5th Annual Memorial Day Tangofest
Denver, Colorado, May 25 - 30, 2005

A Tango festival "By Dancers; For Dancers"

Instructors (Left to right):

  • Tomas Howlin, Montreal & Buenos Aires
  • Hsueh-tze Lee, Boston
  • Alex Krebs, Portland
  • Kat (Kwan) MacDonald, San Francisco
  • Ricardo Vidort, Buenos Aires
  • Liz Haight, Santa Fe

Previous events have been non-stop parties. We'll have over 30 hours of milongas from Friday afternoon to the wee hours of Monday morning. Each festival has grown both in depth and breadth, as we attract many of the best dancers from across North America, including many who are local teachers or have 10 years of dancing.

These are tango fanatics who repeatedly visit the festivals in Denver or Portland, in between getting their tango fix in Buenos Aires.

Tango Colorado sponsors the most famous outdoor Milonga in North America, including a BBQ Picnic in a gorgeous, outdoor pavilion.

mem05tchr2.jpg 2005 Festival teachers

Photos from previous Denver Festivals
Tango Trances from previous festivals
Testimonials from past Festivals

Top Dancers, DJs & Teachers

The dance floors are designed for social dancers: Perimeter clearly defined, Walkways for pedestrians and tables for watching are off the floor. Dance floors will be crowded, but the navigation will be very good. We usually have 2-3 Buenos-Aires-style lanes formed around the perimeter of the floor. All teachers address floorcraft, fundamentals and musicality in their classes.

The Friday night dance at the Mercury Cafe features the live music of Denver's own Extasis. The floor will be Buenos-Aires crowded; the other dances will still require good floorcraft, but they won't be as crowded.

The Denver festivals feature teachers who are particularly known for their skill as Teachers and Community Builders. The workshops help create the community-nature of these festivals. Here is where you meet and get to know partners for the evening dances. All the classes will have many people who are top dancers or teachers in their home communities, trading ideas and picking up new ideas.

Additional Instructors :

  • Julio Balmaceda & Corina de la Rosa
  • Sponsored by Nina Pesochinsky
  • For Julio & Corina workshop dates, times and prices, please contact Nina@earthnet.net , 720-434-4342.

DJs include:

  • Robin Thomas: New York City, NY
  • Robert Hauk, Portland, OR.
  • Dan Boccia: Anchorage, AK.
  • Ramu Pyreddy: Ann Arbor, MI.

Tango Orchestra:

Class Levels Targeted at Intermediate - Advanced

  • Intermediate Classes: First class on Wed, Thur & Fri will be accessible to Intermediate dancers. Second class progresses to Adv-Intermediate/Advanced material.
  • Adv-Intermediate & Fundamentals: 2 - 5 year dancers with good navigational skills and knowledge of basic close & open-embrace tango vocabulary.
  • Advanced: 3 - 10 years of tango. Ability in multiple styles (open & close) plus multiple visits to Argentina, tango festivals, etc. The teachers will push the envelope in terms of musicality & technique.

Please assess yourself fairly. The Intermediate class will include advanced dancers working on technique. Promoting yourself too quickly and expecting your partners to attend to your level actually slows down your learning. The teachers I choose are all very good at providing insights and challenges at any level.

New and Special this Year

  • More Sleep! Friday, Saturday & Sunday registration & warm-up starts at 12:00. Classes start at 12:30. Also, the Sunday afternoon practice/warmup has been removed to allow you more time to rest and shower before the BBQ.
  • Less Sleep! Thursday night milonga following the Classes. 10:30 - 2:30.
  • Early Arrival workshops on Wed, Thurs & Fri. Only $30 per day for those who already have a Gold Festival Pass.
  • Friday evening $5 workshops. Special warmup classes: Navigation skills for Crowded Dance Floors (beginners 7:00, intermediates 8:15) with Tom Stermitz.

