GAINESVILLE TANGO WEEKEND

with JORGE MENDOZA & ANABEL SALDAÑA MARTINEZ

 

MARCH 10 - 11, 2018

— from David Chayes

What they ARE: they are beautiful, real, down to earth people with depth and gentleness. They are open about their knowledge of dancing and what it is based on, and want you to absorb EVERYTHING that they have. Thuy met Jorge at a milonga in BsAs, and his demeanor was, as a regular “Joe Blow” (a “nobody”) quietly enjoying himself going to the milonga. (He did not even have a business card because people always come to him, through ‘word of mouth.’

 

Thuy noticed his dance at the milonga “Cachirulo”—he nodded—and she loved his dancing. Only later she came to find out that he has been a childhood dancer—he has a university degree in dance. Jorge introduced Anabel who organizes a practice for women who want to investigate and practice the role of the leader. It is called "Practica Lideresas.”

 

Jorge and Anabel are sent abroad through the Argentine embassies to promote the tango culture. They direct and produce tango shows. Belong to the Association of teachers, dancers and choreographers of Argentine tango.
In 2017 Jorge was Supervisor of the Jury in the Tango World Championship.

 

The idea of someone privately enjoying himself—this is the essence of “social tango”—it is for the feeling of dancing freely to beautiful music, to feel first inside your own body and then together with your partner. And to socialize with people on this ‘real’ and honest level of knowing each other. Jorge’s and Anabel’s strength as teachers is to guide you gently to feel inside your own body the very clear concepts that clarify what is happening inside, to make the tango alive in your body. Their concepts center on being at home in your body with the things that we would like to let happen BETWEEN the steps—the cadences. This is something deep—yet, they do this in a super gentle, playful, non-threatening and humorous way that is accessible to any American (or other) “Joe Blow.”

 

Their lives are such that they are free to be themselves and don’t need to prove that they are ‘good enough’ to anybody.