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Tango dancing set to take off in Sidney

Runway Tango in Sidney hopes to engage locals in their dancing festivities
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Dancers enjoy themselves during the Runway Tango grand opening earlier this year.

After debuting Tango dancing in Sidney at the Beacon Park bandshell last summer on Saturday afternoons, Cordelia McIntosh is happy to now be providing a local hub for those interested in Tango on the Saanich Peninsula.

“Offering Tango at the bandshell last July and August was an experiment and a collaborative effort with myself and Diane Tolomeo of Tango Pacifico in Victoria,” explained McIntosh, who with the help of Dalie Green started Runway Tango at the Catalina Grill House in Sidney in February.

“We wanted to see how well Tango would be received on the Peninsula. Diane and Dalie helped immensely with any support I needed, as well as help with advertising and the interest from locals was overwhelming. We quickly noticed people expressing a desire for local lessons and events.”

After the success of the free Tango dancing at the bandshell, McIntosh and her team then began looking for a venue.

“Dalie was instrumental in discovering our location at Catalina Grill House, and brainstormed with me to ultimately come up with the name of Runway Tango.

“Together with the support of our families, we came up with a web presence and Facebook and Twitters pages,” said McIntosh.

Almost three months after opening, Runway Tango is now involved with a other Tango communities both on the Island and in the lower mainland.

Dancers and visiting DJs regularly join the group from Victoria, Nanaimo, Crofton, Courtenay, Saltspring, Vancouver, Port Angeles, Bellingham and Olympia.

“For our grand opening in March we were also fortunate to have instructors Luciano Brigante and Alejandra Orozco from Buenos Aires make a stop at Runway Tango on their North American tour,” added McIntosh.

McIntosh now coordinates a monthly evening milonga (the word used for a Tango dance) at the Cataline Grill house on the fourth Sunday of each month and she plans to be back at the bandshell through July and August to offer people a taste of what Runway Tango has to offer.

“Tango brings people from different communities, age groups and all walks of life together,” explained McIntosh.

“That’s one of the beautiful aspects of Tango is that it is a very connected dance.”

For more information on Runway Tango and for a schedule of events visit www.runwaytango.com.