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.

Hi Tangueros

Thanks to those who came to Rhapsody's on Tuesday. It was really an effervescent evening of tango. I am particualrly impressed when some recent beginners take to the floor because it takes a lot of courage, especially for the leaders.
Take advantage of the Libertango Guided Practica on Monday 25 February - chance to get "online" feedback and tips to improve your dancing. I have hired the whole hall at the Obs Community Centre so you will have ample space to practise.

Libertango Guided Practica Do you want ideas how to improve you ochos, connection, embrace, sacadas to become a lean, mean tanguero? The practica is a chance to practise in a controlled environment with teacher support. I will not be teaching new steps. I will be supporting dancers to work with their exisitng knowledge. It is for all levels, for Libertango students and those who are not. If you want to practise some of the concepts that Murat and Elif introduced, I am available to help.

Date: Monday 25 February
Time: 7:15 - 9:15 pm
Venue: Main Hall Downstairs, Observatory Community Centre
Cost: R60 (separate from the weekly package)

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 February
Time: 6:00 - 8:30 pm
Venue: Friedas on Bree
Cost R30

Milonga Africana Friday 15 March

Date: Friday 15 March
Time: 7:30 - 8:30 lesson for people who have taken some beginners classes or post beginners who want to hone their skills (free)
8:30 - midnight milonga
Venue: iKhaya Lodge, Dunkley Square, Gardens
Cost: R40 inclusive of lesson
  Other Social Dancing in Cape Town Saturdays - every alternate Saturday at 6 Spin Street, 5 - 8 pm R40
Sundays - every Sunday Milonga Apasionado, 57 Bowwood Road, Claremont, 8-11pm R40



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.

Dates and Times:

The course runs on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Wednesdays:  27 Feb , 6 ,13, 20 March 7:55 - 9:20 pm
Saturdays: 2,16 March, 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

Exciting news for tango lovers. February is going to be packed full of tango from exotic Istanbul. Murat Elmadagli and Elif Burcu Celik are some of Turkey's top tango dancers. Murat is the owner of IstanbulTANGO and is organiser of Istanbul's Premier tango event, the TangotoIstanbul Festival (www.tangotoistanbul.com) where the cream of Buenos Aires' teachers come to teach and perform.

They will be in Cape Town for a whistlestop visit. Take advantage of these wonderful learning opportunities. Here is a video of Murat and Elif dancing in Ankara just two weeks ago.

Tuesday 5 February: Milonga - Tango Rhapsody with performance by Murat and Elif -  7 - 10 pm  R60

Venue: Rhapsody's Greenpoint, 83 Somerset Road

Wednesday 6 February :
1. Workshop 1. Ganchos for Men and Women: the technique , the mentality and putting them into a combination at the end -  7:15 - 8:30 pm -  R130   INTERMEDIATE - ADVANCED (NA room upstairs)
2. Workshop 2: Musicality! What every tango dancer has to know . Working with Rhythmn and beat and how to play with them 8:45 - 10pm -  R130  ALL LEVELS (NA room upstairs)

Venue: Observatory Community Centre*

Thursday 7 February
1. Workshop 3: Learn sacadas for men and women in the sacada game:
6:45 - 8:00pm - R130 ALL LEVELS (Room 2)
2. Workshop 4: The art of walking in close embrace, what does a woman and man want from the embrace? Hints to make a space between during the dance of close embrace.
8:15 - 9:30 pm  ALL LEVELS R130 (Hall downstairs)

Venue: Observatory Community Centre*

Saturday 9 February

1. Workshop 5: Close embrace colgadas that you can do on the dance floor without disturbing anyone
2- 3:15pm R130 INTERMEDIATE-ADVANCED (NA ROOM)

Venue:  Observatory Community Centre*

2.  Premilonga Workshop: Volcada Fundamentals - making a comfortable, beautiful volcada for the woman 7:15 - 8:30 pm R150 (Lesson and milonga included)
3.  MIlonga and Performance:8:30 - midnight (R60) for milonga only (please arrive 8:30pm)

Venue: iKhaya Lodge, Dunkley Square, Gardens (off Wandel Street)
See map

*Corner Rawson and Collingwood Roads Observatory, FREE SECURE PARKING
See map

Pay R700 instead of R800 for ALL 6 workshop and milonga with performance at iKhaya Lodge

Pay  R480 instead of R540 for all 4 ALL LEVELS workshops and milonga with performance at iKhaya Lodge

Dancers must pay for all lessons and milonga upfront at the first lesson.

