We are so excited to announce we will be bringing regular Tango Medicine events to Bristol in the jaw-droppingly beautiful venue 'The Mount Without'. We are collaborating with true revolutionaries to make these events a meaningful experience for all who attend. We are delving into the community aspect of Tango. Starting with a traditional communal meal, we then begin our journey into the medicine of Tango practice, with inspiring live music and a deeply welcoming, inclusive environment for all ages, abilities & creeds. You can come with or without a partner - bring your whole family young and elder :)
Creating Community & Connection through the Folklore of Tango
The original essence of Tango is creating community: coming heart to heart and hearing the beating soul of your tribe, where all are welcomed, all are respected. Tango was birthed in the poorest areas of Buenos Aires with more immigrants pouring into the city than it could cope with. People were stuffed into temporary housing; but rather than suffucating in cramped housing and the heat, they would come together in the streets & patios to play music & dance. As many didn't speak the same language, this is how they bonded and created community.
Many don't realise that Tango is more than a beautiful dance, or steps to learn. It is connection to another being; a connection that levels the playing field for people from all backgrounds. It doesn't matter where or what you come from or even what language you speak - it is about the moment you share, without words. It is the meditation of the present moment within a moving embrace that unites us, cheek-to-cheek, as we transmit our lives' journeys. This way of getting to know each other creates strong bonds, which is why it was made illegal by dictatorships in Argentina & other countries around the world still suffering tyranny. Tango was and will also be a safe place for all to be accepted as we are.
Over the course of the events we will be learning about the medicinal aspect of Tango, how to connect to our bodies, and the bodies of others to begin to move as one. To do this we will use dance therapy techniques, music, and the techniques we have developed over 10 years to teach the essence of tango movement without teaching 'steps'.
Bonding over Dinner
Another way people bond in Argentina is through food and how we prepare it and eat together. For these events, we are introducing a beautifully kind tradition called an ‘Olla Popular’ (Pot of the People). It is a dinner prepared by the community that feeds the community. Everyone brings a veg offering, you chop it and pop it in the pot. The base sauce stews for a few hours and when it’s ready everyone eats together; the more people come, the more food there is.
What makes the Olla Popular different is that the abundance of everyone cooking together means there is enough for you to take home; to take a yummy meal to someone in need; or maybe as a random act of kindness to a friend. From a neighbour to a stranger, everyone gets fed.
How it works? We will harvest veg from the land, take it to the venue, as guests arrives you are invited to chop a veg and stir it into the pot with a little blessing. It cooks away as people arrive and then we eat. At the end of the evening we invite people to take food away to gift to someone (bring a give away tupper if you'd like)
Collaborating with the Community
For this wonderful dinner we are collaborating with Crops Not Shops, a project we are honoured to be part of. Crops Not Shops are a band of revolutionary gardeners who are directly impacting people's health by giving access to clean, unpoisened, pesticide-free, spring-water fed, healthy vegetables. You don't get better veg than from Crops! And for every veg box sold, another veg box is gifted to a family or people in need. Crops also empowers people to learn and grow their own food through an on-going education programme on their land in Glastonbury. Crops will be supplying the veg for our meals. So coming to the event supports them to support families too 🥰.
To find out more about the Crops Not Shops project, see there website www.cropsnotshops.co.uk
Being Moved By Music
Music is the soundtrack to life, so we have asked remarkable master musicians to be part of this event... from Argentine folklore, Tango, storytellers, sound healers and everything in between. Sound is our invitation to be moved, and we will empower you to feel comfortable to be you as you learn to move through your personal expression.
Being Moved by Art
We will also be inviting artists to exbiti and create life drawings of the event, adding another dimention to the experience. Sachin is a talented soul, with the perspicacity of dancing himself, he then draws his observations, and to top it off he has written an article about his experience drawing dancers of Tango for our blog. Link to read article here
Tango x Identidad
We support the human rights movement Tango x Identidad. This movement is part of the process of Argentina healing the concequences of a dictatorship that made 30'000 people 'dissapear'. Some of which were pregant. Those newborn babies were stolen and never met of knew of thier biological family. Tango x Identidad is helping the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, Grandmothers who are searching for what is left of thier families. Tango is across the world, and as a worldwide tango community we can let these Grandchildren know, that thier families are still searching for them, and that if you were born between 1978-1983, and have any doubts, you can contact @abuelasdifusion for an anonymous DNA test, and begin the process of healing. El Tango te espera, y las Abuelas tambien...
Itinirary:
4pm Open Doors
Welcoming & inviting people to learn how you create an 'Olla Popular', the traditional way to prep a comunal meal.
6pm Tango Therapy Class
Warm up, Tango Therapy Class
7:00pm - 10:00pm
Serving Dinner, Practica & Live music
You can arrive any time you prefer, we will continue serving dinner through out the evening...
When
All events are Mondays 4pm until 10pm
Dates of Events
August 14th
October 16th
Where
The Mount Without
Upper Church Lane
Bristol BS2 8FN
The Mount Without was a church now a creative space on St Michael's Hill in Bristol. A gathering place for over 900 years, this Grade II listed building is an ethereal space that provides the perfect backdrop for a truly memorable event. The walls, etched in paintings by local artists and stained glass, combine with a suspended contemporary art installation and brand-new polished oak floor.
Parking: The nearest car park is: Trenchard St Carpark
How to Attend
Please purchase tickets for the dates you prefer on the link below where you can choose which dates you are attending...
Price of Ticket
£25 full price (per event)
Children (up to 18) free
Elders (over 80) free
This includes dinner, live music, Tango dance class and practice (Práctica). Please email about consession tickets if you are struggling economically.
How to pay for your ticket...
You can find the listing of the event on headfirst Bristol, link here.
You can purchase a ticket there, and give an extra donation towards the fundraiser if you want to.
Contact Us
For any other info, feel free to contact us:
Tel: 07423 165 338
See more of what we do on our website: www.thelovingcollaborative.com
follow us on FB or Instagram @thelovingcollaborative