Mask requirement to change

March to end with Live Music Milonga

Big Plans for April

The mask requirements for our dance floor have just been modified to allow masks to be optional. This change was made in response to CDC guidelines that were revised three weeks ago. Many of you have asked when this was going to happen. Some of you have not been dancing at VivaTango because masks were required. And, some of you were coming because we were requiring masks. The obvious dilemma is that not everyone will be pleased with this change. VivaTango wants to assure everyone that we are still work to create the safest environment possible, we will continue to require everyone to show proof of full vaccination on their first visit, and to fill out a short health questionnaire each time they check in. There will be sanitation stations, the superb ventilation system and no open food.

Those who wish to wear face coverings are welcome to do so. Dancers have told me that they have gotten used to masks and can dance comfortably in them now. Tango tradition has a wonderful etiquette that makes race, religions, politics and masks non factors. In the true spirit of Tango traditions eye contact plus a cabeceo seals a contract to dance a tanda. In this context the right thing to do is if one of the partners is wearing a mask, the other should be prepared to wear a mask also, or not accept the cabeceo. So, if you choose not to wear a mask you should have one handy in case the partner of your choice is wearing one.

TWO BIG EVENTS FOR YOU TO END MARCH

Celebrate Spring with DimOn! Pablo Garcia Gomez and Iwona Ionescu will be the featured instructors and DimOn the Tango DJ will host the Milonga at the March 24^th VivaTango event. The lesson title is “Make it round, make it sharp: the full beauty of turns!”  DimOn the TangoDJ will turn the milonga into a celebration of Spring. EVENT LINK

Blue Moon Milonga on March 31^st. Tango restarted in Princeton this March. The Blue Moon Milonga will complete March with a celebration. The milonga will feature Maurizio Najt playing piano and Shinjoo Cho playing the bandoneon. Four hours of dancing. EVENT LINK

APRIL’S HIGHLIGHTS

April 7^th  MayoK aka Urszula, our world traveling DJ has left Europe is now in Morocco but will return to host this milonga.Pablo Garcia Gomez and Iwona Ionescu will teach a lesson before the milonga.

April 14^th  Meredith Klein with dance partner Andres Amarilla will host the milonga and teach a lesson.

April 21^st Will feature a Performance by Helen Wang and James Archambault. They will also tach a lesson and host a milonga.

April 28^th  Live Music Milonga will feature the Yazmina Raies Trio.

OTHER EVENTS IN THE AREA

Last chance for the Intensive Class on Milonga

More details at EVENT LINK

Milonga at Moulin Rouge – April 1^st

The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia is holding a Moulin Rouge event. As part of this there will be a milonga and beginner classes organized by Meredith Klein. Tickets are $40 in advance and $45 at the door. Registration is at: https://www.fi.edu/.

Philadelphia Tango Festival – June 2-5

More information and registration at https://www.philadelphiatangofestival.com/

I hope you have enjoyed this newsletter. If you have any comments, suggestions, questions or just want to say hello you can reply to this email.

Dennis

Saint Patrick’s Day Celebration Milonga!

VivaTango reached a milestone last week. Two hundred dancers have signed in at our events since the post Covid restart in July of 2021. Some of the dancers have been part of the 20-year pre Covid Thursday Tango dance community here in Princeton, but may of the names are new. VivaTango and the Tango community want to thank all 200 dancers for their support. 

The Irish are fun loving people and experts at celebrating. We join in that tradition and will party hard and celebrate this Thursday. Come join in the fun and dancing. It has been a long time since Saint Patrick’s Day landed on a Thursday. My big question is will we see any kilts on the dance floor again? Wear some green.

This week, Andres and Meredith’s lesson topic is Rhythmic Movements for D’Arienzo-style music.  They will teach how to change your movement style to better reflect the rhythmic cadences of D’Arienzo, and how to make better choices of material to embody this iconic music. Andres & Meredith are looking forward to exploring this topic with you on Thursday! Lesson starts at 7 PM and Milongas starts at 8:15. Lesson $15, Milonga $15, both $20. Proof of vaccination and masks are required.

Read about more upcoming events in Princeton and the surrounding Tango Territory.

