• About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • New to Tango?

SF Loves Tango

Insider’s guide to Argentine Tango in the San Francisco Bay Area

  • Home
  • Learn
    • Tango Instructors
    • Senior Tango
    • Queer Tango
  • Dance
    • Monday
    • Tuesday
    • Wednesday
    • Thursday
    • Friday
    • Saturday
    • Sunday
  • Wear
    • Tango Shoes
    • Tango Clothes
  • Live Music
  • Festivals
  • Music & Books
    • Tango Music

Milonga Spotlight: Cellspace

September 17, 2012

It’s a Wednesday Night and you are in the Mission.

You are at 18th and Bryant to be exact. You find yourself attracted to the colorful murals flanking the outside walls as the music of Piazolla, Bajofondo or Tom Waits drifts out on to the street. As you enter, an ever changing art gallery greets you and as you continue inside, you find a cavernous space with a medley of dancers all moving together under an array of colorful lights. You have found Cellspace.

Cell Space Tango
Dancers at Cell Space. Photo by: Ben Thoma

Cellspace is THE “Alternative Milonga” in San Francisco. Presently, it’s the only Tango venue in San Francisco that is dedicated to playing alternative tango music. For this very reason, people either avoid it or love it.  Either way, Tango at Cellspace draws a large crowd.  Some people come because they enjoy nuevo tango or have danced other dances and enjoy fusion Tango. Some are new dancers that are drawn to its relaxed atmosphere and affordable classes with excellent teachers.  Still others appreciate its relaxed “codes” and the opportunity to free up their dance.  Sometimes people come just for the live music and guest performances. My personal favorite are the themed nights, when people come in costumes and arrive in a mood for fun. Whatever the reason, Cell Space is one of the few venues that has maintained its popularity over the years.

Cell Space Tango dancers
Photo by: Ben Thoma

Part of the draw is that Cellspace is a very unique venue.  The floor is rough and ragged in some spots or too smooth in others, and the space, chairs and decor is always changing, literally. On nights that the “Cell” is not a Tango venue, it’s an artistic space for community projects. For example, an upcoming event is the Critical Mass 20th Birthday party happening on September 27th.  Cell Space has hosted just about everything from break dancing and skate nights, to art openings, live music performances or circus acts.  There is even a metal shop in the back!  Learn more about Cellspace here: http://www.cellspace.org

Cell Space Tango Dancers
Photo by: Ben Thoma

Dancing Tango at the Cell, one can dress up or down or anyway you want plus it’s the only place that experimentation is not only allowed, it’s appreciated.  This not only goes for the dancing, but also applies to the music.  The DJ’s rotate weekly, and although the format is 50% traditional (Golden Era) and 50% alternative, the music selection is guaranteed to be unique.  Two DJ’s share the night and between the two of them the music can vary greatly, which is often part of the fun and the challenge. And although you are free to dance as much nuevo tango that you want, maintaining the line of dance and watching out for others is highly recommended.

Cellspace Tango came to fruition on the 9th of July 2003, (which also happens to be Argentina’s Independence Day) and stemmed from a need for a true alternative Tango dance venue in San Francisco. The founders were three people in the Tango community who put on the whole event themselves for the first year.  By the second year,  Project Tango was formed, a non-profit organization who’s mission is “To promote tango as a social dance and evolving art form in our world culture while building and maintaining individual and community integrity, balance and respect.”  Today the event is run solely by volunteers who do everything from bringing snacks, to teaching the classes, DJ’ing, watching the door and closing up after the night is over.

Speaking with one of the primary founders of Cellspace Tango, Homer Ladas, I asked him his thoughts on the future of Cellspace.  He said he would like to see more theme nights, a community orchestra to produce music for dancing and possibly more workshops similar to SFTX. Lucky for us, the future of Cellspace is looking very bright!

The details you need to know:

Location: 2050 Byrant Street, San Francisco

Date: Every Wednesday

Time of Classes: 8:10pm to 9:05pm beginner & intermediate classes taught concurrently

Time of Milonga: 9:05pm to 12:00am

Door Fee: $10 class + milonga, $5 milonga only

More Info from Project Tango website:

The Cellspace alternative Milonga is an effort to balance out the wonderful classic tango events throughout SF and the Bay Area with a progressive community endeavor.

This is a “politically neutral” tango event with all attempts directed towards minimal interruptions and maximum dance time during the evening. A flyer table is provided for all folks to advertise their classes and events, however, detailed verbal announcements will not be made. After a performance, a brief verbal announcement is permitted to promote a relevant class or event pertaining to the performers.

All the folks who help out with this event are donating their time and talent. We are always looking for new volunteers to help in set-up, break-down, food, water, house management, DJ-ing, etc. Volunteers get free admission to the Cellspace alternative Milonga. If you are interested in volunteering or performing at CELLspace, please visit the Project Tango Web site.

You can also visit the Project Tango Facebook Page.

This coming Wednesday is Rainbow Night!

Celebrating Homer and Cristina’s return to the Bay Area after their summer away.

THEME NIGHT Details:
Come wearing any color of the rainbow (white is okay, just no black).