Questions? More info? Contact Tom Stermitz: stermitz@tango.org

The Denver Tangofest Workshops

  • Festival workshops (Gold pass)
    Sat & Sun, 12:30 & 2:00
    Registration & warmup at 12:00

  • Early-arrival workshops, $30/day (with Gold Pass)
    Wed, 7:00 reg, 7:30 & 9:00, Ricardo Vidort
    Thur, 7:00 reg, 7:30 & 9:00, Alex Krebs
    Fri, 12:00 reg, 12:30 & 2:00, Tomas Howlin & Hsueh-tze Lee

  • Pre-Milonga Classes, $5 each
    Fri 7:00 & 8:15, Mercury Cafe, Tom Stermitz & Kat (Kwan) MacDonald.

The Denver Tangofest Dances/Concerts:

  • Friday Afternoon: Welcome Milonga at Hotel.
  • Friday Night: Mercury Milonga with the live music of Extasis Grande Orchestra.
  • Saturday Afternoon: Alternative Milonga.
  • Saturday Night: DJ Milonga.
  • Sunday Afternoon: Practice
  • Sunday Evening: Tango Picnic & Outdoor Milonga at Cheesman Park Pavilion sponsored by Tango Colorado.
  • Sunday Night: Hardcore milonga...Tango until dawn.

Lodging & Most Events:
Denver Doubletree Hotel
3203 Quebec St, Denver 80207

We have reserved plenty of rooms at the Denver Doubletree: 303-321-3333. The Doubletree costs only $69/night + tax.

Free airport shuttle & free parking. Swimming pooel; Jacuzzi; Use reservation code words: 'Tango Fest'.

Frontier & United Airlines have hubs in Denver. Watch for fare wars or special deals.

Vendors :

Sponsors:

  • La Eterna Milonga (Tom Stermitz) produces milongas, classes and workshops in the Denver area: http://www.tango.org
  • The Mercury Café (Marilyn Megenity) hosts the Friday night milonga in Denver, in a nightclub atmosphere.
  • Tango Colorado sponsors the Tuesday Practice in Denver, the Thursday Practice in Boulder, and the Sunday afternoon picnic and Milonga under the Stars.

Tom's Favorite Restaurants

(1) Italian: Barolo
Central SE: Near Colo Blvd & 6th Ave.
3030 E 6th Ave, 303-393-1040
Reservations necessary. Try the tasting menu.

(2) Italian: Panzano
Downtown
909 17th St, 303-296-3525

(3) Nouveau Mexican: Tamayo
Downtown
1400 Larimer St, 303-946-1433

(4) Indian: India's Restaurant
South. Tamarack (Quebec) & Hampden
3333 S Tamarac Dr, 303-755-4284

(5) Chinese: The Empress Dim Sum
South East, Federal & Alameda 2825 W Alameda Ave, 303-922-2822

More Restaurants

Other Activities

(1) Nearby Hiking
There is really good hiking into the foothills near Boulder only 1/2 hour from the hotel. Take Hwy 36 to Boulder, getting off at the Table Mesa exit. Then go West, winding all the way up to NCAR a modern (I.M. Pei designed) building in red cement. Park in the lot, and you have lots of hiking. One of the nicest is Fern Canyon, which gives you a pretty, 2 - 3 hour hike. Very steep in parts.

(2) Mountains and Hot Springs
Long but beautiful day trip if snow has been cleared from Trail Ridge Road. Boulder to Estes Park, over Trail Ridge Road, down to Granby, and stop to soakin the Hot Sulphur Springs. Then returning over Berthoud Pass to Denver.

(3) Ski Arapahoe Basin
Spring Skiing usually runs through mid-June.

(4) Santa Fe 3-4 day trip.
Santa Fe is about 6-7 hours South on I-25. Return more slowly up through Taos and the San Luis Valley.

Shopping

(1) Rockmount Ranch Wear (The Original Western Shirt)
Yes, you too can dress like Eric Clapton or Bruce Springsteen. Snap-button shirts. See ranch-wear museum in Lobby. 1626 Wazee St, downtown Denver.

(2) Crybaby Ranch (Cowboy Kitsch)
When you really want baby-blue cowboy boots, lotsa fringe or that couch with a buckin' bronco stitching. 1422 Larimer Square, downtown Denver.