Hi Tangueros

Thanks to those who came to Milonga Africana on Friday. We had a great time. Once again, I was impressed to see some new people. Thank you to our Cape Town tangueros for being so open and welcoming. I was also happy to see so many people at the premilonga lesson. At these lessons we focus on fundamental technique for the Level 2s (post-beginners). We worked on an interesting sacada which I saw was rapidly incorporated into the dancing!

It seems like Rhapsodys has closed indefinately so I am looking for another venue for the milonga on alternative Tuesdays. In the meantime, we will be continuing with tango at Friedas on Bree every second Tuesday. Friedas has a uniquely cosy atmosphere with a bohemian flair reminiscent of the famous La Catedral in Buenos Aires.  Practising is really the only way to develop your confidence as a dancer so I do encourage students to take advantage of the tango social events around Cape Town

Electrotango Zone at Friedas

This is a praktica for those of you you want to practise your moves in a fun cosy atmosphere. Come and have drink, dance, observe, chat. No teacher support is provided.

Date: Tuesday 26 March
Time: 6:00 - 8:30 pm
Venue: Friedas on Bree, 15 Bree Street
Cost R30

Tango Beginners Course Starting in April

For people who have never danced Argentine tango, you will learn the basic steps and the culture of the dance .You will sample the alluring sensuality of tango that captivates hearts the world over. This is an intensive programme of 9 hours over 3 weeks.

Dates and Times:

The course runs on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Wednesdays:  17, 24 April, 1 May 7:55 - 9:20 pm
Saturdays: 20, 27 April, 4 May, 5- 6:30 pm

Venue: Observatory Community Centre, Corner Collingwood and Rawson Roads, Observatory - FREE SECURE PARKING.

Cost: R500 per person

Tango Level 2

Due to the high demand I have two Level 2 classes running on a Thursday. There is space available in the class which runs from 7:55 to 9:00 pm. I continue to work on fundamental tango technique learned during my stay in Buenos Aires and introduce students to more movements. The most important goal at this level is to develop confidence and fluidity. For more about my teaching please visit: http://www.libertango.co.za/more-about-rachael.html

Payment Options:
1. R75 per individual class
2. R240 for a consecutive set of 4 lessons (If you miss one you may use the credit towards a private lesson or take one of the Level 1 classes.
3. R360 for 6 lessons over 8 consecutive weeks. "Membership" (Set of 8 starts from the first lesson you attend at the beginning of the membership)

Other Social Dancing in Cape Town

Wednesdays - Greenpoint Milonga at the Crusaders Club, Bill Peters Drive Greenpoint, 7 -10pm, R40
Friday 12 April - Milonga in Stellenbosch in collaboration with Alliance Francais, contact Marianne Staebler: staebler@sun.ac.za
Saturdays - every alternate Saturday at 6 Spin Street, 5 - 8 pm R40, next on Saturday 9 March
Sundays - every Sunday Milonga Apasionado, 57 Bowwood Road, Claremont, 8-11pm R40, this Sunday the theme is "Bad Taste"


Tango Abrazos!
 Rachael
082 255 7829

For people who have never danced Argentine tango, you will learn the basic steps and the culture of the dance .You will sample the alluring sensuality of tango that captivates hearts the world over. This is an intensive programme of 9 hours over 3 weeks

Taught by tango veteran Rachael Glaser

Dates and Times:

The course runs on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Wednesdays:  17, 24 April, 1 May 7:55 - 9:20 pm
Saturdays: 20, 27 April, 4 May, 5- 6:30 pm

Venue: Observatory Community Centre, Corner Collingwood and Rawson Roads, Observatory - FREE SECURE PARKING. See map

Cost: R500 per person

Contact: info.libertango@gmail.com

I am an Argentine tango teacher based in Cape Town, South Africa. I teach leaders and followers and run tango  social events around the city.

My romance with Argentine tango started in 2001 on the shores of Bondi Beach, Sydney when I met Australian Tango Champion Pedro Alvares. I fell in love with the dance immediately and have been ochoing ever since.  I spent two years studying the tango intensively in 2008 and 2009 when I lived in Buenos Aires before returning to my  beloved Cape Town. I return annually to Buenos Aires to further my training in leader and follower technique and aim to offer the highest quality of teaching to my students.

