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A Tango Way of Life

September 15, 2016

It’s with great pleasure that I introduce the latest interview for SF Loves Tango’s “Teacher Spotlight”.  Although to say “teacher” is a great understatement. These two are more like Tango ambassadors, representing the San Francisco Bay Area as they travel the world sharing their knowledge and joy of tango.

Upon writing this introduction, I realized there are Tango ambassadors in every city and town that has Tango. These Tango ambassadors are instructors, promoters and DJs and even those who sell tango shoes and clothes. These people are what keeps Tango alive and vibrant. Tango may have been born in Buenos Aires but it is grown all over the world. In cities such as Berlin and New York to Auckland and Hilo, Tango ambassadors in each of these communities deserve to be thanked and appreciated.

Felipe_Aiyano_tango

Two of my personal favorite Tango ambassadors, and probably yours too, are the dynamic tango couple, Felipe and Ayano. Before they became a tango couple, they each made a name for themselves in the Tango world. Felipe, as one of the Bay Area’s favorite instructors, taught workshops, DJ’d and performed around the US and many cities around the world. Ayano, a beautiful dancer and experienced tango traveler, could be found at numerous festivals and marathons in the US, Europe and Asia. And now that they are teaching and traveling together, they are an incredible team. It was together that they founded the much successful, San Francisco Tango Marathon, now in its 7th year. And when they are not traveling, they teach and DJ regularly at the Beat in Berkeley as well as at various milongas and tango events around the Bay Area. They are also co-hosts of the Bay Area’s famous All-Nighter Milonga. Check out their Facebook Group to see where they will be next.

I’ve known both Felipe and Ayano for many years now, and yet through their answers below, I’ve learned so much more about both of them.  They are very generous to share their honest and heart-felt answers with us all. And here we go with the interview…

SF Loves Tango:  How did you find Tango? (Or how did Tango find you?)

Felipe: I started dancing tango in 1997 in Madrid, where I am from, with Leo Calvelli & Eugenia Usandivaras, one of the Argentine teachers who were based there at the time.  I was already dancing some salsa and ballroom (social not competitive) before that but once I started tango my interest quickly shifted and in few months I was totally devoted to it. I started studying seriously since then and traveling to Buenos Aires regularly until today.

Diving in my memories though, my first encounter with tango was through my grandmother. She had two idols: Errol Flynn and Carlos Gardel and I remember listening to his music at her home when I was a kid. Later, when she passed away, I tried to find those records with no success but that is the first memory I have of tango music. Gardel was popular in Spain and it wasn’t uncommon to hear his music on the radio, for instance. I didn’t grow up surrounded by tango but the moment I started dancing it I feel immediately related to it. For some strange reason I felt it was part of me.

Ayano: I found tango in 2005. A friend of mine took me to a Halloween milonga at the Metronome in San Francisco. I immediately fell in love with it and signed up for the beginner series right there. The milonga was the first time I saw any form of tango, and I loved how people were dressed up and dancing in a couple, I thought it looked like a ballroom dancing scene in Cinderella. I just moved to San Francisco from Tokyo a year before for work, and I was having hard time to find friends. Tango quickly filled my free time and soon I made many friends through tango.

ayano-voleo-the-beatSF Loves Tango: What does dancing tango mean to you?

Felipe: Tango is a much bigger picture that just the dancing. As many say: “tango is life” and I truly feel that way. At this point, tango is not part of my life. Tango IS my life. I am very fortunate to be able to make a living doing what I feel passionate about.

Tango has given me multiple opportunities to travel around the world, meet interesting people, learn about history, culture, sociology, anatomy, psychology, human relations and so many more things. Tango even gave me a wife (!!) As you see, tango is not just a  part of my life or a form of entertainment.

Ayano: Tango gave me an opportunity to discover about myself and to express myself. Growing up in a society where I was encouraged to be as successful as men, I never got a chance to be a “woman”. Tango gave me permission to be feminine, and explore that side of me.  It was the first thing I did without any ambition or calculation but just because I wanted to. It is kind of funny that it ended up my occupation!

