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For more information:
Kelly Ray
kellyray2x4@gmail.com
(215) 574-9555
or
Lesley Mitchell
lesleymitchell2x4@gmail.com
(215) 629-2344

About Kelly and Lesley

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Tango, as danced in Buenos Aires, the cosmopolitan capital of Argentina, is an elegant, sensual and intensely connected dance experience. It's been a worldwide favorite for decades, and today is riding a new wave of popularity across the generations. We'll show you its simplicity - and its complexity. You may have seen it on Broadway, but you can do it too.

Just a note about Tango in Logan Square: Huge congratulations to all the winning couples in the competition! We're especially pleased for Dance Philadelphia students Peter & Audrey Kress, Charles Cushing & Edilia Gonzalez, and Robin Schlein & Masha Shutova. Thanks to the Fairmount Park Art Association, Marc Hussner & Kristina McFadden of Urban Tango and Oscuro Quintet for making it such a lovely event! Check out the video & still photos.

We hope you'll join us this Friday, April 20, at our Gala 20th Anniversary MILONGA, first in a series of events celebrating 20 years of bringing Argentine Tango to Philadelphia. The Gala features special events including fine live and recorded tango music, performances by Kelly & Lesley and many of Philadelphia's tango teaching couples, door prizes, cakes by Cornelia, great snacks, dress to impress!

Live music by Trio Los Torribios: Juan Carlos Arias, bandoneon, Pancho Navarro, guitar, and Thomas Lacrozze, bass.
DJ Ewa.

COMMODORE BARRY CLUB, AKA The Irish Center, 6815 Emlen St, Philadelphia
(corner of Emlen St and Carpenter Ln), has a huge hardwood dance floor. Ample parking available on street or at the Carpenter Lane Regional Rail Station, across the street. Note event is NOT at Buttonwood Studio.

8:30 - 9:30 pm Intermediate/Advanced Topics class - Leg Wraps
8:30 - 9:30 pm Introductory (Absolute Beginners) class
9:30 pm - 1:30 am: Dancing to live and recorded music
11 pm break for Performances, etc.

Prices:
Admission: $17,  $10 full-time students with ID
Beginners Lesson FREE
Int/Adv Lesson $10 ($5 with admission)

Let us know on Facebook that you will join us!

Friday, April 27: Maxi Gluzman  returns!  Maxi will teach group classes Friday (before our Friday Night Milonga) and Sunday, and will be available for privates all weekend
Contact MAXI directly to schedule privates: maxigluzman@yahoo.com

Sunday, APRIL 29: At the Fairmount Arts Crawl Kelly will teach & demo SWING! 
2 - 3:15 pm, with live music. Since the event will take place inside at LifeSport Fitness, 2112 Fairmount Ave, please RSVP to place your name on a list of participants to Anna Zacharcenko by April 27. azacharcenko@excite.com or 215-232-6327.

Thursday, MAY 24: Special MILONGA at Buttonwood Studio with music by Oscuro Quintet.  Yes it's THURSDAY, not Friday! Our usual Friday Night Milonga will be cancelled Memorial Day Weekend!

Our Friday Night Milonga has a new schedule with new classes & practica before the Milonga: Kelly or Lesley plus occasional guest instructors will be offering intermediate/advanced classes on selected topics every week.
Intermediate/Advanced Class 8:30 - 9:30 pm
Practica (free), 9:30 to 10 pm
Also at 8:30 pm: Beginners Class (free)
Friday Night Milonga, 10 pm to 2 am
1315 Buttonwood Street, Philadelphia
Prices: 
Int/Adv class: $5 with Milonga admission, $10 without.
Friday Night Milonga admission: $12, full time students $10
Arrivals after 12:30 AM pay 1/2 price
Beginners class always free with milonga admission. Arrivals after 12:30 a.m. pay 1/2 price.
Excellent refreshments! Great tango company! BYO wine. 1315 Buttonwood St, Philadelphia

Milongas (Argentine Dance parties) Every Friday.  1315 Buttonwood Street, Philadelphia
La Milonga en Casa 3rd Sundays at the Buttonwood Studio.

Classes at the Buttonwood Street Studio and at the University City Arts League. 

