Private Lessons with George Nicol are designed for those who would like to learn from scratch or for those who are beginners, intermediate or advanced student and would like to take their talent to the next level.

New to Tango? One of George's specialities is teaching new students theTango basics, good dance form, and how the Tango works all within a few lessons.

Beginning or Intermediate Level Students: George will analyise your current dance situation and lead you on a path to get you to that next level while building your confidence so you can dance with ease.

Advanced Students: George can introduce new steps, make improvements to form and teach you the structure theory behind Tango to give you a wider view of the Tango dance horizon.

Private Dance Lessons:
Each private lesson consists of warm-up exercises, dance fundamentals, review, new steps, and dance practice. You can also request a specific technique or step you wish to learn. Dance home-exercise suggestions are made based on the needs of each student.
There are limited slots for private and semi-private lessons, so sign up soon!

Individual 1-Hour Lessons:
Five Lessons: $80 per lesson.
Three Lessons: $85 per lesson.
One Lesson: $100

Couple 1-Hour Lessons:
Five Lessons: $105 per lesson.
Three Lessons: $115 per lesson.
One Lesson: $135

(George also offers 1.5-hour lessons for more serious students wishing to accelerate progress. Call for rates.)

Small Group Lessons Up to 5 couples:
Six 1-hour Lessons: $40/person/lesson. Three 1-Hour Lessons: $45/person/lesson.
One 1-hour lesson/workout: $400.

Instructor Biography: George Nicol, Ph.D., has been dancing Argentine Tango and Salsa for over 15 years and other dance forms including swing and ballroom since his early teen-age years. In college his dance focus was jazz dance where he also taught a jazz dance class. His teaching focus for the last 10 years has been Argentine Tango, Salsa and Swing. George currently teaches private lessons and classes in Tango, Salsa, and Swing in CA, and Portland, OR.

Dance History: George's Argentine Tango dance history includes lessons with the following master instructors and performers from Argentina: Carlos Gavito, Fabian Salas, Daniel Lapadula, Agustine & Claudio, Nestor Ray, Gustavo Naveira, Osvaldo y Lorena, Carlos y Alicia, Facundo y Kelly, Julio y Corina, Giselle Anne, Graciela Gonzalez, Nito y Elba, Roberto y Guillermina, Omar Vega, Tete y Silvia, and Pupy Castello George has had modern and jazz master workshops with dance company's such as the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, Martha Graham Dance Company, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Alwin Nicholai Dance Company. George has also performed in the Portland Metropolitan Opera including dancing roles in "Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg", "Der Rosenkavalier", and "La Cenerentola". George also had an acting role in Ballet San Jose's performance of Giselle.

Additional dance experience includes Salsa lessons with Ron Montez, International Latin Champion, and Alex de Silva, choreographer for "So You Think You Can Dance"; Ballroom lessons at Louthan's Dance Studio, and the Star Light Dance Studio. George also studied Jazz Dance at Portland State University and he taught Jazz Dance at Mount Hood College. In addition, George has experience in Boxing, Wrestling, and Karate from his College and Marine Corps days. George also loves sailing, scuba diving, skiing, ice skating, photography, and film making.

George has danced Tango, Salsa, and Swing in many cities around the world including: Buenos Aires, Argentina, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Las Vegas, Detroit, Portland, Waikiki, Vancouver, B.C., Bogota (Colombia), San Jose (Costa Rica), Paris, Nice, Rome, Florence, Borgeo, Genoa, Turin, and Venice. George also conducts dance tours to Buenos Aires, Italy, and the British Virgin Islands (BVI).

Performances:
If you like to have George and his partner do a dance performance for your special party or event or if you would like to perform with George for your event.

Dance Hosting:
Let George accompany you to a dance club for an evening of solid dancing. Dance with a pro. Dance Hosting Rate: $200 for 3 hours of dancing.

Dance Tours:
Tour to Argentina, Italy, and the British Virgin Islands with George who conducts exclusive dance tours on a regular basis to Buenos Aire, Italy and BVI. Contact him if you would like to accompany him on one of his private tours.

Dance Photography and Video:
Let George, a film maker and photographer cna make you a dance video or take a professional dance photo of you and/or your partner. Get beautiful prints of you and/or your partner in dance poses. Great for your own portfolio or for gifts, your web site, or just for fun. Contact George for details.

Learn an Argentine Tango Dance Performance for your Wedding or Party! Contact George for details.

Dance Classes:
Occasionally, George teaches classes in Argentine Tango, Swing, Salsa and other Latin dances in Portland, Palo Alto, and Buenos Aires.


