Adella Thompson - Instructor
In the tango community "the tango high" is often discussed. Each
tanguero will describe it differently, but at its heart is a moment
with the serenity of spiritual transcendence and the fever of highest
passion. When it occurs everything melts away but for two partners and
the music to which they are dancing and the boundaries between these
become indistinct. It is a moment that legendarily leaves one
staggering off the floor in a happy daze with a pounding heart. More
than anything that is what I hope to share with my students and my
partners.
I have been dancing since before I can remember. I began studying
ballet, tap, and modern dance and was eventually drawn into the
intricacies of partner dancing. Every dance enthralls me: salsa,
mambo, bachata, blues,lindy hop, west coast swing, ballroom... the
list goes on and i have been an amatuer competitor in dancesport
American Rhythm and Smooth for two years and a performer of various
styles most of my life. I believe all forms of dancing interconnect on
the basic principles of body mechanics and musicality, although each
style has its own dialogue. Each new style I learn serves only to feed
my passion for everything I know. If I am not on the dancefloor I am
longing for it, but most likely I am already heading towards it. I
began studying tango three years ago and it has quickly overshadowed
all other dances for me. I have studied under Jaimes Friedgen, Sara
Thomsen, Eva and Patricio, and Tony Fan and Ilana Rubin in Seattle and Diego
and Nagracha, Oscar Cassas, Alex Krebs, Mario and Annabella, Homer and
Christina, and Carrie Whipple around the world. The experience of my
life thus far has been an all too brief trip to Buenos Aires to study
dance tango 24 hours a day!
It is my philosophy that the soul of tango is connection: with my
partner, with myself, and with the music. It is a constant flow of
listening and expression. The best aim a teacher can have is to
facilitate students to achieve this dialogue fluently, because that is
where the poetry begins. No amount of skill or fancy steps can
substitute for connection. However in order to establish and maintain
this connection, dancers must acquire a certain level of balance and
control. They must learn a basic physical vocabulary and understand
both their bodies and that of their partner. They must have enough
confidence in their own abilities to relax enough to listen to the
music and their partners. Technique becomes a means to this
end. "Technique--bodily control--must be mastered only because the body
must not stand in the way of the soul's expression." (La Meri) While
beginning classes may put emphasis on steps and technical precision, I
strive to never lose sight of the music and the embrace that is the
essence of argentine tango. My focus in particular is on the ways that
a follow can become an active contributor to the dance, both through
her communication with her partner and through her adornments.
You may email me at: adella@thebluemoonballroom.com
Current Class Offerings
Please see the Calendar for all current Argentine Tango classes, workshops, practicas, milongas and other events!
I am available for private lessons in Argentine Tango.
Dances I Teach
Argentine Tango, Milonga, Tango Vals, Ladies styling, tango technique.
