shelley

Movement...music.. space.....together they make a dance. Those truly close to me are well aware of the fact that I could not imagine a life without movement. It is no surprise that I would fall captive to this amazing dance called Tango.

My family was musical, and I studied music and played several instruments. But back to the movement thing: it was dance that held my interest; it was the best way for me to express myself. I started with ballet, and continued for twenty plus years, and along the way added jazz, tap, modern, African and folk. Living in New York I was able to see and study with the best.: choreography, kinesiology, more music, performance, more classes, teaching. But I studied Romance Language as well, and I had the wonderful good fortune of my dearest friends being Latino, from Argentina, Columbia, Cuba , Puerto Rico and Mexico. And so the music, the food, the rhythms all became a part of my life and a part of me.

My first "official" partner dance was Salsa-no great surprise. The music was in my soul but I wanted to do the flashy stuff. Then I, like Mason, saw Assassination Tango and those last few moments held me spellbound. So here I am. This dance offers something for everyone, as seen in our multi-faceted Tango community. People see me as an "open embrace" dancer, but really this dance is about a dynamic embrace that opens and closes. .In this style, I feel that I can best express myself artistically and athletically. I love Milonga, Canyengue, and fusion dancing. One form takes from the another...very little in dance is "pure." It evolves, like Tango- a golden thread in the tapestry of dance.

You can email shelley at: shelley@tangoevolution.com