• 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

The Dome, a tango event space unicorn

July 22, 2022

If you haven’t heard of The Dome or haven’t yet been there for a live tango music event, you are missing out.

What is The Dome & who is behind it?

The Dome Center for Art, Music and Dance, is a dome-shaped live/work space for Bay Area artists in Oakland, established by the renowned sculptor Peter Voulkos in 1976. Now under the direction of Pier Voulkos, Clay Jensen, and Daniel Peters, The Dome aims to nurture the creation of new work by artists, musicians, and dancers.

[Image Description: a photo of Pier Voulkos sitting on an office chair with Libby, a Jack Russell Terrier, on her lap, next to a photo of Daniel Peters holding a clear plastic dome over his head and Clay Jensen in the background holding onto a Big Joe forklift.]

The Dome Underground Night Club ran by Tango Unicorns

Dan & Pier dancing at The Dome

Dan and Pier discovered Argentine Tango in 1997. As former professional modern dancers, they became immersed in the improvisation and creative possibilities of this social dance and haven’t stopped creating since. They have performed Argentine Tango throughout California as soloists and in collaborative Tango performance groups. Pier is also a founding member, dancer, and choreographer with Tango Con*Fusión, a local all-woman tango performance group. As art director for the San Francisco Tango Exchange (2006-2009), stage director for the Queer Tango Festival Shows (2011-2013), director of “Women’s Stories” for Tango Con Fusion in 2014, as well as a filmmaker known for making 16mm “silent” tango films, Dan is the Artist Director for The Dome.

In collaboration with musical director Alexander Zeyliger, Dan and Pier partner with Clay, a retired teacher from California College of the Arts, and the business and building partner, in actively keeping The Dome alive and kicking – they pour their hearts and sweat into creating a home for Big Band Tango dance and musical performances featuring artists from around the world.

The Vision of ‘Underground Tango Night Club’

As many tango friends have affectionately nicknamed Dan a “benevolent dictator”, he shared with us the unique vision for The Dome – an Underground Tango Night Club.

We don’t want to create yet another pop-up type or typical tango social event. A regular Milonga can’t regularly hire or have the space to host 2-3 or more tango bands at once. We not only have the space, but also have the artistic freedom (thanks to Pier’s father) to build an entire evening around visiting musicians who are on concert tours to have opportunities to collaborate with local musicians.

Daniel Peters

Where did The Tango Night Club idea come from?

“NIGHT CLUB” Tango is inspired by the New York City nightclubs of the 30s and 40s where the music and the musicians were the stars of the show. Most NY nightclubs of this era had dancing, but these shows were wildly popular with the non-dancing public as well.

Night Club Tango at the Dome is a combination of a sit-down Music Concert and Milonga Atipica. For the sit-down concert, we cover the dance floor with pillows, move chairs, and get closer to the Musicians for a more intimate listening vibe. The concert will last about half an hour, and the rest of the evening is dancing to live music, and adventuresome DJ sets/tandas.

The Dome

What are “Cortina Concert” Solos?

A unique feature of the Milonga Atipica is the “Cortina Concert Solos”. These are one full-length song performed as a mini concert by one or two musicians. The dancers are asked to leave the dance floor for the Cortina Solos to be able to fully appreciate the piece.

When did this Tango Night Club officially open?

The stage for the musicians to play and the portable dance floor for dancers were assembled as a labor of love in late February and early March of 2020, in preparation for a fundraiser milonga for the San Francisco Tango Exchange (SFTX) Rebooted, originally planned for August 2020.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by San Francisco Tango Exchange (@sftangoexchange)

Well, as everyone can guess, SFTX 2020 did not happen because the pandemic changed everything. But Pier and Dan, along with the SFTX crew were able to pull off the very first Big Band Tango event at The Dome on March 7, 2020. That marked the official opening of The Dome Underground Tango Night Club.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by San Francisco Tango Exchange (@sftangoexchange)

Music-loving non-dancers are welcome

The Dome is a great place for dancers to bring their non-dancing friends. About a quarter of our audience at the Dome is coming to just hear the music in the same way they’d go to a concert. They often linger after the concert because they also want to see the big band tango orchestra play for dancers.

Daniel Peters

Isn’t it nice that The Dome becomes the place to marry the two audiences – those for musicians, the ”music-lover”, and those for dancers, the “obsessed about dancing” crowd? It’d become a one-of-kind place the two audiences would both feel that they can just hang out, chill, and mingle.

When worlds collide…

One of the big surprises for Pier and Dan when they first started scouting for, or hiring musicians, was the great divide between musicians who play Piazzolla-style concert music, and musicians who play in tango bands for dancers. For some, it’s not as common an opportunity to perform for social dancing. Now, one of the things they’re most proud of is this genre-bending musical collaboration between The Dome’s house band, the Orquesta Tipica Domo, and the musicians who are concert touring, such as Ramiro Boero, Pablo Estigarribia, Winnie Cheung.

What does success for you in this endeavor look like?

Every event is actually months in preparation – fitting musicians’ schedules into tours, everyone else involved, the challenge of COVID… that we’re happy when it’s over. And then it’s on to planning the next one!

Daniel Peters
“Four Tango Bands, One Dome” open rehearsal & práctica with live music on November 21, 2021

Upcoming events

ARCO and AIRE – this Saturday, July 23rd!

ARCO and AIRE

ARCO and AIRE July 23rd at the Dome! Cellist Maxfield Wollam-Fisher and Bandoneonist Heyni Solera join forces to present traditional and contemporary tangos in our Tango Nightclub Format. The concert will be followed by live dance music with Orquesta Tipica Domo. For ticket reservations, email tangodome@gmail.com.


