I attended the advanced class last evening and noticed that not everyone was sufficiently experienced to execute the figures taught. There is no shame in taking a class at a lower level, and you will get more out of a class where you learn something instead of struggling to keep up.

As a general guide, a year or more of experience with tango should be sufficient preparation for the advanced class. If you have less experience, you may not have the technical skills (such as balance/footwork/timing) to get much out of the class. This is a disservice to yourself and your partners in the class. Exceptions apply, of course, if you've been taking classes daily or almost daily, in which case 6 months may be enough preparation.

Please understand that if you're consistently having difficulty with the material covered in class, it's probably not your partners who are the problem. Remember that skillwise you should be able to execute *at will* most of the figures commonly seen at milongas. Being able to do such figures in class when both partners know the sequence of steps doesn't count.

Tango is like any other skill - it comes with experience. The first 200 walks/ochos/molinetes/whatever you lead/follow are not going to be pretty. The next 500 will be much better. When you hit 2000 or 3000 you should be pretty good. And the more often you practice the faster you polish your skills - another reason to attend practicas! Not just the ones held at Stanford, but off-campus too. Practice can only help you. Tango is not swing - you will not be able to fake it in half an hour. Half a month, maybe. Half a year to be decent, yes. Half a decade to be experienced. Maybe half a lifetime to be really good.

Tango is a difficult dance. Don't be discouraged. Just be realistic. We all start somewhere (at the bottom). And it only gets better. Stick it out - it's worth it. Swing is easier to pick up, but the fun never goes beneath the surface... Tango reaches deep into your soul, grips it tightly and never lets it go...