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Teacher Spotlight: Cristian and Fernanda of Feeltango

May 30, 2013

Learning tango may seem complicated and challenging at first, but what it really comes down to is feeling and connection.

When dancing Tango it helps to find connection with the music, your partner and your own emotions.  Cristian Sierra and Fernanda Valdovinos of Feeltango teach from this perspective. They are a friendly and enthusiastic couple from Santiago, Chile who have recently moved to the Bay Area.  Cristian has spent several years as a tango DJ and Fernanda is very experienced with Biodanza, a worldwide dance that incorporates music, movement and positive feelings to deepen self-awareness. Wanting to know more about them, I asked to interview them for SF Loves Tango. They generously shared their story and knowledge with us:

SF Loves Tango: First of all, we are thrilled to have two new tango instructors here in the Bay Area. How did you choose Berkeley, California for your new home?

Cristian and Fernanda of Feeltango
Cristian and Fernanda of Feeltango

Feeltango: Fernanda visited Berkeley last year while doing part of her PhD research. She immediately fell in love with Berkeley. She really loves the society and quality of life here, particularly because of the great combination of open minds, intellectual, hippie and artistic people. Besides, UC Berkeley is very recognized in Chile and Fernanda had always heard about it because it was her father’s dream to attend here. Another important point is that here you have a lot of tango activities. Therefore, this place has the perfect combination for us, because Cristian’s job is Tango. Thus, we have Tango, and Fernanda her Science, all together here.

SF Loves Tango: What is your teaching philosophy?

Feeltango: The most important things for us in Tango are the passion, the feelings and the culture; therefore we are “Feeltango”. Our teaching philosophy is coherent with that. We encourage our students to connect their souls and life with their partner and music while they are dancing. Tango is quite more than just technical movements and fancy steps; Tango is the life reflected in the lyrics, music, and dance, always in a social context. But for being able to connect with our feelings and partner, we need good walking, well-connected embrace, good posture and musicality. Therefore, we have two class series, “Fundamentals of Tango” and “The Musicality Class”. In “Fundamentals of Tango”, we work hard on embrace, walking and posture. In “The Musicality Class” we work on the interpretation of the music and lyrics, by exploring the movements that match well to the different instruments, orchestras and stories that the lyrics tell.

SF Loves Tango: What style of Tango do you prefer?

Feeltango: We prefer traditional Tango. Our style is a combination of Tango Salon and Tango Milonguero. It depends on the orchestra that we are dancing, if our embrace and quality of movements are closer to what people refer to “Tango Salón” or to “Tango Milonguero”.

SF Loves Tango:  What do you like to do when not dancing Tango?

Feeltango: Fernanda is a researcher in Theoretical Ecology, which is another passion in her life. Besides this, she likes reading and spinning, pilates and yoga. She also loves to discover new things about society and culture. Cristian loves listening to music and watching videos from all epochs of Tango. He also spends time talking with his friends in the Tango community all around the world, to exchange their views and thoughts about Tango today. We also love to hang out with friends!

SF Loves Tango – Questions for Fernanda:
 I read that you have practiced Biodanza for 10 years. Doing a little research, this is what I learned: “Biodanza is a movement based system that integrates music, dance and authentic relationships with self, others, and the world to support health, joy and a sense of being fully alive.” It seems there are similarities between Biodanza and Tango. Has Biodanza affected your understanding of Tango?

Fernanda: All my years of Biodanza are helping me now to deeply connect with my feelings and life experiences through the music, and being able to transmit them to my partner while we’re dancing; and also feel and receive the emotions of my partner, establishing a communication of emotions through the dance.

Happy dancers after Feeltango class

SF Loves Tango – Questions for Cristian:
 Having been a Tango DJ for many years, how has this affected your approach to teaching and dancing Tango? Who are your favorite orchestras?

Cristian: Knowing the music of tango, the history of the orchestras, their differences, are very important for the dancer to understand Tango, its context, and to properly dance each of the great variety of songs that Tango has in all its history. Therefore, all this knowledge is crucial for a teacher to completely transmit Tango to others. My favorite orchestras are Carlos Di Sarli, Osvaldo Pugliese and Juan D’Arienzo.

SF Loves Tango: Is there anything else you would like to share with the Bay Area Tango community?

