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Tango for the Day of Love

February 10, 2014

Valentine’s Day is coming up this Friday. Due to consumerism and pressure to buy stuff on every holiday possible, Valentine’s Day seems to have lost its meaning.  Valentine’s Day should be about celebrating love. And I’m not talking about love just for your partner, but love for your family, friends, pets… you get the idea.

Let’s try something different this Valentine’s Day. Instead of giving candy and cards, eating fancy meals and buying over-priced roses, bring your loved one’s to Tango.

Homer and Cristina demonstrate the Tango Embrace (Hug).
Homer and Cristina demonstrate the Tango embrace (hug).

Tango is danced between lovers, friends, acquaintances and even perfect strangers. And the special thing about this dance is the embrace. You wrap your arms tightly around each other and move together to the sounds of beautiful orchestras, three minutes at a time.  And when those three minutes are over, you chat a little and then embrace again, three more times. What an odd thing to do with a perfect stranger, but at the same time, it’s perfectly normal.

Very few other social dances require such tight embracing.  Most importantly, the tango embrace is really a hug. A long, one armed hug, but a hug indeed. And recent studies have found that long hugs are the kind of hugs that release oxytocin, “the love hormone”.  I can’t help but wonder if extra oxytocin is released while dancing Tango. Perhaps its what makes Tango so addictive. 

Why not release the “love hormone” for Valentine’s Day, the day to celebrate love?

Bring your loved ones, even if they have never danced before.  Many of these options listed below offer beginner lessons. Some even offer live music. And if you really can’t convince your loved ones to dance, at least bring them to Alma del Tango’s dance performance and fundraiser in Marin.  Always a treat.

These are your Tango options for Valentines Day:

Valentines Elegant and Free Live Music Milonga

RedwoodTangoJonathan and Olivia, in collaboration with The Marin County Mart Concert Series and The Redwood Tango Ensemble present an elegant Valentine’s Day Concert and Milonga. Wine, empanadas, and other culinary delights available for purchase. Dress to impress! Concert and Milonga is free!

Location:  Marin County Mart Concert Series,  2257 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur, CA
5:30 – 6:15   Redwood Tango Ensemble Concert
6:15 – 7:15   Absolute Beginner Tango Lesson
7:15 – 10:30   Milonga DJ music by Jonathan
7:30 – 10:30   Milonga w/ Redwood Tango Ensemble and Performance by
Jonathan y Olivia

Valentine Dinner and Milonga with Live Music at La Casa GrandeValentines Day milonga 2014

Milonga and live music Performance by Redwood Tango Ensemble on a 65′ x 15′ heated and covered balcony with views of the San Francisco Bay. Full sit down dinner in the dinning rooms with views of the San Francisco Bay with drinks and deserts. Private estate has four dance floors and a new sound system, one Main Ballroom, a Salsa dance room, Theater Ballroom for Nuevo Tango and a Karaoke room. $25 is a deal for Workshop, Dinner and Milonga.

Location:  La Casa Grande, 18050 Reamer Road, Castro Valley, CA
8:00 – 9:00   Workshop
9:00 – 11:00   Valentine Dinner
9:00 – 11:00   Milonga with DJ Asvin
11:00 – 2:00   Milonga to live music Redwood Tango Ensemble

 

Monte Cristo Milonga with Lisette PerellePampa_lisette

Lisette is a fabulous teacher.  Monte Cristo has a warm, friendly atmosphere, great hardwood floor, a full bar and a free beginner class. $15 Int/Adv Class and milonga, $10 for milonga only.

Location:  Monte Cristo Club, 136 Missouri St (near 17th Street), San Francisco, CA
7:00–8:00 Free Beginning Class
8:00–9:00 Int/Adv Class with Lisette – “Ganchos for Men and Women”
9:00 – Midnight, Milonga

Milonga Sácale Punta

“Sácale Punta”, an exquisite evening of socializing and dancing held every 2nd and 4th Friday of the month in downtown Berkeley. Top-quality traditional music provided by local and visiting professional DJ’s. The venue has a beautiful, spacious wooden floor and a balcony overhead. Complementary refreshments, baked goods, and assorted snacks are served. Join us for an evening of blissful dancing and warm company!  DJ: Yuling Chen.  $5 Students/UCB Faculty & Staff with valid ID, $10 General

Location: 2133 University Ave, Berkeley, CA
9:00 – 1:00a   Milonga

Free Emeryville Tango classes & PracticaIvan Schvarts

Every Friday classes all levels and practica. Great place for seniors!  Presentation by Ivan Shvarts founder of the Golden Age Tango Academy, nonprofit 501C3 .  Free!

