Culture

Claudia González Vallejo (left) and Chris Demel practice the back ocho as Tango Club comes to an end in Baker Student Center at Ohio University on Thursday, October 11, 2018. (Hannah Schroeder/ WOUB)

Tango Club instructor Maria Casa demonstrates how the follower’s body should move while doing the back ocho, as Tanya Tytko (from left), Tracy Shust, and Dibya Ghosh watch her movements in Baker Student Center at Ohio University on Thursday, October 11, 2018. (Hannah Schroeder/ WOUB)

Tango Club instructor Maria Casa (left) leads Namrata Jain in the back ocho while Tanya Tytko (from left), Tracy Shust, and Dibya Ghosh watch their movements in Baker Student Center at Ohio University on Thursday, October 11, 2018. (Hannah Schroeder/ WOUB)

Claudia González Vallejo (left) and Chris Demel use the wall to practice the back ocho during Tango Club in Baker Student Center at Ohio University on Thursday, October 11, 2018. (Hannah Schroeder/ WOUB)

Sneha Ray uses the wall to practice the front ocho movement before practicing with her partner during Tango Club in Baker Student Center at Ohio University on Thursday, October 11, 2018. (Hannah Schroeder/ WOUB)

Maria Casa uses the wall to explain the front ocho movement to the members of Tango Club in Baker Student Center at Ohio University on Thursday, October 11, 2018. (Hannah Schroeder/ WOUB)

Namrata Jain (eft) and her Tango partner Kira Hall practice the front ocho together during Tango Club in Baker Student Center at Ohio University on Thursday, October 11, 2018. (Hannah Schroeder/ WOUB)

Tanya Tytko (left) and Tracy Shust practice the basic step next to Claudia González Vallejo and her husband Chris Demel during Tango Club in Baker Student Center at Ohio University on Thursday, October 11, 2018. (Hannah Schroeder/ WOUB)

Tango Club instructor Maria Casa demonstrates how the crossover in the basic step works while leading Claudia González Vallejo before the class in Baker Student Center at Ohio University on Thursday, October 11, 2018. (Hannah Schroeder/ WOUB)

OU Tango Club Growing in Popularity

By: Emily Votaw
Posted on: Friday, October 12, 2018

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The tango is a two person dance with origins dating back to the 1880s, having been born in the brothels and bars of ports along South America’s Rive Plate, near the border between Uruguay and Argentina. A romantic hybrid of the African Candombe, Spanish-Cuban Habanera, and Argentinian Milonga with the German Waltz, Polish Mazurka, Czech Polka, and Bohemian Schottische; the dance has multiple variations that are enjoyed all over the world in 2018 — including in Ohio University’s Baker Center Room 240 on Thursday nights, starting at 8 p.m.

The Ohio University Tango Club was founded by Ohio University School of Music’s Visiting Assistant Professor of Cello, Gabriel Prynn and his partner, Ohio University sophomore Psychology student Maria Casa, and the group has been going strong in the 2018 fall semester on campus.

“I was in tour on in Argentina about 15 years ago, and interestingly, back then, young people weren’t really interested in the tango. I was staying with young musicians, and they said well, ‘the tango is really kind of for old people and weddings, but if you’re visiting Argentina, you really ought to see it,'” said Prynn. “So they took me to this place in St. Elmo, this historic part of Bueno Aires, and I thought it was fascinating, and it was always in my mind that I would do it one day. Later on, I had just moved to Belgium, and I didn’t really know anybody, and I saw this poster advertising tango classes at this local community center, and I thought, ‘okay, this is something I want to do to get to know people,’ and I kind of caught the bug, and 10 years later I’m still doing it.”

Listen to WOUB’s entire interview with Prynn and Casa, embedded above. The OU Tango Club meets every Thursday in Baker Center room 240, and it is always free.