Yazmin Carrera and Panos Kontakos (that’s them in the center) perform Argentinian tango with their fellow dancers at the Tango in the Park event.
by Amy Brown
It can take more than two to tango. At least, that was the idea with the recent Tango in the Park event held recently by members of House of Dance in downtown Ventura. 25 dancers performed the Argentinian tango on a stage in the park next to Café Fiore, providing a romantic Latin American flare on a Sunday afternoon. According to Cliff Housego, one of the organizers and performers, the event was created to provide an open forum for local dancers to demonstrate the elegant dance form to the Ventura community. Housego has been teaching West Coast Swing dancing at the Borderline in Thousand Oaks since the early 90s (presently closed due to the Nov. 7, 2018 shooting tragedy), and now takes tango lessons every Wednesday at the House Of Dance in Ventura. “Tango is romantic, connected, sexy and awe inspiring,” said Housego. “One thing I found attractive was the lead and follow, which is so very important, in that it’s not my arms moving you, it’s my body moving you, my core moving your core—it’s really two people dancing as one.”
Renowned choreographer Bob Fosse famously once said “Dance like nobody’s watching,” but Argentinian tango seems made for an audience, filled with dramatic improvised moves, flourishes, and close embraces. This style of tango developed in the 1880s in Buenos Aires, and is an improvisational dance (unlike the far more structured ballroom styles) performed to a wide variety of music: slow, or with staccato beat, or very fast. Not unexpectedly, an intense and beautiful style of dance like this can lead to deeper connections—Ventura residents Yazmin Carrera and Panos Kontakos first met at a tango dance class and are now a couple on the dance floor and off. Carrera is originally from Mexico, and Kontakos from Greece, and are now active members of the flourishing tango community in the county. “The Ventura tango community is very friendly and inclusive, and that it’s not only about dancing, it’s about connecting with people. Tango is very graceful and intuitive, it’s about feeling—and I feel like it’s a heart dance,” said Carrera.
This was the first time an event like this had been held by the group in Ventura, and it was very well received. “The event was a refreshing success. We had couples come up on the stage and dance and many people walking stop, watch and take pictures and videos,” said Housego. He encourages patience when learning tango—and pointed out that there is a longer, deeper learning curve to it, and that while he has been dancing tango for the last five years, he still essentially considerers himself a beginner. “It can really be a 10 to 12 year process to master, but it’s a journey in which you can really enjoy the process,” he said. “Argentinian tango is very versatile, and the style is changing. I’m enjoying my journey.”
