The Chicago Mini Tango Festival will be held April 18-20, 2008. Instructors for the festival include Silvina Valz and Oliver Kolker (Buenos Aires), Alicia Pons (Buenos Aires), and Monica Paz and Nestor La Vitola (Buenos Aires). . The djs include Robin Thomas (New York), Ramji Venkataramanan (Ann Arbor), and Robert Hauk (Portland). We hope to have an exciting festival.
Background of the instructors is as follows: Silvina Valz and Oliver Kolker Argentinean Silvina Valz teaches and performs tango throughout Europe, Japan, the United States and Buenos Aires. Silvina is one of the young great tango dancers whose dance incorporates elements from all styles of tango. She has studied and practiced tango in Buenos Aires with different teachers, among others, Pepito Avellaneda and Gustavo Naviera. Silvina is a dancer of the younger generation, known for her work with milonga master, Dany García (El Flaco). In addition to being one of the tango's rising stars, Silvina has worked as a choreographer and production assistant with the Theatre Antoine Vitoz. She has taught dancing and acting to young people in the National School for the Blind. She has a unique and beautiful dance style, filled with humor and passion. Her teaching is clear and well structured. Her work is grounded in the classic styles of tango, and is also a bridge to the more modern styles. Oliver Kolker, born in New York City, grew up in Argentina. His love for the Tango was inspired by his grandmother, a Tango singer and dancer. He studied with Miguel Angel Zotto, Osvaldo Zotto, Roberto Herrera, Graciela Gonzalez, Carlos Gavito, Carlos Copello, Horacio Godoy, and Luis Solanas. Together with Mora Godoy, Oliver started "Tango Emocion," a dance company of 6 couples and the Lisandro Adrovers Quintet. They toured throughout Europe visiting The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Finland and Sweden. In 2002, Oliver placed 6th out of 150 couples at the World Tango Championship Salon Category. At the World Tango Championship in 2004, he reached the finals in the Stage Category. More recently, Oliver taught in Israel as a special guest artist at the most prestigious Tango School in Tel Aviv, the Lidor Dance Studio. In New York City, he launched the extremely popular "TangoExperience," a company that organizes trips Buenos Aires for people to immerse themselves in the "world that is Tango." Oliver's passion for dancing and teaching the Tango has enriched Stepping Out's program immensely. To quote: "With Tango I have found my expression, my way of being able to communicate with another dancer in a beautiful dialogue." Silvia and Oliver were recently part of the production "El Rey del Tango" in New York City. For more information on Silvina Valz go to www.paratango.com. To view some videos of there performances go to: http://youtube.com/watch?v=wDJKTMWVLM4; http://youtube.com/watch?v=9oOFFpLlN2o; http://youtube.com/watch?v=SIrUCuPe2XE; or http://youtube.com/watch?v=joj5V3IQAjQ. Alicia Pons Alicia Pons is an elegant and accomplished dancer with a refined technique and distinctive personality. Her ability to imbue the role of the woman with verve and style has made her one of the most sought after female partners in the milongas of Buenos Aires. And, she wows her tango partners here in the US when she visits. She is most noted for her footwork and sensual seduction, which are done with humor and decorum. She exemplifies presence in the dance, and this is a focus in her teaching for both men and women. As a teacher, Alicia emphasizes the connection with one's partner, and in particular the woman's ability to not just follow, but to be an equal protagonist in the dance. She is a very warm and caring person who loves to share her knowledge. Alicia was trained in classical ballet from an early age and as a young woman performed in some of Buenos Aires' most famous theaters such as the Colón, the Coliseo, and the Alvear. She was later introduced to tango, and her first teacher was Graciela Gonzalez, whose women's technique has shaped her tango footwork. But Alicia gravitated toward the milonguero style and her first inspiration and male teacher in that style was Tete Rusconi, one of the most renowned milongueros of his generation. She taught a number of years with Cacho Dante, with whom she has performed at the Teatro San Martin as part of the City of Buenos Aires Tango Festival. Alicia has been teaching both private and group classes on her own for the last few years, and has also become a very popular visiting instructor on the U.S. Argentine tango workshop circuit. Alicia's teaching methods are grounded in her academic training. She holds a degree in Educational Science and Psychology, and is currently an instructor for university level education students. In addition to this she teaches tango, raises her two sons, and runs her family real estate business. For more information regarding Alicia Pons, please go to: http://www.aliciapons.com.ar/home-ingles.htm Monica Paz and Nestor La Vitola Nestor La Vitola is one of the few remaining true milongueros and has 50 years of experience dancing tango. Monica Paz is a highly-trained, expert tango teacher who combines a high academic background with long years of experience in teaching. Monica and Nestor were Metropolitan Champions in 2001. They also were finalists in the First Salon Tango World Championship in 2002. They were members of the cast of the very successful "Una Arrabalera de Hoy" for two years at the Café Tortoni in Buenos Aires. In addition, they were members of the dance group in the "Dia Nacional del Tango" show which was stage in the Teatro Astral. Monica and Nestor have also danced alongside such top-ranked musicians such as Anibal Arias (guitar) and Osvaldo Montes (bandoneon) in the Mar Del Plata Hotel Sheraton, and Pascual Monmone (bandoneon) in the Argentine Hebrew Association. They and their students have also been invited on various occasions to take part in shows put on by the Argentine National Library. Nestor and Monica are experts in Salon Tango-Milonguero Style, Tango Waltz and Milonga. Monica also specializes in teaching technique for women and has led many courses and seminars. They are members of the Argentine Association of Teachers and Dancers of Salon Tango. For more information go to www.tangopormilongueros.com . You can also see some of their performances at: http://tangopormilongueros.com/gallery.php# and http://youtube.com/watch?v=uOs6_PlKLnE / An updated 2008 website (www.chicagotangofestival.com ) will be up in the next several weeks. It will contain more details concerning instructors, workshops, djs, location, lodging, and pricing. In the meantime if you have any questions please contact me at [email protected]. Please forward this email to your friends. If you or they would like to subscribe to our mailing list, please have them send an email to [email protected] or have them subscribe to the Chicago Tango Festival yahoo website at [email protected] . Looking forward to seeing you in April. Take care, Ray Barbosa .
