On Argentine Tango

Born along the banks of Río de la Plata more than a century ago, ARGENTINE TANGO is among the most dynamic and intoxicating dances ever created. In its social form, as we explore it, TANGO is completely improvised — two bodies, intimately connected, co-creating a unique and spontaneous expression in time and space.

No prior dance experience is necessary — just a willingness to open yourself to this potent "kinetic language" and the distinctive music that drives it, and a desire to begin exploring the many possibilities that TANGO has to offer ... subtle, complex, elegant and profound.

For more on Argentine Tango in Ojai, use the link menus above — or just scroll down the page ...

Overview on Monday Night Tango in Ojai

TANGO CLASS + PRÁCTICA

— Huge hardwood floor, art on the walls, friendly people —

SOCIAL DANCING - The Monday Night "TANGO INCIDENT" in Ojai

— Eating, drinking, music, friends, plenty of tango —

 

HOSTED BY:

Stephen Bauer  +  Debbie Edwards

Calendar

For a run-down of our upcoming dates and events, please see our listings on:

 TANGO MANGO  

Map + Driving Directions

For Tango Class + Práctica:

Map to Ojai Art Center — 113 South Montgomery, Ojai — from Google Maps ...

 

For Social Dancing - the Monday Night "Tango Incident":

Map to Los Caporales — 307 East Ojai Avenue, Ojai — from Google Maps ...

 

• From US 101 in Ventura, take CA 33 north toward Ojai.

• Keep going straight as CA 150 joins CA 33, then swings east to take you into Ojai. Stay on CA 150.

• The "center of town" is the stop light at Signal Street — you'll see the Post Office on the SE corner, with its iconic bell tower.

• For Los Caporales:  Turn right/south just past Libbey Park, into the lot between the park and the "Nomad" Art Gallery — the restaurant is on the south corner of the building, #105.

• For the Art Center:  Continue east approximately 0.1 miles, past Libbey Park, and turn right/south onto South Montgomery — the Art Center is half a block down, on your right.

Some Details on Monday Night Tango in Ojai

The Monday night classes, prácticas and social dancing in Ojai give local and visiting dancers several ways to meet, learn, practice and explore the Argentine tango.

 

Drop-In Tango Class at the Art Center

1st + 3rd Mondays, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Aimed primarily at newer dancers, the Monday night classes focus on the basics of Argentine tango — those fundamental techniques, elements, relationships and variables that make this exceptional dance possible.

	Guest Teacher Andres Amarilla — photo by Rob Clement

No prior dance experience is necessary. Topics and issues will vary from session to session, allowing dancers to build up skill, confidence and experience at their own pace.

Advanced beginners and intermediate dancers are also welcome to attend. Since a strong grasp of core fundamentals is widely acknowledged as the key to all of tango's more complex situations and possibilities, experienced dancers recognize that regular review and ongoing refinement of these basic skills are among the best ways to improve the overall fluency, creativity and depth of their dancing.

In order to accommodate the open prácticas that follow, we will do our best to begin and end promptly — to enjoy a full hour of class, please be ready to dance at 6:00 p.m.

Monday night tango classes take place in the Gallery at the Ojai Art Center, and are open to all dancers on a "drop-in" basis. There is no need to sign up in advance, or to come with a partner. The cost of each one-hour class is $10 per person.

 

Dance Space in the Gallery at the Ojai Art Center

Open Prácticas at the Art Center

1st + 3rd Mondays, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

The prácticas are "practice sessions" rather than formal classes.

Here the focus is on providing an open floor and a selection of music so that dancers who've had some exposure to tango can practice and apply what they know, learn from each other, experiment and try new things, get extra help, and find or change partners.

At the Práctica — photo by Rob Clement

During this, we'll be on hand to supervise, answer questions, and play music ... but we will not aim to present new material in any organized fashion.