Homer will be the DJ for the night and will be spinning the tunes from 9:10 – midnight.

Classes: 8:10 – 9:10 pm
Beginner Class Instructor: Alex Redstone
Intermediate Class Instructor: Dan Peters & Pier Voulkos

See you there!

Filed Under: Milonga Spotlight Tagged With: alternative Tango, Argentine Tango, Bay Area Tango, Cell Space, Project Tango, SF Tango, Tango dancing

Tango scenes in SF

sflovestango

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

sflovestango
✨ Vecher Tango at the Russian Center had another ✨ Vecher Tango at the Russian Center had another star-struck night!✨

@ariadnayfernando returned to San Francisco after their last visit in 2016 for @noras_tango_week.

On top of teaching all afternoon and performing four songs of their choice, they surprised us with an improvised encore to live music by Seth Asarnow (@sethasarnow on piano) and Adrian Jost (@fueyequerido on bandoneón), a first-time collaboration for the four artists altogether!! 👏👏♥️♥️🙌🙌 ¡Qué celebración del Tango!

Thank you Julia Schiptsova @juliasch999 and Davood Yazdani for bringing @ariadnanaveira and @fernet_sanz back to SF! We look forward to welcoming them back later this year in Thanksgiving. Stay tuned for details.

Check out our stories for video snippets from the amazing evening!
.
.
. 
#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino  #tangoperformance #bailar #bailemos #bailando #tangoshow #tangoevent #tangoperformance #tangodancer #tangocouple #specialevent #onenightonly #tangophoto #sanfrancisco #tangoislife #sflovestango #livemusic #duo #bandoneon #piano #improvisation
That Saturday night ❤️‍🔥 when Duo Villarr That Saturday night ❤️‍🔥 when Duo Villarreal Crom, @juanvillarreal_13 and @patriciocrom joined forces with Orquesta Típico Domo at @thetangodome !🎶🎻🎸🎹🎤
.
.
.
#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevents #tangomusic #tangoconcert #specialevent #onenightonly #tangomusicians #travelingmusicians #duo #guitarists #livemusic #milonga #contemporarytango  #bayareatango #sflovestango #oakland #weekendvibes #goodvibesonly #performanceart #tangoislife
Part 3️⃣ of Duo @juanvillarreal_13 & @patricio Part 3️⃣ of Duo @juanvillarreal_13 & @patriciocrom Crom at @thetangodome … a Chacarera! When the musicians extended an invitation to the audience to join them on stage, a few dancers spontaneously jumped at the chance! 👏👏👏👏
.
.
.
#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevents #tangomusic #tangoconcert #specialevent #onenightonly #tangomusicians #travelingmusicians #duo #guitarists #livemusic #argentinefolklore #contemporarytango  #bayareatango #sflovestango #oakland #weekendvibes #goodvibesonly #performanceart #tangoislife
REPOSTING… because how could one resist missing REPOSTING… because how could one resist missing the standing ovation *and* an encore because earlier post got cut off due to unknown glitch🙈… Second half of part 1️⃣ the highlights from an amazing night at @thetangodome with Duo 🎸🎸 @juanvillarreal_13 and @patriciocrom ! And our very own @scottodaymusic made it a guitar trio for the encore! 
.
.
.
#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevents #tangomusic #tangoconcert #specialevent #onenightonly #tangomusicians #travelingmusicians #duo #guitarists #livemusic #argentinefolklore #contemporarytango  #bayareatango #sflovestango #oakland #weekendvibes #goodvibesonly #performanceart #tangoislife
❤️‍🔥DJ @lebendiguna DROPS THE NEEDLE with ❤️‍🔥DJ @lebendiguna DROPS THE NEEDLE with the world’s fastest learning curve!❤️‍🔥

When Una’s laptop unexpectedly failed to connect to @thetangodome sound system, Daniel Peter’s vinyl collection and on-the-spot knowledge transfer to the rescue!! 😮🔥🧯❤️ After watching Dan just a few times dropping the needle between tracks, Una hit the track her FIRST TIME trying‼️✌️

🎥 @thetangodome 
.
.
.
#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevents #milonga #tangodj #tangomusic #vinylrecords #newskillunlocked #tangoislife #oldtechisgoodtech #bayareatango #oakland
Part 2️⃣ from a fun Saturday night at @thetang Part 2️⃣ from a fun Saturday night at @thetangodome with Duo Villarreal Crom, featuring Tango Guitarists @juanvillarreal_13 and… Señor D'ARIENZO?! 👀🤨 Can you guess what was happening here? 😆😉
.
.
.

#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevents #tangomusic #tangoconcert #specialevent #onenightonly #tangomusicians #travelingmusicians #duo #guitarists #puppet #bayareatango #sflovestango #oakland #weekendvibes #goodvibesonly #performanceart #tangoislife
Part 1️⃣ of the highlights from an amazing nig Part 1️⃣ of the highlights from an amazing night at @thetangodome with Duo Villarreal Crom, featuring Tango Guitarists @juanvillarreal_13 and @patriciocrom ! 💎 watch till the end to see SF’s very own guitarist @scottodaymusic joined them for an encore!

