Tango West was established in 1998 and has been pivotal in bringing
Argentine Tango to the area (most other schools having started with us)
It was set up by Iwona Tempowski, Janet Offer, Michele Tedder and Andrew Oldroyd
Michele, Andrew, and Iwona are now Tango West's principle Directors and Teachers (since Janet has established her own schools in Cyprus and Bristol). Between them, they have 40 years of experience and have acquired the reputation locally for giving a very solid foundation in the basic principles of Argentine Tango and in providing a friendly and supportive atmosphere, conducive to systematic and progressive learning. Their inspiration is the social dancing of the great Milongueros of Buenos Aires, whose style of dancing is rarely taught outside of Argentina.
Andrew & Iwona dance to 'Adios Arrabal' (D'Agostino) CLICK
Andrew & Michele dance in social style to the music of Tanturi Clip 1 Clip 2
Some still shots of Andrew, Michele and Iwona dancing
Tango West is one of only a handful of groups in the country dedicated to presenting the Tango in a form closest to the way
that it is danced in the Traditional Salons of Buenos Aires, the spiritual home of Tango.
Many seek to change the dance into a form more familiar or readily acceptable for mass consumption. This is often justified under the banners of 'progress' and 'evolution'. In contrast, we aim to show how and why the rich traditions of the
Milongueros have developed over the decades to create the perfect environment for the dancing of social Tango. It is well
worth the effort studying these traditions; we should be cautious before discarding them.
The social form of Argentine Tango is quite different to the Stage or Performance or Ballroom styles of Tango we are more familiar with. The Argentines themselves understand the difference. Stage or Show Tango (sometimes called "Tango forExport") is meant to be watched and tends to be more flamboyant and athletic, often with complex choreographies.
In contrast the social expression of the dance, puts the emphasis on a more internal and subtle connection between the dancers. Here intimacy, through the embrace and the music is everything, and the the dancing is completely improvised.
These things may be less obvious visibly.
Here are some clips of the great Milongueros ; Tango West aims to promote this way of dancing as far as we can.
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Ricardo on Tango & Chaos (this last clip is particularly interesting, and is from a
fascinating website devoted to the Tango of the Milongueros)
Incidentally, Ricardo & Alej, here are dancing to Angel D'Agostino's 'Adios Arrabal'.
This is the same track that Andrew & Iwona are dancing to (see higher up page).
Now, although we are dancing in a similar style, Ricardo's version I think is
indisputably better, he was after all a Tango Master. But, just why is it better?
Can you see precisely just what he's doing that makes him a Maestro?
Tango West prides itself on its didactic approach to teaching. The key
is developing a solid foundation in the basic techniques, and dealing
with bad habits early on, with individual correction in the lessons and
practicas. It is far more difficult later on to correct problems with
basic technique, when a dancer has established a dancing style based
on poor posture, embrace and essential movement (the projection of
the dancer's center through the walk).
We teach at four levels, on Sundays and Wednesdays.
It's our aim is to re-create the atmosphere of the Traditional Salons
(or Milongas) of Buenos Aires, using the great dance music from
the Golden Age of Tango; music played by orchestras with dancers
specifically in mind --- music still played for dancers in Buenos Aires
today and in the best Milongas around the World.
The following clips show social Tango in some of the
Milongasin Buenos Aires
El Beso Lo De CeliaMi RefugioNiño Bien ......................................................................................................................................................
Michele, Andrew, and Iwona have studied extensively in the UK, Europe and Buenos Aires with maestros including the following : Nestor & Patricia Ray, Ricardo Vidort, Stefan & Komala, Eric Jeurrissen, Diego Riemer & Mecha, Eduardo Bozzo (who we originally brought to Bristol and employed for 3 years), Leandro Palou & Andrea Misse, Thierry le Coq & Veronique Bouscasse, Fernando Galera & Vilma Vega, Yvonne Meissner & Eduardo Aguirre, Stella Barba, Diormar Giraldo, Cesar Velasquez & Carolina Prado Gonzalez. Paul Lange & Michiko Okazaki. Christine Denniston, Mike Lavocah, Biljana Lipic, Alison Valé & Clo de Castro. Augusto & Miguel. More recently Andreas Wichter and Melina & Detlef.
In May
we were proud to host Tango legend Milena Plebs and David Palou
The following clip shows some of the wonderful teachers who have visited Bristol in the past 12 years. They taught, inspired and helped us grow into an enthusiastic and dedicated group of dancers.
Some of these shots are with famous teachers in Buenos Aires.
See us in action
Take a trip with us over the past 12 years. The following clips are just a small selection of the countless Tango events we have organized together with some of the many people who we have taught to dance and a few of the wonderful teachers from all over the World who have visited us. Some shots are from Buenos Aires and other places we have visited to dance Tango.
Tango West prides itself on its didactic approach to teaching. The key
It's our aim is to re-create the atmosphere of the Traditional Salons