Meredith Klein with dance partner Andres Amarilla will host the milonga March 17^th. Come celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day at this milonga. Meredith and Andres  are Instructors, performers and event organizers. They provide a wide scope of Argentine Tango dance and music events in the Philadelphia area, including the Philadelphia Tango Festival. They are well known in the international Tango community. They are looking forward to seeing all their friends at VivaTango Thursday. EVENT LINK

Celebrate Spring! Pablo Garcia Gomez and Iwona Ionescu will be the featured instructors and DimOn the Tango DJ will host the Milonga at the March 24^th VivaTango event. Pablo, who is originally from the suburbs of Buenos Aires, has studied tango with various master teachers in his home country and in the United States. Iwona explored a few other forms of dance before taking up tango, which she has studied in depth. Pablo and Iwona teach the Argentine tango classes at Princeton Adult School and they teach regularly at Viva Tango in Princeton, where they are artists in residence. DimOn the TangoDJ will turn the milonga into a celebration of Spring. EVENT LINK

Blue Moon Milonga on March 31^st will celebrate the restarting of Tango in Princeton. Save the date for this celebration!

Intensive Class on Milonga by Helen Wang in NYC

Celebrate Spring! Pablo Garcia Gomez and Iwona Ionescu will be the featured instructors and DimOn the Tango DJ will host the Milonga at the March 24^th VivaTango event. Pablo, who is originally from the suburbs of Buenos Aires, has studied tango with various master teachers in his home country and in the United States. Iwona explored a few other forms of dance before taking up tango, which she has studied in depth. Pablo and Iwona teach the Argentine tango classes at Princeton Adult School and they teach regularly at Viva Tango in Princeton, where they are artists in residence. DimOn the TangoDJ will turn the milonga into a celebration of Spring. EVENT LINK

Blue Moon Milonga on March 31^st will celebrate the restarting of Tango in Princeton. Save the date for this celebration!

Intensive Class on Milonga by Helen Wang in NYC

More information and registration at https://www.philadelphiatangofestival.com/

First 10 persons who register for the Festival’s full package will get a free pass to the Milonga at Moulin Rouge Event.

I hope you have enjoyed this newsletter. If you have any comments, suggestions, questions or just want to say hello you can reply to this email.

Dennis

Weekly Milongas are back!

Tango is back! Last week’s Welcome Back Milonga was attended by 70 dancers. VivaTango is very thankful for all who attended to support Helen Wang. This week we have another very special event planned. We are pleased to announce that Jon Tariq will host the milonga and teach a lesson. This is Jon’s first visit to VivaTango, so come this week to welcome and support him.

Jon is one of the most sought-after instructors in NYC because he is one of the few teachers who specializes in traditional close embrace. Jon runs weekly and monthly milongas in midtown New York City and Paramus, and has continued Michael Nadtochi’s popular Milonga Fernet after Michael moved to Russia. Milonga Fernet is still held on the 1^st Saturday of the month in East Brunswick. Speaking of Michael, we hope to see him back at VivaTango to see his friends here. Michael recently wrote “I may be stuck here in Russia for indefinite time. The way things are going, traveling isn’t getting any easier.”

Read about the upcoming events below. Also, read about an exciting Tango event at the Franklin Museum and an update on mask requirements.

Jon Tariq will host the March 10^th Milonga. Jon’s talents span the entire spectrum of Argentine Tango skills. Argentine Tango Instructor, Performer, Choreographer, DJ and more. His fun approach to teaching inspires students of all levels to grow. Jon’s philosophy is that technique is the grammar that holds the language of the dance together. His mission is to pass on the in-depth knowledge he has acquired from his many great teachers, contribute to the growth of the tango community and help preserve the traditions of Argentine Tango. EVENT LINK . 7PM Lesson, 8:15 Milonga. Lesson $15, Milonga $15, Both $20. Dancers must have shown proof of full vaccination and wear a mask.

Meredith Klein with dance partner Andres Amarilla will host the milonga March 17^th. Come celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day at this milonga. Meredith and Andres  are Instructors, performers and event organizers. They provide a wide scope of Argentine Tango dance and music events in the Philadelphia area, including the Philadelphia Tango Festival. They are well known in the international Tango community. They are looking forward to seeing all their friends at VivaTango Thursday. EVENT LINK

Pablo Garcia Gomez and Iwona Ionescu will be the featured instructors at the March 24^th VivaTango event.

