Yanina and Gennaro return to Argentina on April 1, where they will pick up their renewed visas. They will be back the beginning of May. In their absence, Hugo "El Gato" Valdez and Andrea Monti will give the class on Monday, April 3, 10, 17 and 24 (and longer if necessary) at Lake Merritt Dance Center, 200 Grand Avenue, Oakland.
Gato and Andrea are not strangers to the Bay Area. They have taught here several times and are currently based in Sacramento. For more information, see http://www.gatotango.com/. Gato and Andrea started dancing together in 1998. They dance "Tango Salsn" with refinement and distinction. Together they have formed a well-known reputation not only for their elegance, technique and musicality, but also for their caminar a tierra (to walk on the earth), making them true representatives of the typical tango porteqo (from the city of Buenos Aires). As teachers they have developed, through many years of experience and work, a teaching method based on the technique of posture, balance, axes, weight changes, rhythm and especially on the tango walk, with emphasis on the interpretation of the music and encouraging the students to express their feelings when dancing. They have taught and performed their style in Argentina, Brazil, the United States of America, Central America, Norway, Denmark, Holland, Spain, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. In 2004 they worked in the II Encuentro Internacional de Tango in Valencia, Spain, and in the PortlandtangoFest 2004, Oregon (USA). Jeanne ("Jan")