(Christmas vouchers are redeemable for the Deal)

iKhaya Lodge is offering 10% off room prices for programme participants. You will pay only R765 per room per night instead of R850 (sleeps two)

www.ikhayalodge.co.za

Hi Tangueros

I am looking forard to seeing you next Saturday night 15 December for a dance with the Cape Town Tango Ensemble. We will be lucky to be listening to a slightly different version of the ensemble with a saxophonist. Bring your friends for a free beginners lesson and take advantage of this beautful event which will be supporting Nazareth House in Cape Town.

Please note that Tango Rhapsody on Tuesday will be shifted a half hour forward to start at 6:30 pm.

To Embrace - Open or Closed?
There is no open or closed embrace. There is only tango

There are many opinions about the embrace in the tango. What shape should it take? How strong should it be? Should it be open or closed?  I do believe that the embrace is the most fundamental element of the tango, along with a desire to appreciate the music that we are dancing to. "Embracar, Escuchar, Bailar" Embrace, listen, dance". This is the path to the blissful experience that the tango offers.

I have experienced dancing in different embraces and the embrace I choose to dance is this one: See more

Dance into 2013 with the Cape Town Tango Ensemble

Date: Saturday 15 December 2012
Time: 7:30 - 8:30 - pm - Free beginners lesson for absolute beginners
8:30 - Midnight - milonga (social dancing with the Cape Town Tango Ensemble)
Cost: R120 cash at the door( R20 of each ticket will be donated to Nazareth House)
Venue: iKhaya Lodge, Dunkley Square, Gardens( Off Wandel Street)


Tango Rhapsody Tuesday 11 December -  please note new time
Date: Tuesday 11 December
Time: 6:30 - 9: 30 pm
Cost: R40 includes welcome drink and 10% off other purchases
Venue: Rhapsodys, 81 Somerset Road, Greenpoint


Other Social Dancing in Cape Town

Tuesdays: Slaley Estate, Kromme Rhee Road, Stellenbosch, 9 - 10:30 pm
Wednesday: last Wednesday of the month, Cru Cafe, Cape Quarter Greenpoint, 7 - 9:30 pm
Saturday: Tomorrow!! Tango on the Seapoint Promenade 5 - 7:30 pm R40
every alternate Saturday, 6 Spin Street, 5- 8pm, R40
Sundays: Milonga Apasionado - during December at 57 Bowwood Road, Upper Clarement 8 - 11 pm. R40 , Bring you own drinks

Dancing, dancing, dancing is the only route to becoming a good tango dancer!!

Other Opportunities

• Private Lessons  - R300 person or R320 per couple. A great opportunity to have focuses feedback on your dancing
• Choreographies - A great opportunity to improve your dancing. Not only will you learn a range of new steps to a song, you will also learn the correct lead and follow, with focus on the technique of the movements. This is a fun project for a couple who may want to perform at a social event or one of the Milonga Africanas
• Wedding Choreographies

Tango Abrazos!
 Rachael
082 255 7829

There are many opinions about the embrace in the tango. What shape should it take? How strong should it be? Should it be open or closed?

 I do believe that the embrace is the most fundamental element of the tango, along with a desire to appreciate the music that we are dancing to. "Embracar, Escuchar, Bailar" Embrace listen, dance". This is the path to the blissful experience that the tango offers.

I have experienced dancing in different embraces and the embrace I choose to dance is this one: a closed embrace with a connected breast on the right side of the leader; an embrace that changes according to the needs of the dance - closed, open or sliding. I find that this embrace offers me the best possibility to stay on my own axis as a follower and allows the rotation of my hips that is necessary with so many movements.

But this is not the only enjoyable embrace. Some people prefer a full breasted embrace or an open embrace. I believe that there is too much dogmatism in the discussions regarding the embrace and the most important thing is that the embrace creates a connection between two people.  Who am I to demand how they connect? Any of the varied embraces can be functional or dysfunctional.  As a teacher I can only guide and assist the dancers to make the embrace work. If they choose to dance the open or closed embrace I can help them to make it pleasurable.

A few people have approached me and said "You teach the open embrace". Yes, I do. I teach the open embrace to beginners who need to understand the engergetic forces of connection between the two bodies. "Connection" in tango is not only about physical contact. It is about the energy and forces between the bodies that make them move as one. Once a dancer can dance confidently in the open embrace they should be able to do everything in the closed embrace because the fundamentals of movement are in place and their bodies - from the toes to the shoulders- have been set up for dancing.