Pablo, who is originally from the suburbs of Buenos Aires, has studied tango with various master teachers in his home country and in the United States.

Iwona explored a few other forms of dance before taking up tango, which she has studied in depth. Pablo and Iwona teach the Argentine tango classes at Princeton Adult School and they teach regularly at Viva Tango in Princeton, where they are artists in residence. EVENT LINK

Blue Moon Milonga on March 31^st will celebrate the restarting of Tango in Princeton. Save the date for this celebration!

Milonga at Moulin Rouge Event

The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia is holding a Moulin Rouge event on Friday April 1. As part of this there will be a milonga and beginner classes organized by Meredith Klein. She still has a few free tickets to give away – contact her at meredithklein@gmail.com to request a free ticket. After that, tickets are $35/person. Registration will open shortly at: https://www.fi.edu/.

Update on Masking

To mask or not to mask? Later this week, the PSRC board will be meeting to discuss revising the mask requirements for the dance floor that VivaTango rents.

The CDC’s current recommendations for our area no longer require masks for indoor group events. We believe that it is possible that we will be allowed to make mask wearing at future VivaTango events a personal choice. Some of you come to the VivaTango events because of the safety that everyone wearing a mask provides. If you have a strong feeling about keeping masks required or about making masks a personal choice, please share that with us by using this link to send an email: Viva Tango princeton.vivatango@gmail.com

I hope you have enjoyed this newsletter. If you have any comments, suggestions, questions or just want to say hello you can reply to this email.

Dennis

Weekly Milongas are back!

Celebrate the revival this Thursday. Tango in Princeton with your friends. Engage in the physical and social activity of dancing – a magic tonic for stress relief, mood therapy, exercise and making friends – no prescription needed for this powerful medicine.

Read about the talent and fun that is lined up for March in the sections below. Also read about the new CDC guidelines. 

This year, March comes with 5 Thursdays. It will be packed with the best Tango talents from NYC, Philly and NJ.  We will have a Blue Moon Milonga celebration on the 5^th Thursday.

Helen Wang will headline the first milonga on March 3^rd. Helen, always lovely, always smiling will be instructing a lesson, DJing the milonga and dancing with you during the milonga. The original plan for February was for her to celebrate the Chinese New Year at the milonga. Covid got in the way of that plan, but every time Helen is hosting a milonga, it’s a celebration! Celebrate on March 3^rd with Helen and your VivaTango Friends. EVENT LINK  . 7PM Lesson, 8:15 Milonga. Lesson $15, Milonga $15, Both $20. Dancers must have shown proof of full vaccination and wear a mask.

Jon Tariq will host the March 10^th Milonga. Jon’s talents span the entire spectrum of Argentine Tango skills. Argentine Tango Instructor, Performer, Choreographer, DJ and more. Jon is one of the most sought-after instructors in NYC. Jon’s progressive and fun approach to teaching inspires students of all levels. His mission is to pass on the in-depth knowledge he has acquired from his many great teachers, contribute to the growth of the tango community and help preserve the traditions of Argentine Tango. EVENT LINK . 7PM Lesson, 8:15 Milonga. Lesson $15, Milonga $15, Both $20. Dancers must have shown proof of full vaccination and wear a mask.

Meredith Klein with dance partner Andres Amarilla will host the milonga March 17^th. Come celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day at this milonga. Meredith and Andres  are Instructors, performers and event organizers. They provide a wide scope of Argentine Tango dance and music events in the Philadelphia area, including the Philadelphia Tango Festival. They are well known in the international Tango community. They are looking forward to seeing all their friends at VivaTango Thursday. EVENT LINK

Pablo Garcia Gomez and Iwona Ionescu will be the featured instructors at the March 24^th VivaTango event.

Pablo, who is originally from the suburbs of Buenos Aires, has studied tango with various master teachers in his home country and in the United States.

Iwona explored a few other forms of dance before taking up tango, which she has studied in depth. Pablo and Iwona teach the Argentine tango classes at Princeton Adult School and they teach regularly at Viva Tango in Princeton, where they are artists in residence. EVENT LINK

Blue Moon Milonga on March 31^st will celebrate the restarting of Tango in Princeton. Details of this celebration will be developed and announced later.