Women in Tango

Today’s Women in Tango: Carving Out Spaces lecture by Heyni Solera – this Sunday, July 24!

For the past six years, Argentina has seen the feminist movement increase in drive and power. In 2015, the movement “Ni Una Menos” mobilized women to form collectives and to fight for their rights. Several important pieces of legislation have passed as a result of this movement, such as the “Ley De Ocupo” and the legalization of abortion. Tango music has also been influenced by this movement as more female tango musicians begin to form all-women ensembles, take on positions of leadership, engage with the social change through protest and academic research, etc. Using an ethnomusicological approach, this lecture focuses on 14 different female tango musicians to shed some insight on how today’s women in tango position themselves during this time period, and how they are carving out for themselves a space in a historically male-dominated genre.

To get ticket reservations, email: tangodome@gmail.com


Winnie & Hugo

Tango Concert with Winne and Hugo – September 24, 2022 *

Tango with Winnie and Hugo Satorre returns with a full tango orchestra in a glamorous evening full of listening and movement at the famed DOME, Oakland, CA! The duo will begin with an intimate concert, followed by a live full tango orchestra playing for your dancing pleasure.  Fully vaccinated audience only.

* Email tangodome@gmail.com to get on the waiting list!

Filed Under: Interviews, Live Tango Music, Special Events Tagged With: Argentine Tango, Bay Area Tango, Live Tango Music, SF Tango

Tango scenes in SF

sflovestango

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

sflovestango
🎶Tango Canción Night 🎤, hosted by Pier Voul 🎶Tango Canción Night 🎤, hosted by Pier Voulkos and Daniel Peters, happened last Saturday, March 4, at @thetangodome in Oakland. ❤️‍🔥 It not only signified the opening of 2023 season of Big Band Tango events at The Dome, but also premiered Scott O'Day Orchestra, including Scott's all new arrangements such as a vocal duet & trio of the classic tango "Mariposita". 

✨Featured Artists✨
Scott O'Day @scottodaymusic – guitar
Elyse Weakley @steelnhammers – piano 
Anton Estaniel @antonestaniel – cello
Daniel Fabricant @fabricanfabricant – bass
Sara Chazin – violin
Veronica Freidkes @veroverofreidkes– vocal
Christianna Valentina @christiannavalentina – vocal

💁🏻about 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗿𝘁, 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲
All shows at The Dome are private fundraising parties. The suggested donation is just that. If money is tight for you now, pay $1. If you're flush, consider donating more. Big bands require big budgets. Email tangodome@gmail.com to make ticket reservations now! All proceeds go directly to the musicians.

📍The Dome
951 62nd Street
Oakland CA 94608
.
.
.
#tango #concert #specialevent #onenightonly #tangomusic #contemporarymusic #contemporarytango #womenintango #womeninmusic #musiciansofinstagram #oakland #california #bayareatango #tangomusicians #livemusic
This month, we celebrate and honor the impact of w This month, we celebrate and honor the impact of women internationally. ❤️

Last Sunday, despite the rain, our very own tango dancer & singer, @teresatam.sing, opened her home to an intimate audience with her inaugural house concert. Joined by pianist @sfsumi (who’s often the host & organizer to many traveling musicians!) and visiting bandoneón player @colombo.fabri, an afternoon with live post-golden era contemporary tango music was well spent.
.
.
.
#tango #concert #specialevent #onenightonly #tangomusic #contemporarymusic #contemporarytango #womenintango #womeninmusic #travelingmusician #tour #musiciansofinstagram #sanfrancisco #california  #bayareatango #tangomusicians
❤️ 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩 ❤️

This month is all about sharing love. And in the spirit of love, we’d like to tell you stories about 𝗖𝗵𝗲!, an endeavor by Ramada and @tanguera_e to create a collective of tango events that are inclusive and friendly.
👉 article link in bio! 🔗

(📸: @che_tango_sf)
.
.
.
#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino #tangoevent #tangostories #milonga #bayareatango #sflovestango #chetangosf #sanfrancisco #tangosanfrancisco
✨SUNDAY NIGHT TANGO ✨ Located conveniently in ✨SUNDAY NIGHT TANGO ✨

Located conveniently in downtown Mountain View, Alberto’s Night Club has a large dance floor, a full bar and brings in a consistent good crowd for Sunday night social tango dancing for many years.

Here are a couple of quick snaps from last night with DJ @loco_chung 📸 when the President’s Day long weekend brought out local dancers driving from SF/Marin/east bay and welcomed visitors near and far.
.
.
.
#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino #tangodancers #tangolovers #dancecouple #socialdancing #tangoevent #milonganight #embrace #bailar #bailemos #dance #partnerdance #improvisation #dancingislife #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! 🙌 
.
.
.
#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.
.
.
.
#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
.
.
.
#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. 
.
.
.
#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!
.
..
.
❣️ 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
.
..
.
❣️ 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. 
.
..
.
❣️about Artist Migration❣️

ANTI CAPITALIST ART
Artist-led curatorial project providing performance and exhibition opportunities to international artists.
.
.
.
#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 
.
.
.
#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!
.
.
.
#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)
.
.
.
#tango #argentinetango #tangoargentino #specialevent #bayareatango #tangomusic #livemusic #tangomusicians #bandoneon #piano #doublebass #violin #quartet #onenightonly #milonganight #sanfrancisco #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