“When people think of tango, they picture two flamboyant dancers, with a rose between the lips, whirling around devilishly. That’s the Hollywood version; here, we focus on its most authentic form, its Argentine origins,” says Andrea Shepard. Andrea and life partner Wolf Mercado run the MonTango tango school, a popular Notre-Dame de Grâce dance venue.
At their studio, the couple gives tango classes to practitioners of every level, from the novice to the experienced. “Often, our students have never practiced any type of dance in their life, and after a few classes, they’re hooked. They just fall in love,” says Andrea. MonTango offers private or group classes, as well as workshops for more experienced dancers, and creates choreographies for groups wishing to perform in front of an audience.
“We also have Milonga classes, which is a dance that is inspired by tango, but performed at a much higher tempo, and we also teach tango waltz,” adds Andrea. Finally, MonTango offers pilates workshops tailored to tango dancers, as well as Aero Latin, a fitness class where cardio and Latin American dance blend.
