Hi All,

As announced in class, we plan to hold our monthly Milonga this Friday 26th February in the new venue of Belfast Rowing Club, at Stranmillis. More details are in the main texts below.

In this week’s newsletter, below:

1. Weekly Monday classes with teacher Aldo Romero and Ana Lia.
2. Weekly Practica on Thursdays.
3. Monthly Milonga this Friday, 26th February
4. Future weekend workshops with Aldo and Ana Lia
5. YouTube clips
6. Membership of BATS – please take minute to read the detail below
7. Non-BATS events (Cork Festival is starting to sell out ....)

Feel free to forward this on to anyone else who you think might be interested. In fact, it’s only by keeping the numbers up that we can afford to bring professional teachers to you, so please have a good hard think if there are any family, friends, or colleagues who you could persuade along. If you want removed from this circulation, just let me know.

Thanks,


Alan
Honorary Secretary
Belfast Argentine Tango Society
http://www.tangoinbelfast.org



1. Weekly Monday classes with teacher Aldo Romero and Ana Lia.
Those of you who were taking our classes last winter will know Aldo and Ana Lia well. Aldo and Ana Lia will be with us through the winter and promises fun and informative classes. For more information, check their website: http://www.aldoyanalia.com.ar

The classes will be the usual format:

Beginners 7.00 – 8.30pm
Practice 8.30 – 8.45pm
Improvers 8.45 – 10.15pm
Practice 10.15– 10.30pm

Cost - £7 for one class, £10 for both (Student/Concession: £5/£8 – please show ID).

Usual venue details: the main upstairs hall of City Church, 12-24 University Avenue (on the left as you head down the Avenue away from Botanic - there's a large white church, then City Church is a red brick building a few doors further, opposite the Spar). The hall is above the “Common Grounds" café, but enter through the double doors round the corner – ring the bell if closed. Here's a link to a map:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en ... 2,0.017381


2. Weekly Practica on Thursdays.
Our weekly Practica is the ideal environment to help you progress. What is a Practica? It’s an informal event somewhere between a class and a formal Milonga. There is no structured tuition, but dancing with others and discovering for yourselves how steps work (or how they don’t) really adds to the tuition we get in class. Plus, you can always ask others for advice, as unlike in class or at a Milonga, there’s nothing to say you can’t stop mid-flow on the dance floor to debate a point.

Whether you have only just begun, or are an Improver, being taught in class will only take you so far – each week you really need to practice the techniques taught on the Monday, otherwise you will forget them before they get over-written by the following Monday’s class!

A Practica is also a good opportunity for the Beginner and Improver classes to mix – which will benefit both (and add to the social dimension too).

The venue for the Thursday Practica is called “The West” (although the name is not on the front of the building) on the Falls Road. It has a good floor, with plenty of seating/socialising area in the bar. There is a dedicated car park behind it (but walk round to the front door on the main road to get in – in the front door and just round to the right).

The attached link to Google maps shows it (and the car park behind it), but if you drive up the Donegal Road (from the Broadway roundabout at the Park Centre on the Westlink) towards the Falls Road, then turn right onto the Falls Road (city bound) then it is about 200 yards on the right, between La Salle Park and La Salle Drive. If you turn into La Salle Drive, the car park can be accessed from it.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&sourc ... 6&t=h&z=19

You can drop in/out of the Practica anytime, there’s no fixed “start”, but we’ll be there from 8pm-10pm+ on Thursdays. Price £2.


3. Monthly Milonga this Friday, 26th February
Although we missed our January Milonga, we have now found a new venue for February, although we are a week later than normal and on Friday not Saturday. So this month’s Milonga will be this Friday, from 9pm-12+ at Belfast Rowing Club, Hay Island, 10 Lockview Road, Belfast BT9 5FJ. It has a wooden parquet floor, has a balcony over-looking the river, (where the smokers can at least still see the dancing) and it has a bar. Price: £5

To find it, get to the roundabout on the Stranmillis Road, in front of Stranmillis College and take the exit that is Lockview Road, which takes you up to the Cutters Wharf pub. On the left just after the Cutters are two linked car parks, drive into the second one and go two thirds of the way up, where you should see a gate on the left with “Belfast Rowing Club” on it. You can’t drive in, just park there (there’s plenty of parking) and use the pedestrian gate (if you see tennis courts, you’ve gone too far, that’s Belfast Boat Club!). We are in the double storey building; go up the stairs immediately on the left when you go in – follow the music..... Here’s a link to a map, although the “A” mark isn’t in the right place – it shows the entrance to the car park rather than the building itself.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&sourc ... 8&t=h&z=16

As Aldo and Nora said, Tango is a social dance, so classes are only the starting point – the whole objective is to dance it socially. Everyone, whether you’ve attended one class or many, is welcome – nobody will judge your ability, we’ve all been beginners!


4. Future weekend workshops with Aldo and Ana Lia
As last winter, Aldo and Ana Lia plan to give us some special workshops on selected weekends – to add to the regular weekly classes. These will be on Sunday afternoons and for your information, here is some advance information about the dates. Details of the specific topics will be fleshed out nearer the dates.

7th March
11th April
9th May


5. YouTube clips
Someone mentioned Gustavo Naveira’s footwork in discussion with Aldo last week, so that’s all the excuse I need to go searching on YouTube for you .... here’s Gustavo Naveira and Giselle Anne:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5FOjT959J0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD3urDKYZas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MJEHJNEits


6. Membership of BATS
In case any of you don’t realise, the Belfast Argentine Tango Society (BATS) is run by a Committee, who are all unpaid volunteers. The classes and Milongas organised by BATS are run on a not for personal profit basis. After paying for venues and teachers, any excess monies go back into the pot to alleviate those weeks when there is a loss, and to build a fund to allow us to put on special events. The Society is constituted such that the Committee is elected by the members, so each year we ask students of the classes to join the Society (although there is no compulsion to if you don’t want to).

It does not cost you anything (if you have taken a class) and it does not place any burden on you to do anything, but it does give you the right to attend our Annual General Meeting to voice any views you have about the running of the Society and to vote in the election of the Committee. It also entitles you to stand for the Committee should you so wish. If you want to join, just fill in one of the forms that are available in class (NOTE: if you joined last year, you still need to renew your membership each year, by filling in a form).


7. Non-BATS events
A. Nikos’ classes
QUB Lifelong Learning Institute on Tuesdays
Tango Salón (Tango Argentino) for Beginners, Starting on Tuesday 19/1/2010
Venue: LT2, Medical Biology Centre, Time: 18:00-20:00 (10 weeks)
A complete class in tango salón for beginners aiming to develop the basic elements of communication, elegance and seduction between leader – follower and to study in detail the fundamental aspects of caminadas, syncopation, ochos, giros, sacadas & barridas among others. Upon completion students will be able to demonstrate dancing to tango music smoothly and interpret it with basic routines.
Info: openlearning.education@qub.ac.uk http://www.qub.ac.uk/edu tel: 028 9097 3323/3539

QUB PEC on Tuesdays
Beginners Tango Salón, Starting on Tuesday 2/2/2010
Venue: Physical Education Centre, Time: 20:15-21:45 (9 weeks)
Info: Queen's University Belfast, Physical Education Centre, Bookings: 02890 681126


B. Cork Tango Festival 12th-14st March 2010
The details of this event are out and can be found at http://www.corktango.com Aileen has advised that some workshops are starting to sell out, so get in quick if you are planning to go.

C. Edinburgh International Tango Festival 28th-31st May 2010
I have flyers available in class, or go here: http://www.eitf.org.uk