Dear tangueras and tangueros, dear fans of Queer Tango,

a wonderful first Queer Tango Festival in San Francisco just faded away and some of you are already on the way to the next festival in Copenhagen. We are looking forward to the Danish nights … and, of course, to a dazzling, inspiring weekend together with you in the beginning of October in Hamburg.

The 8. Queer Tango Festival from 2. to 4. of October 2009 in Hamburg presents itself from now on under www.queer-tango.de

There you will find detailed information about the programe. For the participation in workshops a quick registration is recommended because of the limited number of participants. Experience has shown that some of the workshops are booked up quite fast. We’d like specifically to point out that single persons can register as well. With pleasure we’ll organise dance partners. If there are further questions don’t hesitate to send us an e-mail or give us a call. We gladly send the printed programe to you on request.
For the first time Martin Maldonado and Maurizio Ghella will dance and instruct at the festival. They are both outstanding dancers and will surely electrify you with their competent and captivating manner. We are especially looking forward to welcoming Lexa Rosean from New York in Hamburg. She was one of the first woman who danced the leading role at the Mundial by official invitation of the Government of Argentina. For the first time as well Helen LaVikinga and Javier Guiraldi from Buenos Aires will take part, who set a lot in motion for the queer tango scene in Argentina, amongst other things with their open minded milonga Mano a Mano in the dignified Salon Canning. After a two year break Stravaganza from Berlin will charm you again. With Mariano Garces you can slide agravicly like last year. Ute Walter and Eliane Rieger provide you with exciting tango toys, while Marga Nagel with Swedish support by Charlotte Rivero will give you rhythm.
About the queer and other backgrounds of the instructors you can inform yourself on our website.

We are already looking forward to seeing you and wish you a wonderful time, see you!

With very best wishes
your Queer Tango Team
Marga, Ute and Timm

ENGLISH VERSION BELOW

Liebe Tangueras und Tangueros, liebe Queer Tango Fans,

gerade ist ein wunderbares erstes Queer Tango Festival in San Francisco verklungen und zum naechsten Festival in Kopenhagen werden einige von euch schon unterwegs sein. Wir freuen uns auf die daenischen Naechte …
Und natuerlich auf ein schillerndes, inspirierendes Wochenende gemeinsam mit euch Anfang Oktober in Hamburg.

Das 8. Queer Tango Festival vom 2. bis 4. Oktober 2009 in Hamburg praesentiert sich ab sofort unter www.queer-tango.de

Dort findet ihr detaillierte Informationen zum Programm. Fuer die Workshopteilnahme ist aufgrund der TeilnehmerInnenbegrenzung eine baldige Anmeldung empfehlenswert. Erfahrungsgemaeß sind einige der Workshops recht schnell ausgebucht. Ausdruecklich moechten wir darauf hinweisen, dass sich fuer die Workshops auch Einzelpersonen anmelden koennen. Wir vermitteln gerne eine Tanzpartnerin oder einen Tanzpartner. Falls Fragen offen bleiben, zoegert nicht, uns eine E-mail zu senden oder anzurufen. Die Printprogramme versenden wir gern auf Anfrage.

Erstmalig tanzen und unterrichten auf dem Festival Martin Maldonado und Maurizio Ghella. Die beiden aussergewoehnlichen Taenzer werden euch mit ihrer kompetenten und herzlichen Art sicher mitreissen. Besonders freuen wir uns auch, Lexa Rosean aus New York in Hamburg willkommen zu heissen. Sie war eine der ersten Frauen, die auf offizielle Einladung der argentinischen Regierung den fuehrenden Part bei der Mundial getanzt hat. Ebenso neu dabei sind Helen LaVikinga und Javier Guiraldi aus Buenos Aires, die u.a. mit ihrer open minded Milonga mano a mano im altehrwuerdigen Salon Canning einiges für die queere Tanzszene in Buenos Aires in Bewegung gebracht haben. Stravaganza aus Berlin werden nach zwei Jahren Pause wieder ihren praezisen Charme verspruehen. Mit Mariano Garces koennt ihr wie im letzten Jahr schwerelos gleiten. Ute Walter und Eliane Rieger regen zu kreativem Spielen an. Waehrend Marga Nagel mit schwedischer Unterstuetzung durch Charlotte Rivero euch Rhythmus schenken wird …
Ueber die queeren und sonstigen Hintergruende der LehrerInnen koennt ihr euch auf unserer Webseite informieren.

Wir freuen uns schon auf euch und wuenschen euch bis dahin eine schoene Zeit.

Herzliche Gruesse
euer Queer Tango Team
Marga, Ute und Timm

*** Soon you will be receiving emails from @queertangoboston.com so be sure to whitelist or teach your computer that it’s not spam! ***

Current Sunday, Monday and Wednesday classes and privates with Duro y Vio continue through Monday May 25.

_______________________________________________________

The new schedule STARTING May 28

Queer Tango weekly practica
Mondays 7-9 starting June 1
at the Democracy Center, 45 Mt. Auburn Street in Harvard Square

1st6weeks instruction for absolute beginners
Will be provided one-on-one by the Queer Tango Boston trained teaching team at the practica EVERY monday
7-9 pm. Absolute beginners are welcome any time and may drop in. No preregistration required. No partner needed.

Queer Tango Class for continuing beginners and intermediates
Thursdays 8:30-10:00 starting May 28
at Spontaneous Celebrations, 45 Danforth Street in Jamaica Plain
You must have completed 1st6weeks series to come to this one!