Location: Emeryville Senior Center, 4321 Salem St. Emeryville, CA
1:00 – 2:00   class
2:00 – 3:30   practica

La Pista – Class and Practica with Doruk & Erin

Erin_Doruk_ArgentineTangoThis is a great place to bring new dancers.  Both Erin and Doruk are excellent dancers and teachers.  Erin brings classical and contemporary dance training to tango. Doruk brings rhythmic musicality, strong connection to the partner, and creative vocabulary; his teaching focuses on clarity of lead, and structural understanding of tango.
$10 package deal ($5, practica only)

Location: La Pista – Upstairs, 768 Brannan St, San Francisco, CA
7:30–8:30 Tango FUN – damentals with Erin & Doruk
8:30–10:30 – Practica

 Switch Tango Fridays

QueerTangoQueer-led/all-welcome vibe providing switch skills for all, whether switch, follow or lead. Switch Class followed by DJ’d Practilonga. Weekly we train as Tango Switches, developing partners and skills which you can switch roles during a song or from tanda to tanda. This gender-neutral learning environment encourages all toward more (fun!) practice for better dancing, with a great range of tango classics and current music in this friendly, inclusive atmosphere. All levels, all genders, all sexual orientations heartily welcomed. Light snacks provided. Casual dress, only street shoes taped or mole skinned.  $10 Class, $5 Practilonga, $12 both.

Location:  City Dance Annex, 1420 Harrison at 10th Street, San Francisco, CA
Class 7 – 8pm
Practilonga 8 – 10pm

Tango Classes and Practica Party at ODC Dance Commons

Featuring music of the Orquestas Típicas as they evolve beyond the Golden Era. At the Friday practica, as we are practicing, refining, and exploring, we will also take a journey of how the orquesta tipicas evolved from the Golden Age of tango. Refining old arrangements of classic tangos, completely new arrangements of classic tangos, as well as new compositions, all within the formation of the orquesta tipica.  Light snack & drinks provided. Casual and spacious dance studio plus kids are welcome too! One class & practica $14, $6 Dance practice only.

Location:  ODC Dance Commons/Rhythm & Motion, 351 Shotwell Street, San Francisco, CA
7:30 – 8:30 Beginning & Intermediate Tango Dance Lesson  w/ Julian & Claudia
8:30 – 9pm  Supervised practice , studio Skirball A
8:30 – 11:30pm Tango Practica

TANGO MAGIC…the spell is cast!  Alma del Tango’s 2014 student production

TANGO-MAGIC-WEBTango Magic explores the magical moments of the dance. That unspoken connection between partners, the music and the movement. In Tango Magic you will meet many of the characters who frequent the milongas, (a venue for social dance) in search of the magic. There’s the Newbie … he hasn’t quite mastered the dance…or the etiquette. The Tango Addict… who is so obsessed, she practices  the tango walk in the supermarket. The couple who met on the dance floor and before long, stopped changing partners.  The  Authentic Argentine – tango is in his soul!  And the married couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary with a nostalgic choreography set to Nuevo tango music.

Discover how tango touches lives and has the power to transform them. Like magic! Conceived and Directed by Debbie Goodwin. Written by Lanny Udell & Jonathan Cutler. Proceeds will benefit Alma del Tango, a Marin-based non-profit dedicated to encouraging artistic expression and the development of community through Argentine Tango.

Location: Alma del Tango Studio, 167 Tunstead Ave. San Anselmo, CA

Friday Shows:7:30pm & 9pm
Show $20 general seating $25 premium front row. Tickets available at www.almadeltango.org, or call 800-838-3006.