Tango at Buttonwood Studio, 1315 Buttonwood Street, Philadelphia:
Tango I, Absolute Beginners. Friday, 8:30 - 9:30 pm. Drop in classes, ongoing
Tango I (Fundamentals), Tuesdays 6:30 pm. Drop in classes, ongoing
Tango I, Saturday, 1:30 - 3 pm. 8-week class series, starts Apri l21
Tango II (Variations), Tuesdays 7:30- 8:30 pm. Drop in classes, ongoing
Tango II, Saturdays. 3:00 - 4:30 pm.8-week class series, starts April 21. Move beyond the basics, build leading/following skills, add new tango vocabulary
Tango III, Sundays. 5:30-7 pm. Ongoing. Challenge yourself with new vocabulary, subtle rhythm changes. Hone your skills!
Tango IV, Mondays 7:45 - 9:15 pm. Ongoing.1/2 hour practica follows. Advanced figures and techniques. (Permission of instructor needed)
Special Topics in Tango, Fridays, 8:30 - 9:30 pm. Drop in classes, ongoing

Classes at the University City Arts League, 4226 Spruce Street in West Philly. 
Tango I, Wednesdays 8-9:20 pm, 8-week class series begins Jan. 18

TANGO BOOT CAMPS, intensive 3-hour immersions:  note new SHORTER class duration & LOWER prices!

SUNDAY, April 29: Tango VALS Boot Camp, co-taught by Lesley Mitchell and guest teacher Maxi Gluzman.
For ALL LEVELS

The lovely lyrical Tango Vals doesn't stop. 
Learn the vocabulary & specific rhythms of VALS and how to make your Tango moves cross over to Vals.

Leaders: Your vocabulary is effectively tripled merely by understanding some basic rhythm change possibilities
Followers: As you understand the rhythmic possibilities you begin to share equally in the dance.
Beginners through very experienced dancers will benefit.

Join us for this special one Sunday bootcamp. 
1 to 4:15 pm, with a 15 minute break.

Prices:
$45 for one day paid in advance, $50 at door
$85 for two days paid in advance (ONLY applies to 2 week bootcamps)

Reserve your spot now! Prepay online, send a check, or pay at the door.

Tango Vals Bootcamp (select $45 from dropdown menu)

Two Days $85.00 USD One Day $45.00 USD

Upcoming Tango Boot Camps:
Tango Boot Camps are an opportunity to immerse yourself in a two-day intensive study of Argentine Tango or a related dance such as Tango Vals or Milonga. Boot camps are designed to give you a concentrated learning experience that gets you started fast or takes your dance to the next level. We address key skills such as dance vocabulary, movement, posture, leading & following and musical interpretation for each dance at each level. 
April 29: Tango VALS all levels (a ONE-WEEK bootcamp)
May 6: Tango MUSICALITY (week 2)
May 13 & 20: Tango BEGINNER - INTERMEDIATE
June 3 & 10: Tango BEGINNERS 
June 17 & 24: Tango LEADING FOR WOMEN

TUESDAYS, TangoTuesdays classes & PRACTICA MAX 
6:30 pm Tango Fundamentals 
Fundamentals class addresses one of the basics of tango each week, such as walks, posture, ochos, crosses, molinetes, musicality.
It's for leaders and followers, absolute beginners or anyone who wants to sharpen their basic skills.
7:30 pm Tango Variations
Variations class takes the subject of the first class and expands/develops it for use on the dance floor.
It is also of course for leaders and followers, all levels of dancers with at least some tango experience
8:30 - 11:15 pm Guided Practica
We're available to answer your tango questions throughout the evening. There'll be great tango company and excellent refreshments.

Prices:
1 class $10, 2 classes $17, 2 classes & practica $20
1 class & practica $15
Practica only $7
Discounted series plans available!

UCAL: 4226 Spruce St, Philadelphia (215) 382-7811 (to register for UCAL classes only) BSStudio: 1315 Buttonwood St, Philadelphia (215) 574-9555 or (215) 629-2344 (to register for Buttonwood Street Studio classes or for all other information) Private lessons: Consider arranging small classes tailored to your specific needs. You and a group of friends can find a time that suits you, what aspect you want to concentrate on. Small classes give you lots of individual attention. You can do one lesson or a series, rotate partners or not. Our affordable prices vary according to number of people in class. Examples: $75/hour for 1 or 2 people $90/hour for 4 people $115/hour for 6 people Lesson packages for 1 or 2 people: 3 hours $200 5 hours $300 11 hours $600. Private lessons are available at UCAL and Buttonwood St. Studio. You can arrange for us to videotape your private lessons.