When one dances tango, one faces many challenges, ups and downs, and it made me go through all kinds of emotional roller coaster and as a result, I feel that I grew as human being and now I feel I’m in a very good place. I believe there’s no end when it comes to improving one’s dancing and so dancing tango also gives me chance to keep learning, keep growing and that excites me a lot.

SF Loves Tango:  The SF Tango Marathon is one of the most popular and special tango festivals in the Bay Area. What inspired you to create a Marathon for San Francisco?

sftm2010
The very first SFTM was in 2010!

Felipe: My birthday is Nov 6 and at some point I was thinking about how to celebrate it. At the same time, Ayano was thinking of doing a tango event to replace the void left by the end of SFTX in SF and Tango de los Muertos in Boston, which was happening around the same dates. Once at Portland Tango Fest we were having a conversation and things came together pretty easily.

Ayano: In 2009, when we started planning for SFTM, I was traveling every month to different tango festivals. I enjoyed very much meeting and dancing with new people and I wished that other dancers in San Francisco who can’t travel for whatever reason to were able to enjoy the same experience and I also wanted all the friends I made outside to come and visit SF where I grew up as tango dancer and where I love dancing. When I heard that SFTX was ending, and I asked local organizers if they were interested in doing something, everybody said it’s too much work and that they were not interested. (and they were right, it is a lot of work to put out an event!) I didn’t feel comfortable doing it all by myself, and I found a partner (Felipe) while I was talking to Robin Thomas about this event at Portland Tango Festival.

Felipe & Ayano:  We felt that festivals in general were missing something and we wanted to create an event that had everything we aspire for. In a way we wanted to “set the standards” for these kind of events and in a way we feel we achieved that. After SFTM the quality of events in general improved all over the country and we are glad to see that because the whole community benefits from that.

taipei
Felipe and Ayano in Taipei

SF Loves Tango: Do you have any future plans in regard to Tango that you’d like to share?

Felipe & Ayano: As far as organizing events, we’d like to focus on how we can impact the learning process effectively. Maybe bringing certain teachers, offering retreats… We are still trying to decide what would be the best option. Also, we have the vision and the dream of a “tango center” very much in the way you see it in Europe, Canada or in Portland (Alex’s Berretin, for instance). The problem is that the SF Bay Area is a very challenging environment when it comes to real estate. We need some investment partners (!!)

SF Loves Tango: Where is your favorite place to Tango in the world?

Felipe & Ayano: Buenos Aires, no doubt. The tango experience there is very different from the rest of the world. There are good dancers everywhere, sure, but in BA tango is lived in a unique way. Plus it’s everywhere. I go back to the idea that tango is a wider picture than just the dancing. It’s a whole culture, a way of life.

Having said that, as a result of traveling all over the world and visiting many communities in North America, Europe and Asia, we realize that we enjoy SF tango community a lot. The more we travel, the more we like tango in the bay area. It has a good average on everything: we have live bands, nice venues, good DJs, good dancers, good gender balance, it’s big enough, many teachers, many events, traditional and alternative options… If you cannot enjoy SF tango you may have a hard time anywhere else. I think anyone can find a way to enjoy tango in SF.

SF Loves Tango:  Well said! Thank you Ayano & Felipe!

Learn more about them here: Felipe Tango website and SF Tango Marathon

Take a class with them tonight at La Milonga Génesis – Sept 16th!
9-10pm Tango Lesson w/ Felipe Martinez & Ayano Yoneda
Intermediate Level & Above
Milonga 10pm-1:30am w/ DJ Felipe
$20 Class & Milonga

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Filed Under: Musings, Teacher Spotlight Tagged With: Felipe and Ayano, Felipe Martinez, SF Tango Festival, SF Tango Marathon, Tango San Francisco

Tango scenes in SF

sflovestango

Celebrate #bayareatango community, support everyone involved & share ♥️ of #tango with San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.

sflovestango
🧨 New year, new beginnings! One happened yester 🧨 New year, new beginnings! One happened yesterday at @thetangodome – first Women's Gathering hosted by @ayano.yoneda.tango, including folks who identify as women.

