[Tango-A] AASP: Tango Festival in Pohang, Korea, October 26-28

[Tango Zen: Dance Here Now]

=======================================
"TangoZen is about learning to appreciate traditional tango through 
disciplines of Zen, which is synonymous to simplicity and clarity of body 
and mind. "
http://www.TangoZen.com

“Walk Here Now: Walk to Meditate, Anytime, Anywhere”
For more information, visit http://www.WalkHereNow.com

Friends,

I’d like to invite you to a new tango festival to be held in the city of 
Pohang, Korea, from Friday, October 26th, to Sunday, October 28th. The theme 
of the festival is to experience the feelings of tango as they are 
experienced in the traditional milongas in Buenos Aires. That means the 
focus of the festival will be on learning to enjoy dancing the milonguero 
style rather than watching flashy performances of others.

Program, instructors and DJ were selected to assure this theme. The program 
includes 3 milongas and about 12 classes, as well as other activities from 
Friday evening to Monday morning. The list of instructors includes Alicia 
Pons (Buenos Aires), Ruben Terbalca (Buenos Aires), and Chan Park 
(Washington DC) and the DJs at the milongas will be Carlos (Dong Woo) Lee 
from Buenos Airea and Karin Betz from Frankfurt. Information on these 
instructors and the DJ is listed below.

Pohang is located 210 miles southeast of Seoul, the capital city of Korea. 
Pohang is one of the industrial centers of Korea, with a population of 
350,000. In 1970, the establishment of Pohang Iron and Steel Company turned 
Pohang from a quiet fishing village into one of the national economic 
developments to provide the nation with the much-needed supply of steel. 
With the foundation of the Pohang University of Science and Technology in 
1986, Pohang presents a new dimension to its role as a technical center of 
national and international significance. For more information on Pohang, 
please visit http://eng.ipohang.org.

I’d like to briefly introduce the two instructors, Alicia Pons and Ruben 
Terbalca from Buenos Aires. Both of them, since their encounter with tango 
at an early age, have established their background and passion for tango 
through their milonga experiences. With academic background in psychology 
and teaching experience at universities, they have offered numerous classes 
and performances in the U.S. and Europe.

Especially in his lectures on Tango History and Tango Music History, Ruben 
Terbalca will offer you an invaluable opportunity to learn more about the 
history of tango and tango music through his personal collection of teaching 
materials such as video clips and other media. Also, you should not miss an 
opportunity to learn milonga and canyengue with him.

Among those who have taken classes with her, or had the privilege to dance 
with her, Alicia Pons is known as a person who makes a lasting impression 
with her feelings of tango. I was personally impressed by her theory on the 
follower’s more proactive yet compromising role while dancing tango. Through 
dancing with and learning from her, leaders will have an opportunity to 
understand and respond to what followers intend to convey while dancing.

Through numerous conversations with both of these instructors, over a period 
of several years, I have learned the simple yet fundamental truth that tango 
is a dance of feelings. As I have admired them for their teaching activities 
and dancing skill, I feel privileged to invite them to the Pohang Tango 
Festival this October.

For more information, visit the following addresses:
http://cafe.daum.net/potangofestival (Korean)
http://www.TangoZen.com/pohangtangofestival.htm (English)

I hope to see you in Pohang in October.

Sincerely,

Chan Park
Tango Zen House
www.TangoZen.com
tangozen at hotmail.com

Ruben Terbalca is a former professor at the TANGO UNIVERSITY of BUENOS 
AIRES, tango historian, milonguero, choreographer, and performer. He gives 
his students a unique opportunity to learn about TANGO DANCE HISTORY and 
MUSIC TANGO HISTORY (video lectures), as well as teaching methodology, 
canyengue style, social dance, show dance, professional dance, etc.
Ruben started dancing in 1956. He has performed, choreographed, and lectured 
about tango for over 30 years. His knowledge and skills have been 
internationally acclaimed. Four investigative works on the history and 
literature of tango were written by him and published between 1987 and 1990. 
In 1987 he opened a tango dance school. He was a professor at The Tango 
University between 1993 and 1996. Since 1995 he has been invited to Holland, 
Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Iceland and the US, as a tango 
instructor, lecturer, performer, writer, and choreographer.
Ruben Terbalca wrote the following works on the history and literature of 
tango:

1987: “Enrique Santos Discépolo: Finally, who cares about life?! (“Enrique 
Santos Discépolo: ¡total, la vida qué importe!” (Co-author: Oscar Conde).
1988: “A Subjective, Unfair and Partial History of Tango” (“Subjetiva, 
injusta y parcial historia del tango”).
1989: “Things of the Black in Tango and Milonga” (“Cosas de negros en el 
Tango y la Milonga”).
1990; “Her Majesty the Milonga” (“Su majestad la Milonga”), Co-author: Oscar 
del Priore.


Alicia Pons is an elegant and accomplished dancer with a refined technique 
and distinctive personality. Her ability to imbue the role of the woman with 
verve and style has made her one of the most sought after female partners in 
the milongas of Buenos Aires. And, she wows her tango partners here in the 
US when she visits.

She is most noted for her footwork and sensual seduction, which are done 
with humor and decorum. She exemplifies presence in the dance, and this is a 
focus in her teaching for both men and women.

As a teacher, Alicia emphasizes the connection with one’s partner, and in 
particular the woman’s ability to not just follow, but to be an equal 
protagonist in the dance. She is a very warm and caring person who loves to 
share her knowledge.

Alicia was trained in classical ballet from an early age and as a young 
woman performed in some of Buenos Aires’ most famous theaters such as the 
Colón, the Coliseo, and the Alvear. She was later introduced to tango, and 
her first teacher was Graciela Gonzalez, whose women’s technique has shaped 
her tango footwork. But Alicia gravitated toward the milonguero style and 
her first inspiration and male teacher in that style was Tete Rusconi, one 
of the most renowned milongueros of his generation.
She taught a number of years with Cacho Dante, with whom she has performed 
at the Teatro San Martin as part of the City of Buenos Aires Tango Festival. 
Alicia has been teaching both private and group classes on her own for the 
last few years, and has also become a very popular visiting instructor on 
the U.S. Argentine tango workshop circuit.

Alicia’s teaching methods are grounded in her academic training. She holds a 
degree in Educational Science and Psychology, and is currently an instructor 
for university level education students. In addition to this she teaches 
tango, raises her two sons, and runs her family real estate business.

Chan Park is an innovative and adventurous tango dance instructor. He has 
made it his quest to promote traditional tango for pleasure and inner peace. 
In 2005 Chan published "Tango Zen: Walking Dance Meditation". For years he 
has offered workshops and week-long retreats in Europe, Asia, North and 
South America.

Carlos Lee is a native Korean and residence of Buenos Aires.  He started 
tango in Korea several years ago and is pursuing his tango music career in 
Buenos Aires.  He is DJ of milonga organized by Plaza Bohemia in Buenos 
Aires.

Karin Betz, from Frankfurt, Germany, is a well-known DJ. The quality of her 
music selection has long been appreciated in tango festival circles in 
Europe. She is a PhD candidate in Asian Studies.