For more information about demonstrations & performances at your events, or group and private lessons, call Kelly or Lesley at (215) 574-9555 or (215) 629-2344.

Milongas (Argentine Tango Parties) Friday Night Milonga Enjoy a warm welcome at the first and longest running Milonga in Philadelphia! We are a diverse and friendly group which meets weekly to share our passion for Tango.  Friday Night Milongas are now officially (instead of de facto) on until 2 am 8:30 - 9:30 pm lesson for beginners: always FREE with milonga admission 8:30 - 9:30 pm intermediate topics lesson: $5 with milonga admission, $10 without 9:30 - 10 pm practica for workshop attendees 10 pm to 2 am dancing to classic tango music Great refreshments, & company, BYOW (bring your own wine or beer) 1315 Buttonwood Street, Philadelphia Admission $12, full time students $10 Arrivals after 12:30 am pay 1/2 price
La Milonga en Casa Potluck dinner and tango dancing. If you'd like to join us at the potluck dinner, please RSVP with your intended contribution, decribed generally, ie appetizer, main dish (meat or vegetarian?), side dish, dessert, wine. If you won't be bringing food but rather intend to support someone else's dish, let us know in advance so we can ask that person to make extra. We want to make sure there is enough food for everyone.  About La Milonga en Casa, held every 3rd Sunday It was conceived nearly a decade ago as an opportunity for the Tango comnunity to enjoy good food, good company and tango. We supply non alcoholic beverages. Each diner is asked to contribute food or wine, keeping in mind that the dinner group usually numbers between 25 & 30 people. Ideally everyone should get at least a taste of what you've brought. Join us for dinner at 7:30 pm and/or tango dancing, 9 - 11:30 pm. Admission to dinner: Something to share. Admission to dance $10; full time students $8. 1315 Buttonwood Street, Philadelphia

Special Events

Join us on Facebook for lots of news and photos of the Philadelphia tango community!

PRESS: See press coverage of the Falls Bridge event: WHYY NewsWorks looks at  Dance on the Falls Bridge 

Dance Tutor lessons! Our Tango Valse 2 online video lessons are available at DanceTutor.com. From DanceTutor.com:
DanceTutor.com is pleased to announce the opening of Argentine Tango Waltz 2. The site is authored and danced by the popular Philadelphia Argentine tango teaching couple, Kelly Ray and Lesley Mitchell, and sports exciting figures, expertly danced and explained,---13 figures in all plus a demonstration video. Say the authors, "..... a fast, smooth dance that joins the seductive and rhythmic melodies of Argentine tango waltz to the complexities of Argentine tango. Tango vals utilizes almost the same vocabulary as tango, the biggest difference perhaps being that in response to the music the dancers tend to choose more turning steps, and also to choose not to pause as they frequently do in tango...". See www.DanceTutor.com for details:
Argentine Tango Waltz 2 table of contents: www.DanceTutor.com/tw2conten.htm
Argentine Tango Waltz 2 sample page with video: www.DanceTutor.com/tw2-12.htm
Argentine Tango Waltz 2 Authors' Introduction: www.DanceTutor.com/tw2-intro.htm

Be sure to check the tango calendar for the latest news. And don't forget Friday night milongas at the Buttonwood Studio, 1315 Buttonwood Street, Philadelphia!

Philadelphia's Argentine Tango Community

See more pictures!

Argentine Tango Links

More Philadelphia area tango information - http://www.tangophiladelphia.com/

Other U.S. cities and regions:
Princeton, NJ - http://www.princeton.edu/~tango/
Washington DC area - http://www.le-tango.com/
San Francisco Bay area - http://www.batango.com/

General Tango Information - National and International:
Reportango Magazine (great where-to-dance listings, general info) -
http://www.reportango.com/reportango.html
A Buenos Aires site (general information) - http://www.abctango.com.ar/
Christian Mensing's great links to tango sites - http://www.inorg.chem.ethz.ch/group/cm/tango_link.html
The Tango Catalog's online web contacts - http://www.thetangocatalogue.com/Links.asp

Our favorite tango music and where to buy it!