainted” in-person or telephone appointment.

I can’t wait to help you get started with your tango life!

Helaine

Interview with Helaine, continued - "The Permission Seduction™ Tango Mastery System"

2011-05-14T21:44:00.000-07:00

What do you mean by "Permission Seduction™"?

Thousands of Argentine Tango instructors around the world teach steps and figures, but I knew how starting to deeply master the language of tango had changed my own life. It wasn't just about learning a vocabulary of "moves".

I came up with the "Permission Seduction™" concept because I discovered that so many people are yearning for satisfying intimacy with the opposite sex, but are unconsciously held back by decades of political correctness, professionalism, and family responsibility. When I returned to the U.S. after many years in Italy, I heard so many sighs and complaints here from both singles and married people about their frustrations with their intimate or romantic lives. (Today Italians, like other Europeans, are not very different in this way from North Americans.)

I thought, "IF ONLY THEY KNEW what was in store for them the moment they cross that threshold into a room filled with tango music! If only they knew that in that room, the woman who ignored you at Starbucks (or even your wife with whom you may have settled into a routine) is going to stand tall like a queen before you when you approach her to dance, wrap herself around you and snuggle up to your cheek and your chest - but this will happen only IF you've earned her confidence in your skill at the language of tango." I thought, "It's a kind of seduction, isn't it? Seduction in a safe context, seduction where the boundaries are clear for your 12 minute 'date' on the dance floor."

The most important thing about learning tango is the YOU you'll discover and reveal in the process of acquiring the skills to play this heartfelt and creative game of "Permission Seduction™". As you master the language of tango, you gradually master the art of truly delighting and receive delight from the opposite sex! This is an art that has been largely lost in North America and in Europe.

In tango our learning process never ends, and so our potential for inner growth through our tango never ends. And it can be so fulfilling because, by using the non-verbal language of Tango, you can express yourself, uncensored, and feel your self-expression welcomed by the other for those 12 minutes of your "tanda" (set). "How can I describe it?", I wondered. And one day, I remembered marketing guru Seth Godin's book "Permission Marketing", which suggested a name that summarized for me a very important aspect of Argentine Tango.

What exactly is the “Permission Seduction™ Tango Mastery System", and what does it include?

The 9-Module “Permission Seduction™ Tango Mastery System FOR MEN” – from absolute beginners through advanced levels.

1) Master your axis (balance) to move securely and solidly whether walking or pivoting. Includes the 5 most essential tango skills.

2) Develop a powerful and penetrating tango walk, including “the split-second difference in your tango”.

3) Master the tango embrace as your means of communication and seduction.

4) Develop a clear and confident lead. This includes mastering the woman’s axis – understanding it, respecting it, and even guiding it.

5) Learn to confidently and safely navigate the room. Understand and respect the "ronda". Later, creatively combine walks and figures as you develop your unique artistry.

6) Excel at an essential vocabulary of 7 walks and 25 figures (and some of their variations).

7) Develop good musicality to give “flavor” to your improvisation! Learn Helaine’s “6 Building Blocks of Tango Musicality™”.

The 9-module “Permission Seduction™ Tango Mastery System FOR WOMEN” – from absolute beginners through advanced levels.

1) Learn the secret to perfect balance in both walking and pivoting; master your axis. Covers the 5 most essential tango skills.

2) Master the powerful and alluring tango walk, including “the split-second difference in your tango”, and the sensual "tango glide"!

3) Master the tango embrace as your means of communication and seduction.

4) Develop the 3 fundamental attitudes that will make you stand out as a superior and fascinating dancer.

5) Follow beautifully – but like a tiger, active and dynamic, never passive! Includes taking responsibility for your role in the micro-navigation.

6) Understand the language of tango: Respond with sensitivity, yet with your full personality, to an essential vocabulary of 7 walks and 25 figures and their variations, without memorizing patterns. Master these movements and be ready for any surprise a partner may lead!

These systems are designed for novices as well as experienced tangueros and tangueras.

What results can I expect?

In six months to two years of studying tango consistently with me, you will:

- Acquire an excellent sense of balance.

- Develop elegance and poise in your posture and in your movements.

- Gradually become an expert at communicating with your body, mind, and heart with the opposite sex.

- Gain unshakable confidence in your magnetic masculinity or your alluring femininity!