Carlos and Maria Rivarola share 60 years of experience dancing the tango.
The two world-renowned tango dancers hail from Argentina and are in Eugene for an entire week, offering workshops and performances for dance enthusiasts who want to hone their craft.
Beginning Sept. 27, the Rivarolas will conduct 11 workshops at the Eugene Tango Center that will cover everything from music appreciation to body movement.
“It’s a big deal to have them here in our little town,” said Marisela Rizik, an instructor at the Tango Center who is excited to bring the tango dancers.
It is a rare opportunity to learn from dancers like these, Rizik said.
“They are very special instructors because of the scope of their experience.”
The Rivarolas have appeared in films and TV programs such as “Naked Tango,” “Tango Bar” and “Tango Argentino.” Carlos even won an American Choreography Award in 1999 for his work on the Carlos Saura film “Tango.”
Rizik, who has been dancing for nine years and teaching for four, said she believes tango attracts everyone.
“It attracts college students and it attracts seven-year-olds,” she said. “There could be a 50-year-old dancing with a 19-year-old and nobody is worried. …You would be amazed at how many people say ‘Oh, I’m no good’ but they find something in Tango,” Rizik said.
There is a big difference between tango for the stage and tango as the social dance, Rizik said.
“Of course, tango for the stage is supposed to entertain the audience. So they do more sporty, big movements,” she said. “The tango we teach is just for you and your partner.”
“Dancing is something you can add to your everyday life,” she said. “It should be something people feel they have the right to do.”
Rizik added that she hopes students will grab a partner and try tango because the dance can change your way of looking at reality culturally.
“It’s like exploring a new culture by becoming that close (to someone else),” she said.
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