 

For more information on any of these events, please refer to Tangomango.org.

 

Filed Under: Learning Tango, Milonga Spotlight, Musings, Special Events Tagged With: Argentine Tango, Bay Area Tango, Live Tango Music, SF Tango, Tango dancing, tango hug, Valentine's Day Tango

Tango scenes in SF

sflovestango

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

sflovestango
🦃 Thanksgiving is only one week away!! If you a 🦃 Thanksgiving is only one week away!! If you are in town and up for a weekend of post-turkey (ham/steak/veggies/stuffing or whatever dishes you're having) embraces, 𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚 ~ 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨 at @verdiclubsf is ready for you!!

🍁 Brought to you by @tanguera_e, @jesram_sf, and Adolfo C.
🔗 event link in our bio!👆
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#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino #specialevent #tangoevent #milonga #alternativetango #afternoonmilonga #eveningmilonga #thanksgivingweekend #bayareatango #sflovestango
@bandonegrotango 2023 Autumn USA and Canada Tour s @bandonegrotango 2023 Autumn USA and Canada Tour started with a 💥 at @thetangodome last Saturday in Oakland, CA!! They blew off the roof and also took our breath away❤️‍🔥 Enjoy snippets from that magical night and don’t miss their 2nd and final stop in the SF Bay Area TOMORROW at @tangolabruja ❣️🎶🎵🎻🪗
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#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino #specialevent #onenightonly #TangoConcert #contemporarymusic #tangomusician #tangoorchestra #bandonegro #ontour #milonga #tangoevent #socialdancing #bayareatango #sflovestango
✨TANGO THIS SATURDAY Oct 28✨ 𝕆𝕡𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝟛 for Tango Aficionados in SF Bay Area… 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐚, October Edition at @thebeatberk in Berkeley!! Longest running All-nighter in the North America since 2000~ Share your warmest embrace with out of towners and welcome new dancers from @stanfordtango and @berkeleytangoclub ~

Hosted by @tangonnection and @ayano.yoneda.tango
9:00p - 10:00p Special Chacarera Class with guest teacher Helene Eriksen
10:00p - 4:00a Milonga with guest DJ @prashantiyer 
Chacarera break around 1:00am

event details link in bio👆
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#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino #allnighter #milonga #tangoevent #socialdancing #bayareatango #sflovestango
✨TANGO THIS SATURDAY Oct 28✨ 𝕆𝕡𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝟚  for Tango Aficionados in SF Bay Area… @bandonegrotango is kicking off their 2023 Autumn USA & Canada Tour at the one and only @thetangodome in Oakland!! 🎵🎶🎼🪗 Nightclub Style Tango at its best! DJ @jonas.aqui will keep you dancing in between live music sets.

Brought to you by @macaronifinearts and @voulkosfoundation with ❤️ event link in bio👆contact tangodome@gmail.com for ticket info 🎟️🎫
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#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino #specialevent #onenightonly #TangoConcert #contemporarymusic #tangomusician #ontour #milonga #tangoevent #socialdancing #bayareatango #sflovestango
🍁The last weekend of October is quickly approac 🍁The last weekend of October is quickly approaching and it’s popping!🥳 

✨FRIDAY✨ 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗮 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀 in San Francisco with DJ Dan Boccia visiting from Anchorage, Alaska! Hosted by @tangosabor 

🎵ABOUT DJ DAN🎵
The music is what first drew Dan to tango in 2000, and he still loves the music deeply. His DJ journey began with college dances using vinyl in the late 80s, continuing on to DJ for several kinds of social dances through the 90s, and he has been DJing tango events throughout North America since 2001, including an epic all-nighter at the Beat in Berkeley CA in 2003 that lasted 9 1/2 hours, ending around 7:30am! He enjoys studying the crowd and selecting songs in the moment, with seamless transitions between tandas, taking the dancers on a dynamic journey with the music.
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#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino #milonga #tangoevent #socialdancing #bayareatango #sflovestango
✨Not to be missed this week✨ learning from one ✨Not to be missed this week✨ learning from one of the best tango artists and teachers, Moira Castellano❣️ event details link in bio👆
October is a busy month for Tango in San Francisco October is a busy month for Tango in San Francisco!🍁 Starting off… Charles Gorczynski returned to the Bay Area and WEST COAST TANGO ENSEMBLE world premiere at @thetangodome last Saturday, October 14, 2023!!🎶❤️‍🔥 hosted by @macaronifinearts & @voulkosfoundation 

