Port Townsend Tango
Private Instruction
Cliff Coulter and Becky Hall
Becky and Cliff offer lessons in the Port Angeles area. They have been studying and dancing Argentine Tango since 2002. Their teaching methods are those used in Buenos Aires, emphasizing the embrace, the movement, the connection and the music. Although their style is Villa Orquiza, they encourage everyone to find their own embrace and style. They believe learning tango allows dancers to develop communication skills that will bring them many years of pleasure and enjoyment. Cliff and Becky continue to refine their techniques and now exchange roles to better understand the dynamics of the lead/follow relationship. Cliff and Becky taught group lessons for years in Port Angeles and currently offer private lessons emphasizing technique at Cliff's home between Sequim and Port Angeles and special workshops on the first non-practica Thursday of the month at the Port Townsend Masonic Hall. Private lessons offered in Port Angeles are $45 per hour.
To inquire: email or 360-775-8004
Nat Natali and Ruthie
Phelan
Nat and Ruthie have been dancing together since 2009. Their objective is to meld the elegance and fluidity of the salon (Villa Orquiza) style with the intimacy and musicality of the milongueros (Estilo del Centro) for social dancing in close embrace. They emphasize the fundamentals of movement as well as musical expression.
Nat has been dancing tango for about 20 years and teaching for about 15. He spent 3 months of each year from 2003 to 2009 in Buenos Aires where he studied intensively in private sessions with Eduardo Saucedo, Marisa Quirioga and Cecilia Masse. He also went to the milongas every night where he absorbed the culture and codes of the Argentine dancers. He has taken workshops with many of the well-known Argentine teachers and danced in most cities on the West Coast. Nat co-founded and organized the annual Port Townsend Tango Festival which was held from 2009 to 2012. He also co-founded the monthly Milonga at the Grange.
Ruthie started folk dancing classes at the age of 8 in Toronto. She moved on, over the years, to study salsa, flamenco, Indo jazz and belly dancing. In 2006, she discovered the dance that truly inspired her, Argentine Tango. Eventually (2008) she went to Buenos Aires to immerse herself in the “feeling of Tango.” After an intensive month of private lessons (Oscar Cassas), group lessons and daily dancing in the milongas, she returned to Vancouver, Canada more passionate than ever about Tango. She attended festivals in Canada, USA, Mallorca, Barcelona, and Mexico. Ruthie moved from Vancouver to Port Townsend in 2012 when she and Nat married.
They continue to explore the dance and deepen their understanding and appreciation of Tango. They regularly attend Encuentros and other Tango festivals.
Nat and Ruthie teach group classes and private lessons in Port. They love teaching and enjoy sharing their knowledge with the community of truly awesome students who study with them on a regular basis. Cost of private lessons: $60 per private (2 instructors).
To inquire: email or 360-385-2805.