! ! Luc is arranging carpools. Please contact him at info AT queer t ango  boston DOT com or 617.344.5550

Sunday May 10
Tango dancer Anne Atheling’s 79th Birthday Tango Dance Party
SpringStep, 98 George P. Hassett Drive, Medford (http://www.springstep.org/)
7pm-11pm
FREE . festive attire requested.

• • • • •

Friday May 22  through Monday May 25
Providence Tango Alternative Tango Festival
Homer Ladas will be teaching. He is also a teacher at the San Francisco Queer Tango Festival
Duro y Vio will be going to all the milongas if you want to carpool with us! There is a Monday afternoon milonga starting at 4:30!
preregistration ends this Friday but you can pay at the door.
http://providencetango.com/alternativefest/index.html

• • • • •

Providence Tango special workshop “Gay Men’s Tango Adventure”
Absolute Beginners Workshop Saturday May 16 at 7 pm.
men only.
price is $22 per person but will get cheaper if more people show up.
contact tom (tjfronczak@aol.com) to register or sign up on the meet up adventure group site: http://www.meetup.com/Providence-Gay-Adventure/

• • • • •

Jackie Wong’s inclusive monthly TangoPulse Milonga in Lenox MA
Saturday 16 May
Class 8 - 9 pm
Milonga  9pm - 1am
Rhythms Dance Center, 55 Pittsfield Rd Lenox MA
Afterwards a Chocolate Party  1am - ?
For overnight arrangements and other questions, contact Jackie at 413 281 9722

What a weekend!

Friday night 15 people came to the Queer Tango Community Dinner. People took responsibility for all the jobs to maintain Queer Tango Boston after we leave. The new website, www.queertangoboston.com will go live on May 20 with all the info about new classes.

We aren’t leaving yet! All Duro y Vio Queer Tango classes will continue on the current schedule through May 25 (and are listed at the bottom of this email).

Saturday night Luc y Matt, Juan Pablo y Max, Tad y Duro, and Claudyne y Vio performed a non-choreographed tango for Gays for Patsy at their monthly two-step party. We really wowed them. “Sex on the dance floor.” “I was crying.” “I’m hot for them all.” Those were just a few of the comments we received. Thanks to the 4 videographers and we hope to get some help with editing.

Sunday we had a hardworking technique session first thing in the day. Then we didn’t know what to expect at our workshop called “Leading in Heels”, but 7 women walked in, strapped on their highest heels, turned their men around backwards, and looked at us expectantly, tall and serious.  So now we know…

Then it was time for the special practica Celebration of Women Leaders. There were 23 of us for this beautiful event, including many enthusiastic men followers (some of whom seemed to enjoy taking their turn as wallflowers). Between every tanda we stopped to hear a story about leading from a woman. We started with the words of the brave Hsueh-tze, known in the early days of US tango as “the woman from Boston who leads”. Some of the other highlights included “when I lead, I always go home happy.” “When I lead, I don’t have to wait.” “Sometimes I fall back into following, but I try to be committed to leading.” Women pointed out that they are sad when they “feel women followers would rather be dancing with a man” and that when they lead it results in being asked to follow less often. And we laughed a lot at the recognition from several women that their assumption that they would be more “sensitive” than men leaders turned out different. We heard from Auriel in San Francisco about the importance of Queer Space and we ended with an inspiring and reflective story from Ute Walter of Hamburg, Germany, from which we learned that the first Hamburg tangos were danced in a Queer Café.

And then, at 8 pm we began a most incredible experience, Boston’s first Queer Tango Milonga. A grand name, which turned out to be a transformative bridge for 50 fabulous participants. Every guest was greeted at the door by a gay person, immediately changing the dynamic. Queen Jeff flaunted her diamonds. Women boldly led throughout the evening. Many men danced together — including men from the straight tango scene, who danced graciously with our new dancers in Queer Tango Boston. We saw a big increase in confidence among our students, not only in their dancing, but also in owning their space. We are all very moved by the vibrant solidarity of the people from the straight Boston tango scene who came to dance with us last night –and said they wanted more– and by the energy shown by the progressive dancers from Western Massachusetts and Providence who embrace the agenda of Queer Tango and drove so far to share this special day with us. We even had a dancer from New York City come for the weekend’s events. We felt the support and energy from friends from the earliest days of Queer Tango Boston during the weekend — Robin, Tibbs, and Joy! And we were thrilled that guys from Living Soulfully (who had a big gay tango workshop with us a couple of weeks ago) came to watch and play. And we noticed that with the Queer Tango gender dynamics, very few people were seen sitting waiting for a dance.

We need to say a huge pink thank you to our fabulous DJs, Elmira and jackie ling wong. Queer Tango Boston dancers’ joyful work made the milonga so elegant and smooth — Juan Pablo, Matt, Jeff, Peter, Ka, Corin, and Luc — who stayed until the very end sharing every bit of work (we thought he was going to tuck us into bed!) Paul called first thing Sunday morning to remind us that he was expecting excessive costumes and to promise to deliver jackie on time. As always, Tad and Claudyne brought so many gifts that we cannot count them. They managed to work the door and taxi dance at the same time through the workshops and then through the practica, and then, with only a short break, they danced the whole milonga as well, as always, sharing their playful spirits with dancers of all levels.  And most of all, thank you to the courageous gay dancers and women leaders who are stepping onto the dance floor and expanding it for all of us.

Here’s the slideshow:

July 1-5: The very first US Queer Tango Festival will be in San Francisco coming up this  (note that this immediately follows San Francisco Gay Pride Week!).

July 25-August 2: The OutGames 2009 in Kopenhagen will have a queer tango festival.

2nd to 4th of October 2009. Hamburg, where the Queer Tango Festivals originated, 8th Queer Tango Festival

7. to 13. December Buenos Aires 3rd Festival International de tango Queer