Tango in DC

Z

Zoopsia59

Forum Master
I will be going to Washington DC the weekend of Sep 11th. I see on a regional calender that there are several milongas that weekend. Does anyone have any experience of the different groups and milongas in the DC area?

My partner will not be interested in anything that is mostly alternative/nuevo/neo etc. Other than that, any feedback is appreciated as we will most likely only be able to get to one event, mostly likely on Saturday night (the 12th) although there is a chance that we will still be there Sunday evening as well.
 
Sweet!

I would recommend Colvin Run (Milonga Color) on Friday night, Chevy Chase Ballroom on Saturday (Milonga Portenia), and Freedom Plaza (Milonga a la Libertad) on Sunday night if the weather is good. All venues play traditional music, almost exclusively. I don't know of any nuevo/alternative venues offhand.

I have never been to Colvin Run, but I'm pretty sure it's regarded well. The dj for that night, Yulia, is fantastic. She's got great music and is very good at reading the crowd and keeping the energy level going. I don't know what the dress code is.

CCB is the milonga I frequent most. It's a bit of a dive, but it tends to be pretty well attended; there's something about that venue that just always seems to work. It's got a wonderful soft, fast floor, too. I don't know that dj offhand, so I can't comment on that. CCB tends to be a bit dressy, but they won't throw you out if you're casual (and I should know).

If the weather is good and you can stay in town for Sunday evening, definitely go to the milonga at Freedom Plaza. The venue is gorgeous, and it's just a great atmosphere. Don't wear your best shoes--it's outdoors and you're dancing on granite. There are words carved into the stone, so you've got to be careful to keep your heels out of the grooves (they're perfectly sized for womens' heels), and there are also these little metal thingies that stick up from the stones just enough to catch the edge of your feet. It sounds bad, but after a tanda you learn to deal with them and forget about them. Dress code is the most casual of any of these. The music on that night (9/13) is done by Jake Spatz, who is not my favorite DJ. He tends to play very old, very rhythmic music almost exclusively and IMO is not the best at managing a group's energy. But the experience of dancing outside (http://www.tangobarrio.com/dance.html) is well worth it. Bring a bottle or two of water, and use the bathroom before you go!

I'd be more than happy to meet up and say hi. PM me if you're interested.
 
I have nothing to add (being that I've only been to one of those venues, and a lot less than Peach has :) ) except there are some pretty amazing restaurants in Bethesda (if you go to CCB) and in Penn Quarter (if you go to Freedom Plaza) if you're looking for dinner then milonga.
 
There was a new event announced for Sunday if you're still in town then Zoopsia. Afternoon Milonga (Yulia DJing) from 3:30 to 6pm at the Glenn Echo Spanish Ballroom, plus performances by Sharna Fabiano's Tango Company including their newest work.

The ballroom is pretty amazing. I've danced swing there before. It's freakin' huge. This is a pic showing about half the floor:

http://www.glenechopark.org/images/dance1.jpg

Not sure how the tango event will go though; there will probably be a lot of beginners as there's a big intro class series before the Milonga. I dunno if that's a turnoff for you or not. :)
 
True, I forgot to mention the lack of AC. ;) Well, it looks like it's going to be around 80 degrees, with some rain that day. So it might be ok.
 
Zoopsia59 said:
Does anyone have any experience of the different groups and milongas in the DC area?
Click to expand...

I didn't get to any milongas at all... I was so stiff, sore and hurting by Saturday night from walking all day, that there was no way I could do any dancing.

You know, it doesn't look that far on the map, but its quite a hike from the far side of Arlington National Cemetery (where the Tomb of the Unknowns is) to the WWII Memorial. That bridge across the Potamac is longer than it looks! And if that wasn't enough on Saturday, on Sunday I walked from Federal Plaza metro station to the Smithsonian (via the Washington Monument), to the Jefferson Memorial, looped around the Tidal Basin, over to the Lincoln Memorial (via the Korean War Memorial), then down the Mall (via the Vietnam War Memorial) back to the WWII Memorial, then got the metro at Federal (which isn't really all that close) to ANC again to see the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns at dusk. I wish I'd had a pedometer with me for the weekend.

So no dancing Sunday either!
And basically no walking at all on Monday!

Now I'm just sifting through 10 gig of photos... none of which are of dancers.. so, completely off topic. (but its my thread and I'll hijack if I want to!)
 
I've been wanting to visit Washington D.C., but things just keep getting in the way... But you may want to check out www.tangomercurio.org. I am very curious about what they have to offer. Sharna Fabiano seems to have a unique tango journey, and she has written some great articles on connection (you can find them on the website). They often have guest instructors, and I know this fall they are hosting Korey Ireland. When I make it to D.C., I will be looking them up for sure. They are actually a nonprofit now, as they do research and community events as well, so they seem to have a good soul...
 
They are very nice people. I've taken some of their classes before, they have a good approach to teaching.

Sharna's dance group seems pretty interesting. It looks like they combine AT figures and concepts with modern choreography to tell a story.
 
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