Update on Safety

The chart below shows the number of new cases daily (blue) and average number of cases per 100.000 people in New Jersey. There has been a remarkable reduction. In addition, the number of infections that lead to sever medical issues has been significantly reduced for persons who are fully vaccinated. And, the availability of antiviral medicines has also significantly reduced the number of significant medical symptoms after a Covid infection. All these positive developments, taken together, have improved the safety for indoor group events. The CDC’s current recommendations for our area no longer require masks for indoor group events. The CDC does recommend that all persons be vaccinated and boosted, and that person with weakened immune systems should wear a mask. VivaTango rents our dance floor from the Princeton Senior Resource Center (PSRC). The PSRC monitors the CDC’s guidelines, and sets the safety requirements for VivaTango’s milongas. The PSRC has noted the updated CDC recommendations and will be meeting on March 15^th to discuss changing the requirements that our milongas need to meet. So, for the next two Thursdays, we will continue to with the policy that masks will be required for our milongas. Also, anyone who has not already shown us their proof of vaccination will need to show that on their first visit to a VivaTango event and sign a waiver. We hope to have a new policy later in March.

I hope you have enjoyed this newsletter. If you have any comments, suggestions, questions or just want to say hello you can reply to this email.

Dennis

VivaTango Resumes Next Thursday

The world is making rapid progress towards returning to normal. Many Tango dancers are beginning to think about how to celebrate the return to dancing in 2022 to make up for the opportunities that were lost in the past two years. Festivals are the answer for many dancers. At the end of this newsletter we share suggestions about the best festivals, and how to connect to these festivals. Keep reading.

Weekly Milongas Resume March 3^rd

This year, March comes with 5 Thursdays. It will be packed with the best Tango talents from NYC, Philly and NJ.  We will have a Blue Moon Milonga celebration on the 5^th Thursday.

Helen Wang will headline the first milonga on March 3^rd. Helen, always lovely, always smiling will be instructing a lesson, DJing the milonga and dancing with you during the milonga. The original plan for February was for her to celebrate the Chinese New Year at the milonga. Covid got in the way of that plan, but every time Helen is hosting a milonga, it’s a celebration! Celebrate on March 3^rd with Helen and your VivaTango Friends. EVENT LINK

Jon Tariq will host the March 10^th Milonga. Jon’s talents span the entire spectrum of Argentine Tango skills. Argentine Tango Instructor, Performer, Choreographer, DJ and more. Jon is one of the most sought-after instructors in NYC. Jon’s progressive and fun approach to teaching inspires students of all levels. His mission is to pass on the in-depth knowledge he has acquired from his many great teachers, contribute to the growth of the tango community and help preserve the traditions of Argentine Tango. EVENT LINK

Meredith Klein with dance partner Andres Amarilla will host the milonga March 17^th. Come celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day at this milonga. Meredith and Andres  are Instructors, performers and event organizers. They provide a wide scope of Argentine Tango dance and music events in the Philadelphia area, including the Philadelphia Tango Festival. They are well known in the international Tango community. They are looking forward to seeing all their friends at VivaTango Thursday. EVENT LINK

Pablo Garcia Gomez and Iwona Ionescu will be the featured instructors at the March 24^th VivaTango event.

Pablo, who is originally from the suburbs of Buenos Aires, has studied tango with various master teachers in his home country and in the United States.

Iwona explored a few other forms of dance before taking up tango, which she has studied in depth. Pablo and Iwona teach the Argentine tango classes at Princeton Adult School and they teach regularly at Viva Tango in Princeton, where they are artists in residence. EVENT LINK

Blue Moon Milonga on March 31^st will celebrate the restarting of Tango in Princeton. Details of this celebration will be developed and announced later.

Tango Festivals 2022

Tango festivals offer total immersion in Tango spirit for an extended weekend. It is an intense experience and has a totally unique feeling. VivaTango dancers have attended many tango festivals in the past. Some attend many in a typical year, and some treat themselves to one special event, and some are like me who has had attending an international Tango festival in a spectacular venue on my bucket list for some years. The last two years have shown that the future in unpredictable, and the saying “dance while you can” has relevance. Here are links to the best possibilities to dance while you can at festivals in 2022:

The Philadelphia Tango Festival, June 2-5 is the most accessible festival opportunity. This is always well organized and well run by Meredith Klein and her Philadelphia Argentine Tango School team. It should be on your do not miss list.www.philadelphiatangofestival.com!

