Photo credit: Carlos Vizzotto
Jose Garofalo has taught tango for 30 years in Buenos Aires and was one of my first teachers. He is part of a group working to document the styles of the old milongueros, as well as an integral part of Nuevo Tango in the 1990s. He is a wonderful, warm, fun teacher! Come play with Jose!
I recommend signing up for lessons. I will be studying with him myself. In Jose, you have decades of dancing in one person, here in Portland. If you want to do Nuevo Tango, or performance tango, traditional styles of close embrace (lean, no lean, canyengue), or if you want to craft your own style, he is a master of improvisation and encourages you to find your own personal tango. If you just want to dance with a master for an hour, he can do that. He is a fabulous follower, by the way, as well as a leader, and taught me tons about leading by being my follower.
Workshop classes:
1. Improvising your own dance along the line of dance
Friday, 6/9 5:30-6:30 @ Norse Hall, 111 NE 11th Ave.
$20 (not in the milonga admission price)
2. Understanding the emergence and differences in tango styles
Saturday, 6/10 4-5:30 PM @ Shabu Studios, 6055 NE Glisan St.
$30
3. Tradition meets improvisation
Sunday, 6/11: 1-2:30 PM @ Shabu Studios, 6055 NE Glisan St.
$30
4. Applying the tango secrets of the old milongueros
Thursday, 6/15: 7-9 PM @ Shabu Studios, 6055 NE Glisan St.
$30
5. Building your own style of tango!
Saturday, 6/17: 1-2:30 PM @ Dance with Joy, 8051 SE 16th Ave.
$30
Package deal: all 5 workshop classes, $120 (Register here, or pay at door with cash, check, Venmo or Paypal)
Private lessons
Studying with Jose is fun. I will be studying with him myself. I know that $150/hr or 5/$600 sounds steep. I have found that combining at least one private lesson with group classes will speed up your learning. Private classes are a must in learning to dance tango well. If pricing feels steep, consider sharing a lesson with someone so that you have a partner to practice what you learned in the class.
The private lessons will be at my home studio, 4315 NE Garfield Ave. To schedule, contact me at ewartluf@gmail.com or use my contact form. Please make a commitment to keep your lesson or pay for it—it’s not fair to visiting teachers to cancel at the last minute when they cannot fill that slot.