This past weekend marked the second annual Mini Tango Festival presented by Ray Barbossa and Marco Mirabelli. All I can say is "WOW". Enough credit cannot be given to Ray for financing this ambitious project to bring such outstanding instructors to our city for 4 days of workshops, milongas, practicas and exhibitions. With Marco's fine assistance and the assistance of a number of volunteer workers this year's festival was even better than last year's festival and with plans already being made for next year's mini fest, it appears that the success of each of these festivals is creating what appears to be the making of a Major festival in the future.
The energy was wonderful throughout the weekend. Everyone I spoke with expressed how happy they were with the entire program, the instructors and the dance venues. The vendors appeared to be doing quite well, especially Kathleen Ahern's shoe and clothing business. The other vendors also appeared to be delighted with their sales of handbags, jewelry etc. There were workshops for dancers of all levels from beginner to advanced/masters. The Friday night milonga brought out virtually every instructor from the Chicago area including Misha and Sarah, Somer and Agape, Douglas, Jorge, Ellen and Oleg, Steve and Reisa, Romulo and Margot, Carlos Favre and Daniel and Ramonna. The exhibitions were wonderful and the live music from Alma de Tango was an added bonus. For those with enough stamina, there were afternoon milongas/practicas on Friday and Saturday so everyone had an additional opportunity to work on that which they were learning during the day. We did not attend the Saturday night milonga (too wasted to dance that night) but from all reports, it was huge with great exhibitions from the instructors and again, great energy in the room. This was an outstanding opportunity to learn from some of the best dancer/instructors in 1 1/2 hour sessions for a reasonable cost especially if a full weekend package was purchased. For local dancers who did not attend the weekend events that is an opportunity lost. The instructors were also available for privates and Ellen and I were fortunate to have lined some up before the instructors left for other cities. We cannot wait for them to return to Chicago and I hope Ray is successful in luring them back during the year. The attendance throughout the weekend was amazing. We met dancers from all over the U.S. including San Diego, Boston, Portland, Tuscon, Florida, Memphis, Minneapolis and other states I cannot remember at this time. Not only were the milongas stocked with water and ice, something forgotten about at one festival last year, but there were tables with veggies, dips, chips, nuts, fruits and assorted goodies throughout the weekend not to mention an never ending supply of soft drinks. Volunteers assisted the organizers by handling the food, the registration desks, the doors and in moving around tables and chairs for each event. While some events experienced slight delays, overall the timing was excellent. Ray and Marco's enthusiasm coupled with the enthusiasm of the instructors was completely contagious. You always wanted to learn more and to dance more as the weekend proceeded. Opportunities to have a festival in your own city are few and far between. And they are far less expensive to attend than in traveling around the country and the world to attend other festivals. Attendance this weekend by local dancers was excellent. Anyone who attended the event this weekend I am sure came away with a greater and/or renewed admiration for this dance, for the instructors who have made tango their life's work and for the organizers who go out on the limb financially and who expend an extraordinary amount of time and energy to bring their vision of tango to Chicago so that we can all fully enjoy an exceptional tango experience. Finally the Friday exhibitions were exhilarating to say the least. And you had to see Ernest Williams and our own Anna dance the Canyengue. This is an old style tango which is becoming more and more popular so much so that Ray added a Cayengue class on Sunday and it was packed. Ellen and I enjoyed not only the class but we loved Ernest who is a full time tango teacher who has performed in other cities and who will be in Chicago to give lessons for some time to come. If anyone wants his e-mail or telephone number just contact me back channel. Kudos once again to Ray, Marco and the entire Festival staff. We cannot wait until next year's festival!! Don Lavin