I have shared information about the new Tango Partner App in previous newsletters. They are celebrating having 10,000 Tango dancers using their app. This app’s members and event listings are very international and provide a good connection to connect to festival information, and to the dancers who go to the festivals. You should download this app to power your 2022 tango life. The Tango Partner news letter recently included a list of recommended festivals. Here is their festival suggestions list:

A milonga full of amazing dancers. Would you miss it?
Most social dancers don’t realize that tango championships usually come hand in hand with amazing milongas.
The dancers that come to compete, also participate in the milongas, making them ideal places to dance.
There are three championships/festivals that you might want to join:
The Argentine Tango USA Official Championship & Festival.
The 1st Mediterranean Tango Championship.
The Metropolitano Tango Italia.

Tango is coming back!
As restrictions soften, here are 11 tango events we can’t recommend enough:
Germany: Munich Tango Weekend 20-05-2022
Albania: Tirana Tango Marathon 06-05-2022
Poland: Krakus Aires Tango Festival 05-05-2022
Cyprus: Elegante Tango Marathon 07-04-2022
USA: San Antonio Tango Festival 23-09-2022
France: El Motivo Tango Marathon 15-04-2022
Poland: La libertad Tango Marathon 25-03-2022
Italy: Festival Internazionale Palinuro in Tango 26-05-2022 
Bulgaria: Tango Aficionado Fest 13-05-2022
Italy: Workshops with Juana and Chicho in Rome 06-05-2022
Montenegro: Montenegro Tango Weekend 22-04-2022

I hope you have enjoyed this newsletter. If you have any comments or suggestions or just want to say hello you can email me at PrincetonTiger74@gmail.com

Dennis

In this week’s newsletter we begin the countdown to the kickoff of Tango dancing in Princeton again. We will also explore the impact of Covid for the past two years on beginner Tango classes. Keep reading.

MILONGAS START- TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY

Milongas Resume March 3^rd at VivaTango in Princeton. March will be packed with the best Tango talents from NYC, Philly and NJ.  And as a March bonus, there is a 5^th Thursday when we will host a Blue Moon Milonga celebration.

Helen Wang will headline the first milonga on March 3^rd. Helen, always lovely, always smiling will be instructing a lesson, DJing the milonga and dancing with you during the milonga. The original plan for February was for her to celebrate the Chinese New Year at the milonga. Covid got in the way of that plan, but every time Helen is hosting a milonga, it’s a celebration! Celebrate on March 3^rd with Helen and your VivaTango Friends. Lesson starts 7:00, Milonga starts 8:15. Lesson $15, Milonga $15, Both $20.

Jon Tariq will host the March 10^th Milonga. Jon’s talents span the entire spectrum of Argentine Tango skills. Argentine Tango Instructor, Performer, Choreographer, DJ and more. Jon is one of the most sought-after instructors in NYC. Jon’s progressive and fun approach to teaching inspires students of all levels. His mission is to pass on the in-depth knowledge he has acquired from his many great teachers, contribute to the growth of the tango community and help preserve the traditions of Argentine Tango. Lesson starts 7:00, Milonga starts 8:15. Lesson $15, Milonga $15, Both $20.

Meredith Klein with dance partner Andres Amarilla will host the milonga on March 17^th. Celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day at this milonga with Meredith and Andres. They are instructors, performers and event organizers who host a wide variety of Tango dance and music events in the Philadelphia area. This year, their well know Philadelphia Tango Festival will be held June 2-5, 2022. They are well known in the international Tango community, and they are looking forward to seeing all their friends at VivaTango Thursday March 17^th. Lesson starts 7:00, Milonga starts 8:15. Lesson $15, Milonga $15, Both $20.

