ERIC nijmegen netherlands
- Almost nobody knew about the transfer to come.

SAMANTHA cambridge england
- There were men dancing together like whirling dervishes.

FREDRIK braunschweig germany
- I have been waiting a long time in front of the toilet door waiting for that man to get out!

MELIN instanbul turkey
- I stood in front of the building and asked myself where my home was.

TILLA frankfurt germany
- I met a lot of people I have already met around Europe and I found out that they are all frequent guests.

TOVE lund sweden
- So even if I was impressed by a lot of things I mostly wanted to leave.

HENRY nijmegen netherlands
- My friends had a very good time because they noticed that something happened to me.

STEFAN nijmegen netherlands
- I finally dared to ask one of the 'local heroes'. What an energetic explosion!

MAX dortmund germany
- He welcomed me with my name without having seen me before.

THORSTEN düsseldorf germany
- At this point I wonder if El Corte is a regular dancing school.

SINAN valletta malta
- I felt myself disappointed at the very first impression.

RUTH totnes england
- This is very hands-on peace work, so badly needed in a world full of fighting and disconnection..

GREG seatle usa
- I can't begin to describe the truth of that prediction.

ELISABETH bologna italy
- I survived though, and have
lived to tell the tale.

GUIDO & MY moers germany
- Wir alle suchten dann noch seine Socken (auf denen My saß...)

JO london england
- I had never seen such a beautiful dance floor.

JESSE los angeles usa
- It's like I've came back home to old friends that I haven't met yet.

CHRISTIAN rotterdam netherlands
- Some other tangueras y tangueros immediatly guided me where to store away my belongings - 'regulars' as I later learned.

JOHN totnes england
- The collective excitement was filling the space to bursting point, threatening to build to a lighting strike...

PASCALE lille france
- Et quand ils quittent la piste, c’est dans le silence, dans le recueillement de la danse...

ALEX portland usa
- and I left after the week's dancing was done with the tango-junky's needle still in my arm wanting more.

STELLA berkeley usa
- We had to stand in the cold in our light tango clothes until the doors opened.

NITIN washington usa
- I liked the absence of any sign except the street number, 108: a little frisson of anxiety, is one at the right place?

RENÉ & CHANTAL roosendaal netherlands
- The decision to leave was an easy one;
no, we were not ready for El Corte.

KATIA moscow russia
- I can speak El Corte’s tango-language! Well… may be with some accent :)

 

JOHN 1 time since 2003

I came to Tango just over a year ago. I dance and learn at Tango Oblivion in Totnes in the UK. Oblivion is led by Ruth Zimmerman who never ceases to enthuse about El Corte and explain that here lies the inspiration behind what she is achieving at Tango Oblivion.

So much heard about EC, so many stories of the wonderful dancing, the packed floor, the heat and sweat, the very very high standard plus advice to hold on tightly to my confidence when I arrive. You can imagine my state of excitement and trepidation on my first visit at this New Year marathon.
Would my lack of experience result in shame, a shambles on the temple floor of Tango El Corte? Well, of course every first timer probably feels just the same. Certainly the collective excitement was filling the space to
bursting point, threatening to build to a lighting strike as each new guest
crowded through the front door that New Year eve.

My early anxieties were soon overcome by the realisation that every one
there was picked because of their special qualities and affiliation with the
El Corte way. And when you embrace this 'spirit' in your dance then no one should be disappointed or disappointing. I had a truly wonderful time, with many highs and lows, love, laughter and tears, the pinnacle in my Tango life and of course all things surpassed my expectations - even my own dancing.
For me it was an enormous privilege to have been chosen to attend this
international party for the obsessed. Wow - 240 beautiful and exotic people from so many corners of the world. I literally danced into heaven, the lady in my arms and the lights above guiding my way.

A very big thank you to you and also to the TEAM who worked so hard around us, fed and wined us, cleaned up after us, gave us added energy.