Part clothing & shoe swap, and part cultivating a safe space to be vulnerable, be generous, be supportive, and be real with each other.

Looking forward to more of this and building a community that keeps involving what tango events can be beyond the dance! 🙌 
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#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino #tangolovers #womenintango #bayareatango #sisterhood #beyondthedance
As the year-end approaches, many SF local tango ev As the year-end approaches, many SF local tango events have had or will have their last event of 2022 to wrap things up. This year's last Milonga Rubia al Sur happened this past Sunday, Dec 18 with DJ @ayano.yoneda.tango and special performance with visiting artist, @martinalmironartist, and milonga host, Lisette @passion4tango. 

With the holidays coming up and Argentina winning the world cup, dancing tango all night long around Lisette's very own flower arrangements was just the appropriate celebration people needed.

Hosted by Lisette Perelle, Milonga Rubia is held every 1st & 3rd Sunday of the month, with current location at Just Dance Ballroom (2500 Embarcadero) in Oakland and a different DJ for each event.

✨ Fun fact - how Milonga Rubia got its name... ✨

Lisette's Argentine friends have always been calling her 'Rubia' because of her blonde hair. One day about 6 years ago, when she was discussing naming this new milonga with @julian_tangosf, he said, “Why not just call it Milonga Rubia?" That's how Milonga Rubia got its name! The event once was in a venue in Emeryville/Richmond. Once Lisette changed venues to a more southern location (Just Dance Ballroom in Oakland), the event's name was changed to 'Milonga Rubia al Sur' accordingly.
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#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevent #sundayfunday #milonga #milonganight #socialdancing #bailemos #embrace #tangodancers #bayareatango #oakland #keepdancing #dancingislife #weekendrecap
Last Saturday, Saturday Dec 17, @abrazoqueertango Last Saturday, Saturday Dec 17, @abrazoqueertango hosted their Holiday Bash with performances by @mirabtango and Miranda at @tangodome, a cool art gallery and dance space at 951 62nd St in Oakland.

🏳️‍🌈 Abrazo Queer Tangois a volunteer-run organization, and after expenses, all funds are used to pay for their events and offer discounts to students and folks short on cash. To help the org break even in 2022 and fund its 2023 programs, last Saturday's event was positioned as a fundraiser with a sliding scale $20-$40 for folks to choose how they'd like to show their support, offering a sweet night of performance, community and great music in a magical location. 

Missed the event yet still would like to support Queer Tango? Donations always totally work! Please write *donation* in the comment via your favorite method:
Venmo ➡️ abrazo-tango (Karen Curtis)
Paypal ➡️ abrazoqueertango@gmail.com
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#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevent #specialevents #milonga #saturdayvibe #socialdancing #bailemos #embrace #tangodancers #bayareatango #queertango #oakland #keepdancing #dancingislife #weekendrecap
💫 #motivationmonday is not over yet so here is 💫 #motivationmonday is not over yet so here is a quick recap of the International Day of Tango at @greatnorthernsf last night! 💫 Milonga hosted by @julian_tangosf with DJ @loco_chung. 
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#diadeltango #tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevent #specialevents #milonga #sundayfunday #socialdancing #bailemos #embrace #tangodancers #bayareatango #sanfrancisco #keepdancing #dancingislife #weekendrecap
This Friday night in the heart of San Francisco, t This Friday night in the heart of San Francisco, tango dancers and the public who are curious art lovers had a unique experience with live music performed by local tango musicians and the strategic mix of TANGO • VALS • MILONGA • ALTERNATIVE music by DJ @jonas.aqui of @jxtango at @drawingroomsf_annex, an art • gallery • studio in the Mission district – a free event by the collaboration of @chetangosf, @drawingroomsf and @artistmigration. 

Artists featured:
Sumi Lee (piano) @sfsumi
J Ramada (bass)
Basma Edrees (violin) @basmaedreesviolin
Verónica Freidkes (vocal) @veroverofreidkes

Check out our stories and story highlights for snippets of the performances and tango dancing around art pieces!
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❣️ about Che! Tango SF❣️

All events created by Ramada Salieri and Elaine Chiu are dedicated to providing an inclusive and friendly dancing and learning environment in San Francisco and the Bay Area regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, or any other characteristic or trait.

