SUSANA MILLER is regarded as one of the most prominent teachers of "milonguero" style tango, a strictly social style danced on the crowded floors of the clubs in the center of Buenos Aires, emphasizing musicality and connection.  This "apilado" style is rich and complex in its subtle body signals.

During the years Susana spent studying the older milongueros, she has found a way to transmit her knowledge of their distinct choreography to her students and, therefore, has given a great contribution to keeping this popular for of social tango thriving.  Susana encourages her students to use more rhythm in their dance and to shape their own designed patterns to these small spaces.

Through her teaching and encouragement, Susana is probably responsible for bringing more people to dance at the milongas of Buenos Aires than any other single teacher.  In fact, "CLARIN," Buenos Aires' major Daily newspaper, called Susana Miller one of the four most important influences on contemporary tango.  A native of Buenos Aires, she has been dancing and teaching tango since the late 1980's.  She founded and operates her own tango academy and is the owner of one of Buenos Aires' most popular tango clubs, El Beso.  She has been teaching internationally since 1994.

Susana encourages dancers to develop their own unique improvisational styles through musicality, space and body.  Her classes emphasize quality and rhythm.  Rather than predetermined patterns, she imparts a basic choreographic vocabulary, which allows dancers to creatively shape their own tango language.


Thursday, July 2 - Caltech's Winnet Lounge Hall
9:00-10:30 - Pugliese
Tiempos de espera. Voleos en el Milonguero
10:30-11:00 - Practica


Sunday afternoon, July 5 - Sophie Dance
2:00-3:15 - The body of the man is a bandoneon: Our steps create the circulation: one step transforms into many others. Corridas (fast steps/run) backwards and forwards. For women: balance in the walk, how to support the feet to avoid pain and gain fluidity.

3:30-4:45 - The legs "listen": Vals.
Technique for balanced turns. Double giro to the right with sacada to the left. Cepillos.
For women: The body of the woman is a violin. Balance and fluidity in giros and the backwards ocho.


Sunday evening, July 5 - Caltech's Winnet Lounge Hall
8:00-9:30 - D'Arienzo
Ritmo. Tecnicas de velocidad
9:30-10:00 - Practica
1) Posture, relaxation, rhythm, the embrace. The walk. Walking en la baldosa ("on a floor tile", that is: within a small space). Recommended for all levels. It's worthwhile repeating this workshop afterwards, one day during the week, separate from the other workshops. If this is done, add: wait time en la baldosa.

2) The body of the man is a bandoneon.
Levels 2 and 3. Our steps create the circulation: one step transforms into many others. Corridas (fast steps/run) backwards and forwards. For women: balance in the walk, how to support the feet to avoid pain and gain fluidity.

3) The legs "listen".
Levels 2 and 3. Vals. Technique for balanced turns. Double giro to the right with sacada to the left. Cepillos. For women: The body of the woman is a violin. Balance and fluidity in giros and the backwards ocho.

4) Milonga: a basic concept.
Levels 2 and 3. A giro specially for milonga. A traspie here and there. The knees "speak", they're the mouth of the body.

5) Pugliese
Tiempos de espera. Voleos en el Milonguero.

6) D'Arienzo
Ritmo. Tecnicas de velocidad.









Private Lessons

Available By Appointment
in the Hollywood Hills area
above Vine Street




Caltech's Winnett Hall Lounge - 2nd Fl.
1200 E. California Boulevard
Pasadena 91125

Sophie Dance
310 S. La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles 90036

Casa de Practica
506 N. Fuller Avenue
Los Angeles 90036
323-939-6907/323-573-5663

Ivarene House
in the Hollywood Hills
near Vine and Franklin






Caltech
Caltech Students: $5/class
Caltech Affiliates & Other FT Students w/id: $10/one; $15/two
All Others: $20/one; $35/two


Sophie Dance Classes
$20/one; $35/two
(If, on Thursday night, you sign up for both Caltech classes - Thursday & Sunday evenings - these will be considered your 3rd and 4th Sophie Dance classes: $15/one; $10/two)

Private Lessons at Casa de Practica
$110/hour







SATURDAY, JUNE 3
MG DANCE STUDIO

A TANGO DIVAS'
MILONGA & SHOW

Meredith Klein began dancing tango in Massachusetts in February 1999. She managed to keep tango on the outskirts of her life for six years, before finally succumbing to the desire to do nothing but dance. After visiting Buenos Aires for the first time in January 2005, she left her job as Development Director for a nonprofit arts organization, sold her house, car, and most of her possessions, and relocated to Buenos Aires.

Since April 2005, Meredith has been working with Andres Amarilla, including performances in La Vikinga and Villa Malcolm in Buenos Aires. In January 2006, Meredith & Andres embarked on a 6 1/2 month US tour. So far, they have taught in 11 US cities, including Ann Arbor, Philadelphia, NYC, Eugene and Portland, OR, Santa Barbara, Houston, Pittsburgh, Washington, DC, Providence, RI and New Haven, CT.

Meredith & Andres are best known for their ability to clearly articulate the physical principles and technique that make any step work—from the simplest walk to the cross to the most complicated colgadas, ganchos and jumps. They are particularly sought out for their teaching of alternative embrace vocabulary & technique. Because they use traditional tango technique to execute complicated “nuevo tango” steps, their dance is characterized by a classic look and musicality.