About
About Tango
It is not easy to define Tango and there is not one definition of it. To keep it simple, it is first of all a genre of music and a social dance. From here we depart in saying it is a culture, a way of life, an obsession, an addiction, pure feeling, passion, and so on. In Tango everyone has a different way of expressing him- or herself. Some like one way, some another. We like and are inspired by the classic Tango de Salon of Buenos Aires, a style forged during the golden age of this dance (and music) in the 1940-50s. A dance style deeply rooted in its cultural origins. Within tango there are three types of dance/rhythm: tango, tango vals and milonga. Milonga is also the name of the place or event where it all happens! It is the social occasion where people meet to dance tango. Knowing this, come and try it! Find out what tango means to you!
About Us
Yuri ‘Gaúcho’ Bellicanta and Kate Miller are champions of the Baltic Open Tango Cup 2018 (Tango Pista and Tango Vals), achieving also 2nd place in Milonga. They were also finalists at the Munster European Tango Contest 2018 (3rd place Milonga category) and 2019. They met dancing and have an elegant dance style fuelled by powerful subtle musicality. They are very dedicated to sharing their passion and knowledge of Tango with others. Kate was born in Bristol, UK, and started dancing ballet at the age of 5 until her university years. When tango came into her life she was mesmerized by the beauty of the music and decided that it was the dance for her. One of her role models is her grandmother, who gave up dancing (not tango) at the age of 95. She inspires Kate to always find solutions for the dance that will allow a healthy use of the body. Yuri was born in Santa Vitória do Palmar, in the pampa of southern Brazil, border with Uruguay, land of gauchos and a distinctive music folklore which includes, amongst various rhythms, that of milonga. His passion for tango starts from the passion for the music, which started in his childhood after a trip to Buenos Aires with his grandparents. Yuri is also a pianist and an enthusiastic Tango DJ.
Our Teaching Method
We focus on giving to students the tools that they need to develop their dance. The social dance of Tango is based on improvisation and therefore the possibility to communicate clearly with a fellow dancer only happens when certain skills are acquired. Everyone is different and requires different attention at any given stage of their learning and the speed of learning is also unique to each person. We strive to give this individual attention as much as it is possible to do in a group setting. We put a strong focus on dancing the music. Steps are only an excuse to work on the basic 'mechanics' and must be put into a musical context. From the very beginning our students understand that the dance needs to have meaning. We apply the same principles during private tuition, obviously in a more individually tailored way.