ONGOING EVENTS
Che! Milonga: Every 1st and 2nd Saturday of the month 
Che! Música + Milonga: Once every quarter on a 2nd Saturday
Milonga Uno: 3rd Saturday of every other month
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❣️ about The Drawing Room SF ❣️

MISSION
The Drawing Room connects community through art to help improve the overall human condition by making art accessible and part of the daily fabric of our lives. 
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❣️about Artist Migration❣️

ANTI CAPITALIST ART
Artist-led curatorial project providing performance and exhibition opportunities to international artists.
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#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #concert #milonga #specialevent #onenightonly #livemusic #fridaynights #art #tangomusic #contemporarymusic #contemporarytango #womenintango #womeninmusic #artislife  #tangomusicians #musiciansofinstagram #sanfrancisco #california #bayareatango #sflovestango #jxtango
Those who came out to @tangolabruja last night had Those who came out to @tangolabruja last night had an epic evening of dancing and live music with three highly skillful tango musicians’ improvised music – Trio Tangazo, a dynamite tango trio made up of Sascha Jacobsen (bass), Seth Asarnow (piano), and Adrian Jost (bandoneon). 

~~Fun fact~~
Sascha, Seth and Adrian all performed at La Bruja previously - either with other tango ensembles or in duo - but it was the first time all three of them taking the stage together!

📍 @berkeleycityclub 
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#tango #concert #milonga #milonganight #specialevent #onenightonly #tangomusic #improvisation #travelingmusician #musiciansofinstagram #california #berkeley #bayareatango #tangomusicians #tangodancers #socialdance #dancingislife #sflovestango
🥧 Tomorrow is Thanksgiving so @milongamalevaje 🥧 Tomorrow is Thanksgiving so @milongamalevaje is closed for that matter, but here is something different & fun from last Thursday 😉 with DJ @jonas.aqui, courtesy of hosts @tanguera_e, Ramada Salieri and Adolfo Caszarry.

Have a wonderful holiday everyone!
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#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #milonga #milonganight #tangoevent #tangoalternativo #alternativetango #tangonuevo #embrace #bailar #bailemos #socialdance #partnerdance #tangodancers #dancingislife #bayareatango #sanfrancisco #sflovestango
✨ FRIDAY NIGHT TANGO ✨ It’s been awhile sin ✨ FRIDAY NIGHT TANGO ✨

It’s been awhile since Milonga La Genesis (hosted by @julian_tangosf) has live tango music. Last night LEO TANGASSO QUARTET was in the house, featuring @leogassomusic from Montevideo, Uruguay on bandoneon,  @smurfetteshum on piano, Stella Bonilla on violin,  @digsmahler on double bass.

(🎥 @tangonnection, edited by @sflovestango)
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#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino #specialevent #bayareatango #tangomusic #livemusic #tangomusicians #bandoneon #piano #doublebass #violin #quartet #onenightonly #milonganight #sanfrancisco #sflovestango
👏 The all-female tango ensemble, 𝙇𝙖𝙨 𝘼𝙡𝙢𝙖𝙨, wrapped up their 2022 concert tour at @alameda_elks1015, playing for a full house of guests at the @housetango Community Milonga.

𝙇𝙖𝙨 𝘼𝙡𝙢𝙖𝙨 is a collaboration between powerhouse female tango musicians @sfsumi (piano), @heynisolera (bandoneon), and @teagbby (violin). Their concert on Sunday featured guest bassist @fabricanfabricant and vocalist @teresatam.sing.