Pablo Garcia Gomez and Iwona Ionescu will be the featured instructors at the March 24^th VivaTango event. Pablo, who is originally from the suburbs of Buenos Aires, has studied tango with various master teachers in his home country and in the United States. Iwona explored a few other forms of dance before taking up tango, which she has studied in depth. Pablo and Iwona teach the Argentine tango classes at Princeton Adult School and they teach regularly at Viva Tango in Princeton, where they are artists in residence.

Blue Moon Milonga on March 31^st

We will celebrate the restarting of Tango in Princeton with a special milonga. Details of this celebration will be developed and announced later.

BEGINNER TANGO LESSONS MISSED FOR PAST TWO YEARS

Tango has been the fasting growing dance over the past decade. The Tango world has been particularly hard hit by Covid. Those instructors who taught full time were particularly hard hit. The growth of tango that existed through 2019 was a result of a demand for beginner Tango lessons, and these instructors. This supply line of new Tango dancers vanished for much of two full years. It is just now beginning to ramp up again. Pablo Garcia Gomez andIwona Ionescu will be teaching a beginner Tango class here on the dance floor used by VivaTango on Tuesdays from March 15^th to April 19^th. The classes are hosted by the Princeton Adult School. In these classes, participants will learn the fundamentals of Argentine Tango, the way it is danced, and its social significance in Argentina and around the world. Students will also explore the history of Tango and its various musical forms. Class size is limited and there are just a few spots available so register soon.

Beginner Tango

Also the Philadelphia Argentine Tango School has ongoing beginner Tango classes, and will be starting a 4 week absolute beginner class starting on March 3^rd. Check that class out here:

PATS 4 week beginner Tango

TANGO SAFETY

The CDC recommends that everyone who is eligible stay up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines, and everyone should properly wear a well-fitting mask indoors in public in areas of substantial or high community transmission. VivaTango’s rental of the dance floor requires that we continue to follow this CDC guidance. As the chart below shows, the level of transmission of new cases has been falling substantially, it still is not at the levels where we were able to dance with masks being optional. So, for our kickoff, we will continue to require proof of full vaccination and the wearing of masks. For the 185 dancers that have already shown their proof of vaccination at a previous VivaTango event, they will not need to show that again. Other dancers just need to show their proof of vaccination on their first visit. These requirements guard your safety at our events. We look forward to the day we can go back to masks being optional.

Three years ago, Valentine’s Day took place on a Thursday, and Magic happened once again at VivaTango. Were you there? VivaTango wishes all our dancers a Happy Valentine’s Day.

In the following sections of this newsletter read about the exciting programming coming in March. As a Valentines gift to all our dancers, click on the link at the end of this newsletter to see our nomination for the Most Romantic Tango Performed at a VivaTango Event.

Weekly Milongas Resume March 3^rd

This year, March comes with 5 Thursdays. It will be packed with the best Tango talents from NYC, Philly and NJ.  We will have a Blue Moon Milonga celebration on the 5^th Thursday.

Helen Wang will headline the first milonga on March 3^rd. Helen, always lovely, always smiling will be instructing a lesson, DJing the milonga and dancing with you during the milonga. The original plan for February was for her to celebrate the Chinese New Year at the milonga. Covid got in the way of that plan, but every time Helen is hosting a milonga, it’s a celebration! Celebrate on March 3^rd with Helen and your VivaTango Friends.

Jon Tariq will host the March 10^th Milonga. Jon’s talents span the entire spectrum of Argentine Tango skills. Argentine Tango Instructor, Performer, Choreographer, DJ and more. Jon is one of the most sought-after instructors in NYC. Jon’s progressive and fun approach to teaching inspires students of all levels. His mission is to pass on the in-depth knowledge he has acquired from his many great teachers, contribute to the growth of the tango community and help preserve the traditions of Argentine Tango.

Meredith Klein with dance partner Andres Amarilla will host the milonga March 17^th. Come celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day at this milonga. Meredith and Andres  are Instructors, performers and event organizers. They provide a wide scope of Argentine Tango dance and music events in the Philadelphia area, including the Philadelphia Tango Festival. They are well known in the international Tango community. They are looking forward to seeing all their friends at VivaTango Thursday.

Pablo Garcia Gomez and Iwona Ionescu will be the featured instructors at the March 24^th VivaTango event.

Pablo, who is originally from the suburbs of Buenos Aires, has studied tango with various master teachers in his home country and in the United States.

