Tango Boot Camp for beginners
with Dale and Gem

Saturday, July 12

Boot Camp for Beginners
Milford Arts Council, Milford

2.5 hours of instruction with Dale and Gem packed into this Saturday of intensive Argentine Tango. Limited enrollment.

2:30 - 5:00 pm, with a short break
Argentine Tango basics, embrace and connection. Next phase, pivots, ochos and turns. Free leg movements, combinations with ganchos "hooking legs together".

Do you want more essentials?
Try the workshops in Middletown in the morning

The Essence of Tango
First Church of Christ, Middletown

learn more

Do you want to build up even more?

Nuevo Tango Workshops
with Dale and Gem

Sunday, July 13
Dance Dimensions, Norwalk

Full day, 4.5 hours of intensive tango instruction with guest instructor Dale Ellison and Gem Duras with workshops focusing on nuevo tango idioms.

learn more

Video covering the material from the
March 2013 Boot Camp:

Dale and Gem

Dale and Gem

Dale and Gem

Dale Ellison and Gem Duras

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Dale and Gem have been teaching tango together for more than twenty years, in Connecticut, South Carolina and New York.

Originally a San Francisco resident, Dale Ellison received her tango training from the stars of the famous show “Forever Tango” most notably Carlos Gavito and Marcela Duran. Initially a salsa dancer and club style salsa instructor, Dale was drawn to tango for its sensuality and passion, later winning the first prize in the first San Francisco Tango Competition in 1998. Dale teaches and runs tango activities as the director of Tango Rojo in Charleston SC.

Gem Duras started his tango training in 1995 with the stars of the famous show "Forever Tango" and later he studied performance tango with Francisco Forquera and Jesus Velazquez in Argentina to become a certified tango instructor and dancer. Gem is the director of the Tango Sueño Academy in Connecticut and holds regular classes throughout CT as well as Westchester, NY.

Dale and Gem have been running the boot camp at the festival since 2008, introducing Argentine tango to thousands of new enthusiasts.

Other Festival Activities

Tango Passion Show
A night of Tango:
Music and Dance

Friday, July 18
Milford Arts Council, Milford

A stage show featuring pianist Emiliano Messiez with bandoneonist Rodolfo Zanetti, Tango World Championship finalists Carolina and Gabriel, Grupo Folklorico Rio de la Plata and the Tango Sueño Performance Group.

Emiliano Messiez and Rodolfo Zanetti

8:00 PM: Assigned and Limited Seating
Tickets $38/$48, for sale online, or by calling
(203) 584-4480

Select your seat using the seating chart and purchase!

Tango Workshops
with Carolina and Gabriel

Saturday, July 20, Milford
Saturday, July 21, Norwalk

Tango World Championship finalists Carolina and Gabriel will present workshops addressing various aspects of tango in a fun environment. All tango dancers are welcome as well as beginners who have taken Dale and Gem's intensive workshops the previous weekend.

Carolina and Gabriel

Carolina and Gabriel

At a Glance
CT Tango Fest 2025 with Carolina and Gabriel

Weekend 1
  July 11 July 12 July 13
10 am   Essence of Tango
Middletown
Dale & Gem		  
1 pm   Intensive Tango Day
Norwalk
Dale & Gem
Beginner Boot Camp
Dale & Gem
    Reception for Participants
Milonga
Class
Dale & Gem
8 pm Opening Milonga in Greenwich Milonga TS
New
Dimensions		  

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Weekend 2
  July 18 July 19 July 20
10 am      
    
1 pm      
Workshops Day I
Milford
Carolina & Gabriel		 Workshops Day II
Norwalk
Carolina & Gabriel
  Closing Reception for Participants
8 pm Tango Passion Show Red and Black Formal Milonga
with
Carolina & Gabriel		  
Festival Venues
Milford Arts Council: 40 Railroad Avenue South, Milford
Dance Dimensions: 15 Cross Street, Norwalk
Fred Astaire Greenwich: 37 West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich
First Church of Christ: 190 Court Street, Middletown
Contact Information
Phone: (203) 584 4480
E-mail: contact@cttangofest.org 
Photos for the press: click here...
Get ready for two weekends of pure excitement!