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The mission of 𝙇𝙖𝙨 𝘼𝙡𝙢𝙖𝙨 is to present contemporary Argentine tango through virtuosic artistic performance and educational events.  Sumi, Heyni, and Teagan originally bonded in Buenos Aires, drawn by a mutual love of tango music, as well as by a realization of the inequality of professional opportunity for women in the tango genre. They studied under the same maestros and performed with prestigious tango orchestras in Buenos Aires.  They now frequently perform around the world, including in their respective adopted cities of San Francisco (Sumi), Washington, DC (Heyni), and NYC (Teagan). All of the musicians also produce their own music. 
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#tango #concert #milonga #specialevent #onenightonly #tangomusic #contemporarymusic #contemporarytango #womenintango #womeninmusic #travelingmusician #heynibando #tour #beautifulwomen #musiciansofinstagram #sanfrancisco #california #berkeley #oakland #bayareatango #tangomusicians
🎉 Saturday, October 22 marked the grand re-open 🎉 Saturday, October 22 marked the grand re-opening of Vecher Tango at the Russian Center of SF!

After a long pause of two and a half year, the magnificent grand ballroom was filled with tango energy again. What made the occasion extra special was the incredible performances by another visiting master couple @javierchikk & @moiracastellano. To top it off, @virginiaychristian "Los Totis" joined Javier & Moira on the floor for a mixed maestros dance!

Shout-out to our dearest friend Davood Yazdani, Julia Schiptsova of Tango Element, and all the local organizers for making this weekend feel like a mini tango festival in San Francisco!
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#tango #argentinetango #argentinetango♥️ #tangoargentino #milonganight #tangoperformance #bailar #bailemos #bailando #tangoshow #tangoevent #tangodancer #tangocouple #specialevent #onenightonly #tangophoto
✨It's a star-struck tango week in SF!!✨ @vir ✨It's a star-struck tango week in SF!!✨ 

@virginiaychristian "Los Totis" have been teaching in San Francisco (brought to you by our very own Davood Yazdani who's in collaboration with Julia Schiptsova of Tango Element!) And we were mesmerized by their fantastic performances last night at the special edition of @milongamalevaje at @verdiclubsf ! 🤩👏
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#tango #argentinetango #argentinetango♥️ #tangoargentino  #tangoperformance #bailar 
#bailemos #bailando #tangoshow  #tangoevent #tangoperformance #tangodancer #tangocouple #specialevent #onenightonly #tangophoto
💫 Exactly a year later, 𝙇𝙖𝙨 𝘼𝙡𝙢𝙖𝙨, an all-female tango musician collaboration, has returned to the SF Bay Area!! 

Last night they took the audience on a magical journey to Buenos Aires with a concert-milonga at @tangolabruja in Berkeley. Check out our stories to see more snippets of their performance!

𝙇𝙖𝙨 𝘼𝙡𝙢𝙖𝙨 is a collaboration between powerhouse female tango musicians @sfsumi (piano), @heynisolera (bandoneon), and @teagbby (violin). The concert last night featured guest singer @veroverofreidkes.

The mission of 𝙇𝙖𝙨 𝘼𝙡𝙢𝙖𝙨 is to present contemporary Argentine tango through virtuosic artistic performance and educational events. Sumi Lee, Heyni Solera, and Teagan Faran originally bonded in Buenos Aires, drawn by a mutual love of tango music, as well as by a realization of the inequality of professional opportunity for women in the tango genre. They studied under the same maestros and performed with prestigious tango orchestras in Buenos Aires.  They now frequently perform around the world, including in their respective adopted cities of San Francisco (Sumi), Washington, DC (Heyni), and NYC (Teagan). All of the musicians also produce their own music. 

Catch them for the rest of their tour!
🔸10/20 (Thur) 10pm, World Folk Jam concert w/ ten other world music groups, Oakland
🔸10/21 (Fri) 7pm, Sebastopol Center for the Arts
🔸10/22 (Sat) 7:30pm, Sunset Music and Arts, San Francisco
🔸10/23 (Sun) 3:30pm, houseTango Community Milonga @ Alameda Elks Lodge, Alameda
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#tango #concert #milonga #specialevent #onenightonly #tangomusic #contemporarymusic #contemporarytango #womenintango #womeninmusic #travelingmusician #heynibando #tour #beautifulwomen #musiciansofinstagram #sanfrancisco #california #berkeley #oakland #bayareatango
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