The opposite is not always true. In my experience, dancers who only learn to dance in the closed embrace from the beginning more often confuse the concept of "connection". In addition, they do not have the skills to open the embrace when they need to, making the dance more limited, especially from the woman's perspective.

Very importantly , learning to dance in the closed embrace as a beginner is much more difficult and people are easily put off if they step on each others's toes. I would rather people have a beginners experience with minimal stress and a focus on enjoyment!

 Happy Dancing!

Do do want to incude some tango workshops in your Christmas stocking? Ask your friends and family to give you the gift of tango!  Receive a gift of one or more of these vouchers to rev up your tango in 2013.

Libertango is excited to announce that two wonderful teachers and performers will be visiting our shores in February. Murat and and Elif are two of Turkey's top tango dancers. Murat runs the TanGO TO Istanbul Tango Festival and other premier tango events in Turkey  where he hosts the cream of Argentine tango teachers. They have taught in many places in Europe and Turkey and are popluar in Russia which has a very high standard of tango.

Some of you will remember Paz Giorgi who visited South Africa a couple of years ago with the iconic dancer Fabian Salas. They were hosted by Tango Tensity in Joburg and Paz gave a women's technique class in Cape Town. Well here is a youtube clip of Murat dancing with Paz.

Hi Tangueros
I hope to see you at iKhaya Lodge on Friday 23rd November for Milonga Africana. Take advantage of the free pre-milonga lesson  which is aimed at a Level 2/ post beginners level but would benefit anyone who is hoping to add to their repertoire and enhance their tango flavour.  In the meantime, enjoy all the tango learning opportunities out there and make your tango as smooth, senual and enjoyable as it can be. In this newsletter, read an interview with Lizelle Steyn who recently became Libertango's first female lead graduate.

A Leading Woman: Lizelle Steyn

Last week Libertango's first female lead graduate, Lizelle Steyn, completed the tango beginners course. Lizelle is pictured above with Ranmalee Gamage from Sri Lanka. Lizelle has been dancing tango as a follower for many years and decided to learn about the other side of tango. It is not uncommon for experienced followers to be interested in the lead. I asked Lizelle a few questions about her experience in learning the lead.

1.       Why did you decide to learn the lead?

Firstly, learning to lead the tango has absolutely nothing to do with wanting to "play the man". For me, it is about taking responsibility for the choreography of the dance, as well as getting a better understanding of the "mechanics" at play. Read More

Electrotango Zone at Friedas Tuesday 20 November

This is a praktica which has a casual atmosphere to practise your tango. I play a mix of traditional and alternative music

Date: Tuesday 20  November
Time: 6 - 8:30 pm
Cost: R30
Venue: Friedas on Bree, 15 Bree Street, Cape Town

Milonga Africana Friday 23 November

This milonga is in the traditional format of a milonga such as those in Buenos Aires. I play groups of 3-4 songs (a tanda) of a tango rythmn from a particular orchestra, with a break inbetween (cortina). People usuually dance one tanda together and then separate for the cortina.

Date: Friday 23 November
Time: 7:30 - 8:30  free  post beginners lesson for people who have taken some beginners classes or post beginners who want to hone their skills
8:30 - midnight milonga
Venue: iKhaya Lodge, Dunkley Square, Gardens
Cost: milonga and lesson R40 inclusive

Upcoming Lessons

Level 2: Thursdays 6:45 - 7:45 pm
Level 3: Wednesdays 6:45 - 7:45

All lessons at the Observatory Community Centre

Payment options for Level 2 and 3:
R70 per individual lesson
R200 for block of 4 continuous lessons
R300 (membership) 6 lessons over 8 week period.

Other Social Dancing Cape Town Tuesdays: Slaley Estate, Kromme Rhee Road, Stellenbosch, 9 - 10:30 pm
Saturday: every alternate Saturday, 6 Spin Street, 5- 8pm, R40
Sundays: Milonga Apasionado, Crucaders Club, Bill Peters Drive,  8 - 11 pm R40.

Dancing, dancing, dancing is the only route to becoming a good tango dancer!!

Other Opportunities

• Private Lessons  - R300 person or R320 per couple. A great opportunity to have focuses feedback on your dancing
• Choreographies - A great opportunity to improve your dancing. Not only will you learn a range of new steps to a song, you will also learn the correct lead and follow, with focus on the technique of the movements. This is a fun project for a couple who may want to perform at a social event or one of the Milonga Africanas
• Wedding Choreographies

Tango Abrazos!
 Rachael
082 255 7829