Tango Experiential Festival (TEF) is based on the idea that through dance (in this case predominantly neo/contemporary tango and to a lesser extent traditional tango), we express the whole of who we are – all our experiences we acquired through the 5 basic senses (sight, scent, taste, touch and hearing), as well as through the so-called 6th sense – the synergy, merging of all sensory experiences and awareness of them, with the additional element of inspiration, inner knowing, insight.
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TEF is conceived as a gathering of neo/contemporary Argentine tango lovers who wish to exchange their knowledge and experiences and deepen their exploration of tango. We wish to create a somewhat different environment and encourage you to something new and different, something you might not dare to and/or wouldn’t think of in a regular setting.
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TEF is composed of 5 groups of activities: The 6-senses Tango – Milongas; Expand your Tango – Technique and Creativity (dance workshops), Additional workshops (yoga, meditation, breathing, Thai massage course), Nature (excursions and walks), and Sharing (friendships, exchanging experiences).
1. The 6-senses Tango – Milongas
Every evening you can dance at milongas to new/contemporary tango music, interchanging with some traditional tango as well, and pay attention to how you respond to the music, partner, setting… with your senses. We ARE the dance. Our dance is the reflection of who we are, what we think, how we feel. In a different environment, at the TEF, you have the freedom to express yourself in a new way.
2. Expand your Tango-Technique and creativity
To express ourselves in the way that we desire, we must learn the technique. To enter the phase of relaxation and personal interpretation, it is desirable to free ourselves of limitations imposed by our bodies. Picasso said: „Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist. “. This, in a way, reflects how we feel about our dance – we wouldn’t talk about breaking the rules, but about the freedom in tango which you experience once you master your body.
3. Additional workshops
Inspiration, for anything, tango included, cannot be born out of the inner clutter or emptiness. Because of the modern way of living, being in the rut, frenzy pace, too many activities and responsibilities, we do not get to the deeper layers of our beings often enough, or we do not pay attention to them. TEF gives us the opportunity to go inside, withdraw into the deeper parts of ourselves, at the breathing, meditation, massage and yoga workshops. The workshops are here to refresh and regenerate us. Inner silence is the space in which new ideas are born.
4. Nature
Nature heals and inspires. TEF is located in the magical ambience of a small, mountain, touristy place of Fužine. Fužine is surrounded by picturesque mountains, silence of old evergreen forest and beauty of its lakes, which makes it an ideal setting for introspection and meditation. It is a real pleasure to breathe the mountain air in the summer, and at the same time know you are so close to the sea (30-minutes’ drive to the beaches). Within the Tango Experiential Festival, with additional payment, it is possible for you to engage in additional hiking activities, visit a near-by cave, take a boat trip on the lake, and visit local sights. Within the Fužine tourist offer (which is not a part of the Festival), you can go riding, visit a Winnetou shooting site, cycle and many more.
5. Sharing
A dancer dances out of the relationship with her/himself, but in connection with others. Others expand our experiences, again through the 6 senses. At the TEF we emphasize the sharing of experiences – be it dance or life experience. The Festival offers you many opportunities to interact and connect with others who share similar interests, which is intensified by staying in the common accommodation place (Fužinarska kuca – Croatian shire).