¡Tango conmigo!

>> Quadratoand ochoyourself across
the Montreal tango scene

DANCING IN THE PARK: Tango at Serres Municipales de Verdun

by ANDREA ZANIN

Here’s the number one reason you should try the tango: it’s as good as sex, and sometimes better. No, I’m not kidding. There’s an intimacy, a depth of communication, a sensuality and a focus in tango that rivals the best roll in the hay, and unlike the average one-night stand, tango usually leaves the participants wanting more.

According to Mary Ann Lacey, local tango teacher and performance artist, “Tango is good for couples. Although,” she adds, “there’s no instant erotic gratification. But it’s much more rewarding.”

If you need any further convincing, consider the physical benefits. “You don’t know you’re exercising, but tango is great ab work and it develops upper body strength. Plus, it’s awesome for posture; you have to stand up straight or you can’t see where you’re going,” Lacey explains. That’s in addition to the obvious coordination and leg muscle it takes to dance all night. And it’s good for the heart: “It’s not exactly cardiovascular, but it’s not a slow, lazy dance either. You cover space, it really boogies.” Not to mention, tango is truly an all-ages exercise: recent studies have shown that tango is great for enhancing balance, mobility and even cognitive memory skills in elderly people.

Tango capital

Montreal is renowned as North America’s tango capital, with a rich and varied tango culture that runs the gamut from the earthy Afro-Argentinean canyengue style to the strictly classical approach to the electronic beats of hip, loose nuevo tango or neo-tango. With over a dozen schools in town and a dizzying array of milongas, or dance nights—at least one every night of the week—we’ve got tango for every taste and every schedule.

To top it all off, this year we’re playing host to two major tango festivals. For starters, the Festival de Tango Nuevo de Montréal runs from May 3 to 6, hosted by local school Tango Fabrika. It attracts a slick crowd of cutting-edge nuevo-tango lovers. Get the schedule at www.neotangofestivalmontreal.com.

Then, get ready for the massive Montreal International Tango Festival, which takes place July 7 to 15. Run every second year by the reputed Tango Libre school, the festival features a roster of classes with Argentinean masters, a full week of milongas and an impressive line-up of performances. Full info at www.festivaldetangodemontreal.qc.ca.

In the meantime, you can learn and practise your moves for free at any one of Montreal’s four weekly outdoor tango nights.

“At every tango night in the parks, we offer a free introductory lesson,” says Gerardo Sanchez, artistic director of Tango Libre and of the international festival. The school runs three, starting with Wednesday nights from 7–10 p.m. at the Serres municipales de Verdun (7000 Lasalle Blvd.), from May 30 to August 22. “There’s a certain childhood nostalgia about playing outside. In each park, we’re next to a river, and it’s beautiful to dance as the sun sets and the stars come out.”

On Sunday nights from June 24 to September 2, tango away at Parc St-Viateur in Outremont (corner Bloomfield and Bernard) from 7–10:30 p.m. Sanchez is also enthused about a new milonga: “We’ll be holding a dance ball every Friday night in August at Place des Vestiges in the Old Port with live Montreal bands— Ensemble Montréal Tango, Sweatshop Tango Ensemble and others.”

If you just can’t get enough, try the Thursday night dances run by Al Sur Tango (in July and August) from 7–10 p.m. in the gazebo at Little Italy Park (corner St-Zotique and St-Laurent).

Tango- à-go-go

As a budding tango aficionado, you’ve got tons of options for learning your quadratos and ochos. Keep an eye out for classes at local community centres, universities and elsewhere; often you can learn the basics for a reduced cost. In terms of tango-specific schools, here’s a sampling of what Montreal has to offer.

• Tangueria www.tangueria.org

• Air de Tango
www.airdetango.com

• Al Sur Tango
www.alsurtango.com

• Tango Fabrika (nuevo tango) www.tangofabrika.com

• Tango Libre
www.tangolibre.qc.ca

• Tango Canyengue www.tango-canyengue.com

• Studio Tango
www.studiotango.ca

• MonTango
www.montango.ca

• Dance Conmigo www.danceconmigo.com

• Argentina Tango Academy (514) 840-9246

• Private lessons with
Mary Ann Lacey
www.tangofemme.net

And if all you want to do is dance, dance, dance, you’re in luck. Most indoor milongas will run you between $5 and $10. Check the regularly updated calendar at www.elevenland.com/tango