DJ’ing for Tango. All you ever wanted to know!
(Or whatever you can know in 90 minutes :-) )
5:00pm EDT, Sunday April 12.
Online (on zoom). Click HERE.
We have waiting rooms enabled to make the seminar more secure for participants.
Presenters/Panelists:
Ramu Pyreddy, Washington, DC
Felipe Martinez, San Francisco, CA
Seminar Description
Milongas and social dancing in the U.S. have been around for more than 3 decades and are quite mature by any standard. While access to music and “standards” has been easier than ever before, the experience at milongas can often be wanting.
Come and join us this Sunday for discussions on:
- The role/mission of the DJ
- Getting Started & available resources
- Understanding Orchestras; Building Collections
- DJ resources: music choice (orchestra, decade, singer vs instrumental, mood). What to play next?
- The Music: classification (Old Guard, Rhythmical, Lyrical, Dramatic, Evolutionist)
- Different sounds: 30s, 40s, 50s. Understanding each orchestra and their periods/singers
- Milonga flow & timing. Waves or phases during the night.
- Regular milonga (short & long) vs Festival/Marathons
- Crafting tandas; Creating/Managing energy
- Pacing: progression vs alternation. Direction & climax
- Getting feedback: watching the dance floor
- Trends/Tastes/Preferences around the world : Similarities/Differences
- Modern orchestras
- And any questions you may have! Q&A Session at the end
Ramu Pyreddy: A native of India, Ramu has been the host, DJ, and resident instructor of Milonga Zandunga in the Washington, DC area since 2011. He founded the Michigan Argentine Tango Club at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 2001 while in graduate school and has DJed and taught all over the US and Canada. He joined the Tango Mercurio faculty in 2013 and took over as Interim Executive Director in January 2020. His teaching and dancing are characterized by a keen musical interpretation, infectious enthusiasm, and a deep love of both the music and dance. He teaches tango for the social dance floor with an emphasis on connection, musicality, and improvisation.
Felipe Martinez: Originally from Madrid, Felipe is a tango instructor, DJ, and host based in San Francisco. He has taught at in major cities throughout the US, Canada, Asia and Europe and is also one of the organizers of the San Francisco Tango Marathon. As a DJ for more than 17 years, Felipe has played music at major tango festivals in the US, including those in Portland, San Francisco, Baltimore, Denver, and Washington DC; and in Europe (Spain, Portugal, Germany, Turkey), Asia (Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Taipei, Singapore, Hong Kong), and Argentina. Felipe's musical selection is based on the classics that ensure a great atmosphere for dancing.
