ON TO "PLAN B:" Due to a family medical emergency, Alicia Pons has had to cut short her North American tour and has flown back to Buenos Aires. We are, however, able to stay on course with our weekend’s programming as ROBERT HAUK of Portland, a longtime teaching collaborator of Alicia’s, has graciously consented to take Alicia’s place and conduct the intensive as planned.

A weekend intensive with

ROBERT HAUK

April 9,10 & 11, 2010

including an homage to Pedro "Tete" Rusconi

Srini, Tete and Emi at El Beso, Bs.As., 2008

Robert Hauk has played a key role in helping to shape the development of tango in Portland, Oregon — one of the most dynamic tango communities in North America. Inspired by his teacher SUSANA MILLER of Buenos Aires, he was instrumental in introducing the close embrace. He is often on the road visiting communities as well as teaching and dj-ing at major festivals. In recent years, Robert has been teaching in collaboration with ALICIA PONS of Buenos Aires, who likes to affectionately call him “my tango husband.”


Here's a video of Robert Hauk and Alicia Pons dancing in Seattle.




A message from Robert: The classes progress from the first to the last. It would be nice if people who want to take the weekend workshops could be there on Friday to see how I develop the walking. Alicia has had a tremendous influence on my development of walking. The overall idea will be that our movement should be natural, that we can lead without pushing, and follow without using our partner for support. The last class is an homage to Tete Rusconi, a legendary milonguero who passed away earlier this year. 

Throughout the weekend, Robert will progressively build on fundamental concepts for creative and clear tango dancing. The weekend program is designed for all levels, and while we encourage dancers to take advantage of the full package, participants may also register for single classes.


The package consists of six classes and entry to the EL CENTRO Milonga on Friday and a special potluck dinner and practica on Sunday.



FRIDAY, April 9
Location: SPK, 1134 Kingsway (between Fraser and Knight, just east of Glen)
• 8:00 pm — 9:30 pm: Developing a sensual walk. This class will develop the milonguero embrace and parallel foot walking from the ground up. The focus will be on posture and connection. How can we lead without pushing, how to follow without using your partner for support. How to move together like one creature. This will involve listening intently to each other, and to the music, an opening into the sensual experience of tango.



FRIDAY EVENING EVENT:
EL CENTRO MILONGA
• 9:30 pm— 1:00 am
SPECIAL GUEST DJ – Robert Hauk
SPK, 1134 Kingsway (between Fraser and Knight)
Included in the weekend package or $10/$7 students.



SATURDAY, April 10
Location: SPK, 1134 Kingsway (between Fraser and Knight, just east of Glen)


• 1:00 pm — 2:30 pm: Check Step turns. Check steps are a fundamental foundation movement in tango, a way to change directions of walking easily and rhythmically. A group of check step turns will be developed as building blocks. Combinations will be built from these building blocks, and a vocabulary built for the dance floor, enabling dancers to move freely even when the floor is crowded.



• 2:45 pm — 4:15 pm: Walking in crossed feet. This class will explore walking in crossed feet, including a development of the back ocho. These will be explored as extensions of the walking already developed in the earlier classes. This will lead to a better understanding of body mechanics, and the back ocho will emerge as another way of walking in crossed feet. Leaders will learn how to lead back ochos without pushing or steering, followers will learn to do ochos as easily as walking. We will explore transitions to and from back ochos, and how these lead to some very nice turns that are fun and compact.



• 4:30 — 6:00 pm: Vals, turning and flying. This class will explore more turns, from the point of view of Vals. These turns work as well for Tango or Vals, the difference being the feeling of the music. We will make combinations of these turns so that the dance will feel like flying.



SUNDAY, April 11
Location: SPK, 1134 Kingsway (between Fraser and Knight, just east of Glen)


• 2:00 pm —3:30 pm: Walking backwards to go forward. This class will explore situations where leaders walk backward and followers walk forward. We will explore some common ways to use this on the dance floor, and then through a series of exercises we will find what I call surprise forward ochos, rounded forward ochos form front cross situations. We will add these to the movements already developed. These will be dramatic ways to change direction of walking: They will sometimes be the most compact movements we can do, so they are very good for crowded dance floors.



• 3:45 pm — 5:15 pm: An Homage to Tete. This class will put together all of the ideas of the weekend and use them to develop a very characteristic movement from the dance of Pedro “Tete” Rusconi. Tete passed away earlier this year, he was a huge source of inspiration for all dancers of milonguero style tango. His dance was playful, and original, he did things in his own characteristic way. His dance was full of surprises and his own inimitable humor. We will make combinations of the material developed this weekend, with some characteristic modifications and find some lovely movements and musicality.


SUNDAY EVENING EVENT:
POTLUCK and OPEN PRACTICA


• 5:30 pm TO 10:00 pm
Join us at EL CENTRO for a POTLUCK and PRACTICA at SPK.
Included in the weekend package or $8.

Tete and Sylvia:



PRICES:
$125 weekend package (6 classes, EL CENTRO Milonga, the potluck dinner and practica on Sunday)
or $25 per class.


Hosted by FRANCIS and EMIKO, tel: 778-995-3155, estudiodetango[AT]yahoo.ca