Iwona explored a few other forms of dance before taking up tango, which she has studied in depth. Pablo and Iwona teach the Argentine tango classes at Princeton Adult School and they teach regularly at Viva Tango in Princeton, where they are artists in residence.

Blue Moon Milonga on March 31^st will celebrate the restarting of Tango in Princeton. Details of this celebration will be developed and announced later.

Click this link to view the video of
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SR90f6-rhrpM0x-IetTj2XGCjKF2L8uq/view?usp=sharing

Guillermina and Mariano VivaTango 6 June 2019
This is our nomination for the Most Romantic Performance at VivaTango. Romantic in the sense of connection between the dancers and graceful movements. VivaTango’s Happy Valentine’s Day gift to you.

If you look at the photo you will see that 4 of the 9 spectators videoed this performance. There were seventy some dancers at this Valentine’s milonga. At least 9 videos were made. If you have a personal collection of videos of performances at VivaTango that you would be willing to share with VivaTango, please email me at PrincetonTiger74@gmail.com

Weekly Milongas Resume March 3^rd

This year, March comes with 5 Thursdays. It will be packed with the best Tango talents from NYC, Philly and NJ.  We will have a Blue Moon Milonga celebration on the 5^th Thursday.

Helen Wang will headline the first milonga on March 3^rd. Helen, always lovely, always smiling will be instructing a lesson, DJing the milonga and dancing with you during the milonga. The original plan for February was for her to celebrate the Chinese New Year at the milonga. Covid got in the way of that plan, but every time Helen is hosting a milonga, it is a celebration! Celebrate on March 3^rd with Helen and your VivaTango Friends.

Jon Tariq will host the March 10^th Milonga. Jon’s talents span the entire spectrum of Argentine Tango skills. Argentine Tango Instructor, Performer, Choreographer, DJ and more. Jon is one of the most sought-after instructors in NYC. Jon’s progressive and fun approach to teaching inspires students of all levels. His mission is to pass on the in-depth knowledge he has acquired from his many great teachers, contribute to the growth of the tango community and help preserve the traditions of Argentine Tango.

Meredith Klein with dance partner Andres Amarilla will host the milonga March 17^th. Come celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day at this milonga. Meredith and Andres  are Instructors, performers and event organizers. They provide a wide scope of Argentine Tango dance and music events in the Philadelphia area, including the Philadelphia Tango Festival. They are well known in the international Tango community. They are looking forward to seeing all their friends at VivaTango Thursday.

Pablo Garcia Gomez and Iwona Ionescu will be the featured instructors at the March 24^th VivaTango event.

Pablo, who is originally from the suburbs of Buenos Aires, has studied tango with various master teachers in his home country and in the United States.

Iwona explored a few other forms of dance before taking up tango, which she has studied in depth. Pablo and Iwona teach the Argentine tango classes at Princeton Adult School and they teach regularly at Viva Tango in Princeton, where they are artists in residence.

Blue Moon Milonga on March 31^st will celebrate the restarting of Tango in Princeton. Details of this celebration will be developed and announced later.

Beginner Tango Class Starting March 15^th

The tango lessons preceding VivaTango milongas are for dancers with some basic Argentine Tango skills. These lessons keep the basic skills sharp and enrich the dancer’s vocabulary. The best way to obtain the basic tango skills is to take a series of classes that systematically introduce the basic skills. Pablo Garcia Gomez andIwona Ionescu will be starting such a class here on the dance floor used by VivaTango on Tuesdays from March 15^th to April 19^th. The classes are hosted by the Princeton Adult School. In these classes, participants will learn the fundamentals of Argentine Tango, the way it is danced, and its social significance in Argentina and around the world. Students will also explore the history of Tango and its various musical forms. Class size is limited so register soon.

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The 2022 Olympics start Friday. Click on this link to see the video Video Clip

Milongas to resume in February

Covid cases in NJ continue their rapid decline. This week the number of new cases is half of what they were a week ago, but they are still about double the number on the day of the VivaTango Holiday Milonga. In anticipation that the number of new cases will continue to rapidly decline, VivaTango is planning to resume milongas on Thursday February 24^th. Program details will be announced in the next newsletter. Our safety precautions for the restart will be determined by the terms of our rental from PSRC.