Featuring:
@redwoodtango 
@devan.moran 
@basmaedreesviolin 
@keikocadby 
@charithp 
@antonestaniel 
Stella Bonilla
@amiblami13 
@fabricanfabricant 
@steelnhammers 

#sanfrancisco #bayarea #tango #argentinetango #contemporarytango #tangomusic #tangomusicians #livemusic #milonganight #tangodancers #specialevent #onenightonly #sflovestango
On October 10th, 1902, one of the greatest bandone On October 10th, 1902, one of the greatest bandoneon virtuoso was born in La Boca, PEDRO LAURENZ (10/10/1902-7/7/1972). His birthday was celebrated at @el_valenciano1153 with an interactive lecture by @ayano.yoneda.tango so many of us got to know what makes his music special, how he became who he was, and the stories of his career told by his rivals and colleagues. Of course, the usual Tuesday night social dancing at El V was only complete when plenty of Laurenz’ music were danced to throughout the night!

Brought to you by @tangosabor
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#specialevent #bayareatango #sanfrancisco #bailemostango #tangoislife #morethandancing #tangomusic
Las Chicas del Tango @thetangodome Oakland, Califo Las Chicas del Tango
@thetangodome
Oakland, California
26 de agosto de 2023

Piano @sfsumi
Violín @basmaedreesviolin
Contrabajo @hannahmacgilv
Bandoneones @sinai_rim y @clarastern_bandoneon
Cello Vicky Ehrlich

#repost 📸 @clarastern_bandoneon 
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#tango #argentinetango #specialevent #onenightonly #sanfrancisco #oakland #bayareatango #femalemusicians #livemusic #thedome #womenintango #chambermusic #contemporarytango #bayareaconcert #powerhouse #sflovestango
It's been a while since we do a spotlight on any t It's been a while since we do a spotlight on any teacher. But someone like @lucianavallel who has been a regular visiting teacher for over 20 years, we are very glad to welcome her back to San Francisco for the first time post-pandemic! (link in bio!👆)

Starting with pre-Milonga class this Thursday Aug 10 at @milongamalevaje, Friday Aug 11 at Milonga Genesis (hosted by @tangosabor) and two weekends of Intensive Tango Workshops at Monte Cristo Social Club (event link in bio👆)!
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#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino #tangoclass #tangoworkshop #tangoteacher #tangoartist #sanfrancisco #sflovestango #bayareatango
Any time at @tangamente.sf is a great time to revi Any time at @tangamente.sf is a great time to review the social tango etiquette, a.k.a. The Rules of the Road, courtesy of @tangonnection & @ayano.yoneda.tango ♥️
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#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevent #tangofestival #tangomarathon #etiquette #floorcraft
❤️‍🔥 @tango_with_winnie and @hugosatorre ❤️‍🔥 @tango_with_winnie and @hugosatorre continued their SF Tour with a weekend of Adventures in Tango Land at @tangodome !

They first blew us away with Saturday Tango Nightclub joining forces with The Dome's house band, Orquesta Tipica Domo, including a special guest artist Aude Bresson.👏 Then they kept the adventures going with a Sunday afternoon Live Music Practica for Dancers! 🎶❣️🎵🎹

If you miss out The Dome events completely, check out our stories for a few highlights!👆 Want to feel the magic of their music in person? Don't miss the rest of their SF tour!👇
~Tuesday 6/27 at El Valenciano (hosted by @tangosabor w/ Julian)
~Saturday 7/1 at @tangamente.sf (hosted by @tanguera_e and @jesram_sf)

☝️Links in bio!
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#tango #tangoargentino #argentinetango #tangoevent #specialevent #livemusic #tangomusic #contemporarytango #tangodancers #bailemostango
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