Shoe Anatomy Tango Etiquette

Testimonials

J.P.
Hi George, Thanks so much for your very kind good wishes! The dance came off very well- I had dreamed of dancing at my wedding with Patty and you made it possible. Our guests were very impressed. We are going to take a few weeks to recuperate from all the excitement, but next up is swing dancing (while keeping our tango skills fresh!) and you are our teacher. Thanks again for all your patience, good humor and great instruction.
S.S. M.D.
Dear George, My husband and I decided to learn the Tango for our upcoming wedding. Neither of us had any prior dance experience, and we didn't have much time to learn before the event. George was professional, patient, and worked with us on our level, and at our convenience. We were able to learn the basic Tango moves very quickly, and then proceed to learning a dance that he choreographed to our music. The dance was a big hit with our audience and looked professionally done! We could not have been happier with our first dance!
V.
Hello George, just wanted to thank you for being the best tango teacher on the planet. I think I am very lucky! I so enjoyed getting back to it! Have a great day!
Unknow
Dear George, We finally got the pictures back from our wedding. The dance you choreographed and taught us was a great success and so much Fun!! Thank you again--taking your private lessons was a delightful learning process and the dance was a fun way to start off our wedding reception. Best wishes
MS
Hi George, Thank YOU very much for your professionalism, punctuality, and making dancing so much fun. We really enjoyed working with you. We specially enjoyed our choreographed dance. Everybody at the party was talking about it for days. Also, your performances were amazing, we were all in awe! I'm so glad I found your info online and had a chance to meet you. I will definitely call you soon for our next dance.
W.R.
As a intermediate tango student I appreciate George's unique teaching method right from the very first lesson. He constantly focuses on the essence of this poetic dance where fluid and elegant movements are of crucial importance. George is a very attentive and patient instructor who loves challenging questions.
A.C.
My wife and I have started weekly Argentine Tango lessons with George Nicol. George breaks down complicated dancing sequences into small steps and teaches his students "structures", which can be used by the dancers as they see fit. Such an approach is effective since students don't have to recall lengthy sequences and pre-programmed steps. George focuses on basic exercises at the beginning of each class such as balance and basic steps, allowing students to remind themselves of what they previously learned while reinforcing the basics of Tango. Moreover, George is enthusiastic, patient and has a great sense of humor, making the overall experience more enjoyable.
M.Z.
I have had private lessons with George Nicol for the past six months and in that time I feel I have learned more than in 1+- years of group lessons. George's light lead is superb and his structured tango approach allows me to better understand and learn the basics, as well as the embellishments and the more advanced moves.
Anthony Austin
My dance partner, Elaine, and I should like to attest to the great pleasure we derive from taking Latin, swing, and Argentine tango lessons from George Nicol. We had taken tango lessons with other instructors. We had learned steps, some of them fairly intricate. And though well past our youth, we managed to execute them with some precision. But it always felt like exercise. We moved around the floor. But we were never moved in our hearts. With George it was different. We started from scratch. We learned how to stand, how to breathe, how to look, how to walk. Walking a simple tango box with Elaine in my arms felt more like dancing than all the convolutions I had mastered in the preceding years. Elaine felt the same way. In brief, George started not with steps but with style. Stlye produced emotion. And emotion rose to that glow of euphoria, triggered on the floor and lingering long after, that it is the true soul of dancing. As we continue, George adds new steps to our repertory, but only after he is satisfied that we are at home with what we already know--so at home that we do it automatically, without having to think what comes next. A wild disorder in the sequence adds piquancy to the experience. Because that is what you attain after a certain period with George--not just skill but visceral experience. Everything I have said applies to Salsa, Meringue and the other Latin dances he is teaching us, as well as to Swing, though nothing comes up to the heady sensuousness of the Argentine Tango. For myself, I can say that meeting George and learning to be a dancer has invigorated me immeasurably in all my other pursuits. Elaine asks me to say that it has done that same for her.
T.P.
Argentine tango can be challenging and intimidating at times, but not when you learn it with George Nicol. He has this rare skill among instructors to put people at ease. He has a real talent as a professional dancer as well as an instructor; I was one of his beginner students and I always felt very much encouraged to give it my best as he taught me the various steps and structures with a great deal of patience, noticing any detail and correcting any problem with my forms and posture. His passion for dancing, music and teaching is truly inspirational. I highly recommend his classes.
A.S.
Have you ever thought of trying something new and exciting, thinking that life is a little bit dull; feeling consumed by work instead of having fun and living on the edge? Tango dancing with George Nicol will definitely bring you out of that frame of mind. With his skillful guidance he can bring your tango to the level of stage performance. I have been taking lessons with George for almost two years, and it has been one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done in my life. An hour and half's tango lesson with George removes me from the worries of daily life and allows me to indulge in the passionate and romantic world of Argentine Tango. Emphasizing fundamentals while always introducing new and challenging steps, you will obtain a solid foundation and be able to do the ochos, molinettas, ganchos and boleros with great style and flair.
A.T.
I thoroughly enjoy my tango lessons with George. His love of the dance is evident. He teaches with enthusiasm and patience; emphasizing on techniques and fundamentals, yet progressing through the levels steadily and quickly according to student's ability. I was able to dance in the Milongas with confidence in two months. Always willing to answer questions, his lessons are fun and challenging.
J.E.S.
Although I've always loved to dance, I never had a dance lesson in my life before, thinking it would be an ordeal rather than a challenging and fun event. But how much fun this is! I've had tango lessons with George for nearly 2 months, and I absolutely love it! His teaching skills are very good; he's patient, fun and very knowledgeable and quickly brings you to a level where you feel you're actually dancing and not just taking some steps. The dancing is a wonderful way to let go of everything and be consumed by the beautiful integrated drama and passion of music and body movement. Boy, do I love to gancho!