EL CONGRESO
Canada's International Argentine Tango Congress
Coming to Toronto November 4 - 7, 2010
Immerse yourself in the Culture of Argentine Tango...
ONE LOCATION: UofT HART HOUSE
In collaboration with
University of Toronto
Argentine Tango CLub
Meet the Committee
Embrace the Culture
Bryant Roberto Lopez
Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, B.A. was brought up in Argentine Folk. After dancing for 5 years he discovered tango at the age of 19 and has since then immersed himself in Traditional Argentine Tango. Brought up in milongas like Club Almagro, he learned to dance by watching Master Milongueros. His dancing is recognised by an elegant walk and a soft embrace which he believes is the stamp of a true Argentine Tango Dancer. Teaching through the connexion, like the masters, has been his best tool in helping his students develop and assimilate the culture of Argentine Tango at Tango Soul.
Faye has a rich background in the performing arts. Upon graduating from the elite Montreal school of music--Vincent d'Indy, followed by a stint at New York University's renowned affiliate CAP-21, she completed her training at the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts in Toronto. Faye was introduced to Argentine Tango in 2000 and has become one of Canada's leading exponents of Traditional Argentine Tango.
Coming soon...
Tanja was first intrigued with tango in Malta in 2003 when she saw Charlotte smile, her eyes closed, in a close embrace, and apparently nothing was happening. But something had to be happening because the smile kept surfacing over and over again, and it became contagious, opening the doors slowly to an imaginable world of possibilities.
Born and raised in Ecuador, Hugo made music and dancing a part of his life from an early age. A passionate singer and guitar player, as a dancer he was mostly interested in the tropical rhythms of salsa and merengue until he was introduced to Argentine Tango in 2005. He deeply enjoys the distinctiveness that characterizes Tango music, from the flow and richness of Tango Vals, to the strength and beat of Tango, concluding with his personal favorite, the mischievous and fun Milonga. Hugo is an Executive at the University of Toronto Argentine Tango Club and has successfully coordinated several events for the club and the university tango community.
Originally from Romania, Madalina was introduced to Tango in Toronto in 2005. After listening to its music for two years and attending a local milonga with a friend, she decided to start learning the dance and hasnt stopped since. Her passion for Tango has surfaced in many different aspects of her life including the academic, social, travel, and pedagogic. Madalina is the President of the University of Toronto Argentine Tango Club, and has successfully led it to increase the interest in traditional Argentine Tango among the university community.
THE CULTURE
Argentine tango is a social dance and a musical genre that originated in Argentina and Uruguay, the area of the Rio de la Plata
Argentine tango consists of a variety of styles that developed in different regions and eras, and in response to the crowding of the venue and even the fashions in clothing. Even though the present forms developed in Argentina and Uruguay, they were also exposed to influences re-imported from Europe and North America. There are records of 18th and early 19th century tango styles in Cuba and Spain,[2] while there is a flamenco tangos dance that may share a common ancestor in a minuet-style European dance.[3] Consequently there is a good deal of confusion and overlap between the styles as they are now danced - and fusions continue to evolve.
Argentine tango is danced in an embrace that can vary from very open, in which leader and follower connect at arms length, to very closed, in which the connection is chest-to-chest, or anywhere in between.
Tango is essentially walking with a partner and the music. Musicality (i.e. dancing appropriately to the emotion and speed of a tango) is an extremely important element of dancing tango. A good dancer is one who transmits a feeling of the music to the partner. Also, dancers generally keep their feet close to the floor as they walk, the ankles and knees brushing as one leg passes the other.
Argentine tango relies heavily on improvisation; although certain patterns of movement have been codified by instructors over the years as a device to instruct dancers, there is no "basic step." One of the few constants across all Argentine tango styles, is that the follower will usually be led to alternate feet. Another is that the follower rarely has her weight on both feet at the same time. Argentine tango is a new orientation of couple dancing.
Argentine tango is danced counterclockwise around the outside of the dance floor (the "line of dance") and dance "traffic" often segregates into a number of "lanes"; cutting across the middle of the floor is frowned upon. In general, the middle of the floor is where one finds either beginners who lack floor navigation skills or people who are performing "showy" figures or patterns that take up more dance floor space. It is acceptable to stop briefly in the line of dance to perform stationary figures, as long as the other dancers are not unduly impeded. The school of thought about this is, if there is open space in front, there are likely people waiting behind. Dancers are expected to respect the other couples on the floor; colliding or even crowding another couple, or stepping on others' feet is to be avoided strenuously. It is considered rude; in addition to possible physical harm rendered, it can be disruptive to a couple's musicality.
Cristina Sosa y Daniel Nacucchio comienzan a trabajar juntos a partir de mediados de 2007, desde allí realizan presentaciones en shows privados continúan trabajando en Complejo Tango hasta que a mediados de 2008 deciden participar en el campeonato Metropolitano de tango para lo cual comienzan su preparación recurriendo a la colaboración de maestros amigos como: Carlos Perez, Rosa Perez, Mario Morales, Jorge Dispari, entre otros.
Luego de sortear todas las rondas acceden a la final de dicho torneo donde el 23-3-33 son coronados Campeones metropolitanos en las dos categorías, Tango Salón y Milonga.
Entre otros premios obtienen el derecho a participar en la final del Campeonato Mundial de Tango Salón y el 30 de Septiembre en el Estado Obras son coronados Campeones Mundiales de Tango Salón, logrando de esta manera ser los primeros bailarines en la historia en conseguir los tres títulos más importantes que tiene el Tango Salón.
Bryant & Faye Lopez are traditional argentine tango dancers who's styles derive from the milongas of BsAs. While maintaining the authenticity of traditional tango of the golden age they bring their own interpretation of the current times though feeling and connection which is the most important aspect of their dancing. They continue to develop themselves through the embrace, the expression of the music, the elegance of their walk and a sens of carrying the tradition, the essence of the culture of traditional argentine tango. Coming from an Argentine folk dance background Bryant is originaly from Buenos Aires and has established his argentine tango dance company, Tango Soul, in Canada since 2000. Faye originates from Montreal Quebec and is a professional actor.They are the founders and hosts of Canada's Argentine Tango Congress which welcomes international tango masters every year since 2008.
Michel first began to dance tango in April 1993. He began as a DJ in Montreal in January 1998 at la Tangueria on Saint-Laurent Street. He then acted as DJ on Sunday nights at the Academy from Novembre 1998 to August 2009, as well as on Saturday nights at Royal Tango from July 2004 to June 2009.
He is accustomed DJing in major events. In June 2000, Michel was the guest DJ in Ithaca, New York, where Miguel Zotto was the guest of honour. At ten different occasions between 2000 and 2002, he also animated major events in Boston, as well as in Montreal and Quebec City.
In partnership with Joseph Vignalou, Michel conceived Montreals monthly Grand Bal which began in September 2009. Finally, since October 2009, he DJs at Café de Limas Thurday milongas.
As tango is an improvised dance, Michel believes that the order in which the music is played should also be improvised. Nothing is prepared in advance. The choice of music is done on the spot according to the dancers and the mood and energy on the dance floor. In order to accomplish this feat, Michel owns some 1,700 tango CDs which represent about 27,000 tracks. Michel has developed a remastering technique for the Golden Age period of tango (1927-1944). He specializes in the orchestras of the 1950s and todays orchestras that are tanguable.
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Contact:
Tel: 416-696-5950
CAN & US: 1-866-281-2357
Email: tango_soul_hotmail.com
Facebook: "El Congreso" Toronto's Argentine Tango Congress
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