Very broadly, my key influences are from Tango Salon ie. traditional tango danced in affluent suburbs of Buenos Aires; and Tango Nuevo. Tango Nuevo loosely describes a form of tango that has developed over the last 30 years in Buenos Aires since the fall of the dictatorship in Argentina when tango was 'reborn'. It emphasises natural body movement and exploration of movement dynamics I love the closed embrace, fusing traditional and modern elements. I believe that it is essential to understand the anatomy and physics of the body in order to dance well.

I have studied with over 70 tango teachers in the heartland of tango, Buenos Aires including Jose Halfon and Virginia Cutillo, Dana Frigoli, Julio Balmaceda, Chicho Frumboli, Gustavo Naveira, Moira Castellano and Gaston Torelli, Horacio Godoy,, Pablo Inza, Gabriel Glagovsky, Luciana Valle and Oscar Casas, amongst others. In addition to my tango training, I have a Bachelor of Science focusing on applied anatomy and the relationship between anatomy and movement and a qualification in adult education.

For me, teaching is a natural vocation that gives me a lot of satisfation. Teaching the tango enables me to share my passion and to lead students on a path of discovery with unanticipated gems. Teaching itself is a rich process that reveals all the wonderful complexities of tango.

My attitude towardes tango is that it is a form of play, connection and meditation. It is a life long learning process bringing continuous joy and fascination......... I love it!!!!!!!!

Hey ,did you know that at a traditional tango milonga, dancers swop their partners every three or four songs. This group of songs is called a "tanda". Tandas are separated by cortinas which are short clips of  non-tango music (30 - 60 sec). In Spanish cortina means "curtain", so it is like bringing the curtain down at the end of the dance, a time to say goodbye to your partner.

Tandas and cortinas form the basic structure of the milonga but they are more than just the paragraphs and commas of the event. They bring order on many different levels. Firstly, we know that the tango is an intimate dance and the structure enables couples who are not necessarily in love to come together and dance the dance of love for ten minutes only. The dance is the dance only and however intimate the tango may look, the intimacy of the moment is usually forgotten once the partners separate. On to the next tanda.... However, if couples dance more than a couple of tandas together in one night and they are not romantically involved, it would usually generate a bit of interest in those observing, and certainly those who are dancing. Ladies, the bottom line is that if you want to go home alone at the end of the night don't  dance a whole batch of tandas with the same guy. You will be giving him the wrong message. In Buenos Aires, the wrong message is very difficult to convert to the right message and you might find yourself with a sulky friend and a little nasty comment to take home with you instead.

Artisitically speaking, the tanda format provides the tango DJ with the opportunity to arrange the music according to tango,walz and milonga and according to specific orchestras. At Milonga Africana, for example, all tandas contain pieces from the same orchestra of the Golden Age of tango e.g. D'arienzo, Calo, Canaro. This is intended to create an element of appreciation for the orchestra, continuity and depth to the tanda. It also provides dancers the opportunity to get into the mood for a tanda and escape into it completely.

You may be interested to know that the history of this sensible and dignified tradition has less than salubrious origins. Tango arose from the steaming streets and bordellos of Buenos Aires. Far from an elegant and cultured dance, it was a dance of prostitutes and lonely men ( Only once it was taken to Europe, did it gain the approval of the chattering classes). These were the immigrants and descendants of slaves that lived at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata at the end of the 1800s. In dance halls, men arrived alone and paid for women to dance with them. They bought a coupon made of  tin called a "lata". The lata entitled  them to dance with the lady for three songs (the tanda). A man would need to get another coupon if he wanted to dance with the lady again.

Tips for dancing tandas in a tradtional setting:

1. If you have never danced with a lady before, have a little "charla" (chat) before you embrace her. This helps to relax the couple.
2. It is customary to separate during a cortina so if you ask a lady to dance in the last song of a tanda, it may be a short dance.
3. Respect the cortina by separating and moving off the dance floor, even if it is a song you want to boogie to.
4. It is considered very rude to stop dancing with someone in the middle of a tanda. If you feel really uncomfortable and cant bear it any more, just say "thank you" at the end of the song.