Canberra's Tango Club

Canberra's Tango Social Club

The Tango Social Club of Canberra, it's official name, has been going strong since it began on 15 April 2000 and is one of Australia's most active clubs. The Club has made a huge contribution to creating a tango community, joining with other clubs for events, and inviting teachers from interstate to provide workshops.

Its initial mission wasto promote tango in Canberra and it was first formed by 15 members. "It is probably fair to say that these 15 members themselves constituted the Canberra tango community at that time," said their spokesperson. " At the end of 2007 membership was up to 122"

Practicas, milongas, workshops - and more

The Club arranges and supports the following core events:

two practicas (of approximately 2 hours duration each) each week.
a milonga on the 3rd Saturday evening of every month.

In addition the club provides a range of support (from full financial risk sharing at one end, to simple loan of equipment, or assistance with promotion at the other) to tango events such as milongas or workshops run by Club members. The Club also arranges weekend workshops by visiting interstate or international teachers (on average four to six times a year.

The Club has a Promotions Group whose role is to promote tango to the wider community by performing social tango at community and other events sometimes by request and sometimes at our own initiative. A very friendly and efficient website, a weekly electronic newsletter, an electronic discussion forum, a music lending library and an active outreach program complete the picture..

The Tango Community in Canberra

"We aim to support the activities of other organizations in Canberra interested in tango, such as commercial schools but not compete with them" said the spokesperson when asked about how the Club viewed competition with tango schools. "By and large the schools (of which there are currently three that we recognize as teaching Argentine tango - and the owners of each are also members of the Club) offer weekly classes and very small scale milongas".

Becoming a member

To join the Tango Social Club of Canberra one simply has to fill out a form that and pay a membership subscription of $25 per year (full) or $15 (concession). Any profits made by the Club's activities are put back into tango activities.
The Club is bound by the a set of rules defined in conformity with the Australian Capital Territory Associations Incorporations Act (1991) and accompanying regulations.

The Club's future

Tango Australia asked how the club saw it's future.
"The Club's primary focus will remain on the development of a community of social tango dancers. To do this we see a role for ourselves continuing to provide:

regular opportunities for members to practise their tango skills in a relaxed social environment
regular opportunities for members to dance tango in formal and semi-formal social environments
regular opportunities for members to learn new tango skills
information without bias to members and the general public about all tango-related activities in the Canberra region
demonstrations and performances of social tango to attract people to tango.

" We will continue to aim to do the above based on volunteer activity and without competing directly with the commercial activities of local teachers."

"The Club aims to welcome tango enthusiasts from other areas, so we would like to see the world wide tango movement continue its spread and growth throughout this country and there to be increasing links established between the range of not for profit tango organizations that are developing."

You will find more about the Club at their website http://www.tangocanberra.asn.au/

Pictures to come