Public Outreach
Elders Outreach
Youth Outreach
Tango in Health
Youth Outreach Director
Dima Berk
Funded in part by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, and the DC Children & Youth Investment Trust Corporation
Photos by Isaac Oboka
Youth Outreach
Today more than ever the arts are needed by our young people as a forum for safe expression, communication, exploration, imagination and cultural understanding. The overarching goal of the Tango Youth program is to address this need in the immediate, physical format of tango partner dance.
We emphasize the skills of improvisation and encourage all students, both male and female, to learn both leading and following roles. We find this is an excellent tool not only for gaining a mechanical understanding of how the tango works, but also for instilling values of respect, empathy, and collaboration.
During June/July 2009, with the support of the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, we taught twelve tango workshops to children ranging in age from 7-14 years old as part of summer camp programming at Dance Place and Joe's Movement Emporium.
Over the summer of 2010, with the support of the DC Children & Youth Investment Trust, we will offer a 6-week tango camp for young teens in DC. Our daily program will include tango improvisation, musical interpretation, and performance as well as overall physical conditioning.
Tango Dancers
If you are a social tango dancer in the Washington, DC area, available on weekday afternoons, and would like to volunteer for our Youth Outreach program, please write to Dima Berk at .
Supporters
We are grateful to the DC Children & Youth Investment Trust for a $20,000 grant award for our tango summer camp program in 2010. You can help us reach the 20% matching funds requirement by making a contribution below. Enter the amount that's right for you. Tango Mercurio is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and all contributions are fully tax-deductible.
If you prefer to make your donation by check, please write payable to Tango Mercurio and send to 4801 Connecticut Ave. NW #504, Washington, DC 20008.