🎸ABOUT THE ARTISTS🎸
Juan Villarreal and Patricio Crom began working together in 2010 playing tangos in milongas and clubs in the city of Buenos Aires. From the beginning, the Duo Villarreal-Crom, tried to find a particular aesthetic and a unique style that they have refined with the passing of the years.

Today they are one of the most renowned duos on the tango scene in Buenos Aires and the world, having made countless tours in Latin America, Europe and the United States.

They have released 4 albums: "De corte romántico (2012)", "Cinco tonos (2015)", "En la luna de Valencia (2017)" and "D'Arienzo en guitarras (2022)". In May 2023 they will present their new album consisting entirely of original works.  In 2022, they were on the cover of the renowned German magazine "Tangodanza", the world's largest tango magazine.
.
.
.
#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevents #tangomusic #tangoconcert #specialevent #onenightonly #tangomusicians #travelingmusicians #duo #guitarists #livemusic #argentinefolklore #contemporarytango  #bayareatango #sflovestango #oakland #weekendvibes #goodvibesonly #performanceart #tangoislife
♥️ 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩 ♥️ (link in bio🔗)

Did you know that the very first post on SF Loves Tango was published by @maikalanidesigns on 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬, 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟮? And April 21, 2019, is when the brains and hands behind SF Loves Tango changed to us, @jxtango ? We would like to celebrate these anniversaries by recapping what we’ve accomplished post-COVID and start looking ahead!
.
.
.
#bayareatango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tango #tangocommunity #sanfrancisco #sflovestango #dancingislife #tangostories #beyondthedance
👋 Many of you know @aviksbasu and Mitra Martin 👋 Many of you know @aviksbasu and Mitra Martin as accomplished tango dancers and teachers. But did you know they are also professional researchers with curiosity and interest to understand tango better?

Check out this cool new research project they are working on: the 𝗧𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆! (link in bio 🔗)

⏳ It takes about 20-30 minutes to answer some intriguing (anonymous) questions about what you experience as you dance - mental talk, images, sensations, etc.

🎯 Fill it out today and help them reach their goal of 1000 participants by April 30th! They’ll gather neat data to create more empathy and understanding and help the community grow.
.
.
.
#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino #community #tangocommunity #project #research #qualitativeresearch #communitybuilding #sflovestango
Abrazo, the queer milonga, happens every 3rd Satur Abrazo, the queer milonga, happens every 3rd Saturday of the month, and today, April 15, @abrazoqueertango welcomed @inesmuzzopappa for the first time and the pre-milonga class was sold out!
.
.
.
#tango #argentinetangoclasses #tangoworkshop #tangoargentino #queertango #tangoevent #bayareatango #berkeley #bailemostango #milonga #learningisfun #dancingislife
✨SATURDAY NIGHT TANGO ✨ Che! Milonga is a con ✨SATURDAY NIGHT TANGO ✨

Che! Milonga is a conventional 4.5-hour long milonga with a cozy and casual vibe that happens on 1st and 2nd Saturday of the month at La Pista Tango Studio. 

Tucked away among storage and industrial spaces for local businesses, La Pista is a dedicated tango studio frequently used for classes and workshops. With lighting, seating, wall projection, and table decoration arrangements, our beloved hosts, Ramada and @tanguera_e , put thoughtful touches that give the space a nightclub ambiance.

Check out our February story drop featuring @che_tango_sf (sflovestango.com/che-tango-sf/) and tomorrow, Saturday, April 8, is your chance to dance at their Che Milonga with DJ @kostas_aretos ! 

📸 from Che Milonga on Saturday, April 1st with DJ @ayano.yoneda.tango 
.
.
.
#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino #tangodancers #tangolovers #dancecouple #socialdancing #tangoevent #milonganight #embrace #bailar #bailemos #dance #partnerdance #improvisation #dancingislife #sflovestango
❤️ 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩 ❤️
Women's History Month is almost over, but celebrating the impact of women is today and every day! 

Remember the Women's Gathering hosted by @ayano.yoneda.tango in the beginning of this year? Are you curious about the 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 and 𝙬𝙝𝙮 behind these events? 
"𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 – 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳-𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 – 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳." – Ayano Yoneda

More in our latest story drop (🔗 link in bio)!
.
.
.
#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino #tangoevent #tangostories #tangocommunity #bayareatango #tangosanfrancisco #womensupportwomen #communitybuilding #lifteachotherup #sflovestango
Load more Follow us

Connect with us

RSStwitterfacebookinstagram

Get updates to your inbox

Subscribe to SF Loves Tango

* indicates required

Categories

  • Guest Post
  • Interviews
  • Learning Tango
  • Live Tango Music
  • Milonga Spotlight
  • Musings
  • SF Festivals
  • Special Events
  • Tango Clothes
  • Teacher Spotlight
  • Visiting teachers

Recent Comments

  • xiaomin on Saying Hello
  • Jeffrey on Saying Hello
  • maika on Saying Goodbye
  • Gigi Jensen on Saying Goodbye
  • William Ward on Tango Festival Survival Guide
  • Randall Crane on Tango and the Feminist

Privacy Policy Copyright © 2023 SF Loves Tango