Any level of skill or experience is appropriate and welcome at the práctica — including active and seasoned dancers, beginners just starting their tango explorations, prodigal tangueros looking for a way to shake out the cobwebs and reconnect with what they know.

Monday night prácticas are open to all local and visiting tango dancers on a "drop-in" basis. There is no need to sign up in advance, or to come with a partner. Admission is by donation — to help us cover the cost of the dance floor.

 

Photo by Elisa Miller

Photo by Rob Clement

Photo by Elisa Miller

The "Tango Incident" - Social Dancing at Los Caporales

1st + 3rd Mondays, 8:15 - 10:00 p.m.

After each Monday night class and práctica, consider joining us for more tango as we create an informal milonga in a friendly restaurant setting — at Los Caporales Restaurant, just behind the Art Center, next to Libbey Park.

The Monday Night "Tango Incident" begins as the dinner rush winds down and we push a few tables aside to make space. Typically, we dance indoors on the tile, although on warm summer nights, we have been known to create an impromptu dance floor outside on the flagstones of the patio. Either way, we tango until the restaurant closes — usually around 10:00 o'clock.

Over the years, our patronage at Los Caporales has helped turn these Monday nights of tango into a regular event — a modest Ojai version of the informal Wednesday night milongas at Santa Barbara's wonderful Cafe Buenos Aires.

The family-run Los Caporales is also a good place to invite your tango-curious friends to give them a sense of what this dance all about. The kitchen stays open until 9:00 p.m. on Mondays serving authentic Mexican dishes from heritage recipes, and the fully stocked tequila bar boasts "the best margaritas in town."

A bistro, music in the air, friends, food, everyone dancing among the tables ... it's all classic tango. We hope to see you there.

Los Caporales in Ojai		Dancing at Los Caporales

Music

We play a wide variety of music for tango dancers throughout the evening, ranging from the familiar and beloved classics of tango's "Golden Age" to the fresh and provocative sounds of today's tango musicians.

Class typically features tango standards and other music with the kind of clear beat and even tempo that is most appropriate for newer dancers.

During the práctica, the sound becomes more eclectic — usually a wider mix of tangos, milongas and valses reflecting many styles, tempos, moods and approaches, including fresh interpretations of familiar music and selected newer pieces.

In our first hour or so of social dancing at Los Caporales, we often lean toward classics from our favorite "Golden Age" orquestas — the kinds of tangos, milongas and valses that dancers are likely to hear played in traditional clubs and venues throughout the world.

As the evening progresses, however, so does the music: In our last hour, we delve into today's rich "neo-tango" sound and sensibility — electronic and acoustic recordings of modern compositions, innovative tangos with a non-traditional edge and perspective, and some of the latest experiments in fusion, crossover and "alternative" sounds that are helping drive tango's ongoing evolution and transformation into a truly global art form.

Newcomers

Newcomers and other people curious about tango are invited to stop by any part of these Monday evenings to meet local dancers, ask questions, watch, listen, and get a taste of what we do — so feel free to invite your friends and spread the word ...

Footwear

If you'd like to dance with us, please remember to bring proper shoes. In class and at the práctica, choose shoes with leather or other hard soles that slide easily and won't leave marks on a fine hardwood floor. Since many tango elements involve a pivot of some kind, shoes with softer or rubber soles that tend to "grip" the floor will make dancing much harder than it should be, and are usually a poor choice.

In all situations, shoes with laces or secure straps are recommended for tango. It's best to avoid gym shoes, loafers, mules, boots, clogs, loose sandals, flip-flops, and other similar footwear. Although heels are customary for women, flat shoes are fine too.

On those occasions when we're outdoors on the rougher flagstones of the restaurant's patio, dancers may want to avoid wearing their more delicate or suede-soled shoes.

Flyer

If you'd like to share information about Monday Night Tango in Ojai on paper, we invite you to download a copy of our simple one-page .pdf flyer (64k), which outlines all the main details ...