Feeltango: Yes. Tango has been present in Chilean culture for a long time. Valparaiso was one of the only ports able to receive the largest vessels in the Southern part of the Pacific, since its founding in 1544. It was through sailors and merchants that sailed the usual trip between Buenos Aires and Valparaiso that Tango arrived very early to Chile (around 1900). After some years, Tango became popular all over the country. Many Tango orchestras visited Chile: Julio Decaro (1937), Rodolfo Biagi (1942), Miguel Calo (1946), Anibal Troilo (1957), Francisco Canaro y su Orquesta Tipica (1959) and Alfredo de Angelis (1950 and 1988), among others. During a visit of Enrique Santos Discepolo with a theater company in 1931, he created the most famous Tango about Santiago “El Carrillón de La Merced”, in honor of the bells of the church La Merced, located in the same street where Cristian lived with Carlitos Espinoza before living with Fernanda. Particularly, Fernanda’s grandparents danced Tango those years, and her grand uncle sings Tango until now, plus Cristian’s grand uncle was a Tango lover as well. Nowadays, it is only a one and a half hour flight between Santiago and Buenos Aires. Therefore, we travel often to Buenos Aires, and also many dancers and teachers from Buenos Aires visit us. Our most well-known dancer now is Carlitos Espinoza (half Chilean and half Argentinean, but local in Chile for many years), who is dancing with Noelia Hurtado all around the world.

Finally, we invite to everyone to our Papirusa Milonga, which will be held every 2nd Saturday at Lake Merritt Dance Center. And, especially the first one (June 8th), our Welcome Milonga, where we will perform and Cristian will DJ for first time in the US!

Thank you Cristian and Fernanda! To learn more about Feeltango and see schedule of classes visit their website: www.feeltango.com

If you have not met them yet, Cristian and Fernanda will be teaching at the Blue Unicorn Milonga tomorrow night!

Friday, May 31
8:00 – 9:00   Class with Cristian & Fernanda
9:00 – 1:30a   Milonga

Metronome Dance Collective
1830 17th St., San Francisco, CA

And make sure to suppport their First Milonga Papirusa:

Milonga Papirusa

Saturday, Jun. 8
8:30 a 9:00   Pre -milonga Class
9:00 a 12:00   Milonga Papirusa

Lake Merritt Dance Center
200 Grand Ave., Oakland, CA

Filed Under: Learning Tango, Musings, Teacher Spotlight Tagged With: Argentine Tango, Bay Area Tango, Berkeley Tango, biodanza, blue unicorn milonga, chile, cristian and fernanda, feeltango, milonga papirusa, San Francisco Tango

Tango scenes in SF

sflovestango

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

sflovestango
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
🤩 𝓜𝓲𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓪 𝓕𝓲𝓪𝓽 🤩 𝓜𝓲𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓪 𝓕𝓲𝓪𝓽 𝓛𝓾𝔁 by the @berkeleytangoclub (ATCB) returned to the #ucberkeley campus earlier today, with DJ Prashant! 🎶

The ATCB is a Registered Student Organization of the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC), comprised of University of California Berkeley students, staff, alumni, and members of the local community who love tango. Their mission is to develop a student tango community at UC Berkeley fit to carry the flag of this generation and the generations to come.

They currently hold classes and práctica every Sunday and a milonga (Milonga Fiat Lux!) about once a month. Whether you are just beginning tango, or have been dancing for some time, you are welcome to join. They aim to hold high-quality events to prepare students to become active members of the Bay Area tango community, and to provide a safe and welcoming social dancing environment.

📌 Mark your calendar for the next Milonga Fiat Lux, a winter edition🎄
𝟮–𝟱𝗽𝗺 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟰
See you in 𝟮𝟰𝟬 𝗘𝘀𝗵𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹 of UC Berkeley!
https://m.facebook.com/events/1713049302422431

For more updates:
Email: ucbtango@gmail.com
Facebook: @ArgentineTangoClubBerkeley
Instagram: @berkeleytangoclub 
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#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino #tangoargentino♥️ #tangoevent #milonga #socialdance #partnerdance #bailemos #bailar #bailando #dancing #tangodancers #berkeleytangoclub #bayareatango #sflovestango
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