Tango Connection App

One of the special attributes of Tango is that you can walk into a milonga anywhere in the world and feel welcome. The cabeceo protocol for inviting a follower to dance or accepting an invitation to dance is universal. The music, embrace and movements are also universal. My experience has been that European tango dancers take the dance more seriously, with total focus, tighter embraces and no talking while dancing. Even if you do not know the local language, you can dance all night without problems.

VivaTango dancers travel the World. Facebook is full of their exploits. Some of this travel is to attend Tango events, and some is the dancer’s wanderlust. In any event, the dancers often wonder where can I find a great Tango milonga or festival to make my traveling more interesting. Google searches will turn up useful possibilities. Sometimes, the searches turn up defunct tango groups that no longer meet. These searches are hit and miss.

Dimitris Bronowski is a successful entrepreneur who loves Tango. He is the editor and co-author of the book Tango Tips by the Maestros (Amazon’s #1 best seller in the Dance category) and the author of Tangofulness, the most translated tango book in the world. A tanguero since 2009, he sees in tango an opportunity to heal and be healed. His entrepreneurial successes give him the means to go to Tango Festivals. He also does a lot of travel for the ventures that he has founded. On these trips he looks for local milongas to attend. Dimitris saw that there should be a better way to find a milonga where ever you are. His success gave him the means to do something to make finding milongas and tango dancers easier for everyone, where ever they are. He created an app that he calls TangoPartner.

TangoPartner’s mission is to help tango dancers around the world experience more moments of meaning in tango and bring together the global tango family. So, what can this app do? The free TangoPartner app helps you connect easily with nearby tango dancers by sending them a cabeceo (a friend request in the context of the app). This allows you to ask for local information if you are travelling, share a ride, book accommodation or register to an event together, stay in touch with your favorite tango dancers, or even find other tango dancers at the airport. Moreover, you can connect with tango professionals in your country and abroad, and you can find festivals, marathons, milongas, practicas, classes, etc. Finally, you can find tango books, clothes, online tango classes and more. You can download the free Tango Partner app on Google Play or App Store.

Take a look and see if this will enhance your Tango Live.

Light at the End of the Tunnel ?

Last week we saw indications that the current surge of Covid infections were approaching a turn-around. This week the CDC’s latest data show that the turn-around had occurred and a remarkably steep decline in the number of new infections has taken place. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting clearer. There appears to be dancing illuminated in that light. Hopefully this trend will continue and a return to dancing can happen soon.

VivaTango rents the dance floor from the PSRC. The PSRC follows the CDC guidelines. The current CDC guidelines state that “People who are fully vaccinated can resume many activities they did before the pandemic. However, people should wear a mask indoors in public if they are in an area of substantial or high transmission”. The current numbers in the chart above indicate that we are still in an area of high transmission, but the trend indicates that we are headed toward low transmission rates again. As soon that milestone is reached, VivaTango will restart weekly milongas.

In the meantime, here are some good Tango news headlines about members of the VivaTango Family:

 The Philadelphia Tango Festival will be held this year on the last weekend of June. The Philadelphia Argentine Tango School under Meredith Klein’s direction hosts this every year. This year an outstanding line up of instructors, musicians and DJ will be there. The emphasis is on Women in Tango. Meredith and Kerry Kay will be among the women featured.

Junior Cervila and Guadalupe Garcia celebrate their 4^th wedding anniversary today. They have taught and performed at VivaTango a number of times in the past and hopefully in the future. The photo below was taken in VivaTango’s lobby. More recently, they have taken residence in Sarasota FL, and have celebrated the birth of a son.

Five years ago today VivaTango held a Reception Milonga to recognize the marriage of Guillermo Elkouss and Vittoria Natale. Guillermo and Vittoria played a huge role in helping VivaTango get established beginning in 2011. Their expertise in teaching attracted dancers and grew the size of the VivaTango family to the point where it was financially self-sustaining. Guillermo and Vittoria moved and are now in Florida just north of Tampa.

Richard Council just announced his engagement. Richard was a very popular instructor at VivaTango in 2013 and 2014. He was based in Florida and taught at VivaTango by popular demand several times. Richard left tango teaching to pursue a career as a chiropractor.