Clay's Dance Studio

Burning Tango Evaluation Form
Burning Tango Evaluation Results

View the list of those pre-registered at: Burning Tango Attendees

Follow @BurningTango1

Background Information

Last September I happened to visit a little village on the south slope of Mt Shasta called McCloud--an old company mill town with a quiet charm and population of about 1000. Downtown at 104 Pine St I discovered the beautiful 100 year old Broadway Ballroom with a 5000 sq ft maple dance floor. As soon as I saw it I knew we just had to dance tango there. As it turns out, you can't in the winter because it costs too much to heat. However, it is available in the summer so I rented it the weekend of Aug17-19, 2012 for a festival I'm calling "Burning Tango". (Yeah, sort of like Burning Man, only for tango dancers.)

The Schedule

Because I'm so busy with my other festivals, the idea for Burning Tango is to keep it simple and keep it cheap. Thus if you check out the schedule, you'll see that there is only one class or a milonga going on at a time from morning till night. (However, note that out of respect for the neighbors, nothing runs very late.)

Instructors

Andrew McCollough & Stephanie Herwig (Eugene, OR)--Andrew believes a teacher is not there to make it easier to climb the mountain, but to ensure you take a path that gets you to the top.
Chris Peake (Sacramento, CA) [video]--Chris's alterNATIVA approach has opened the door to people who maybe haven’t connected with the traditional music.
Ernest Williams (Virginia) & Maricela Wilson (New York, NY) [video]--Also known for teaching Canyengue, Ernest and Maricela are skilled at teaching social tango, vals and milonga from an interesting perspective and with a teaching style that is fun and that resonates with many people.
Maria Ybarra (Buenos Aires/New York) [video]--Maria is a traditional tango dancer who emphasizes technique, musicality, and connection.
Michelle Badion (Seattle, WA) [video]--Michelle has been teaching Argentine Tango for 18 years and brings clarity, style and enthusiasm to all her classes.
Momo Smitt (Portland, OR) [video]--An amazing young tango rapper, singer, dancer and teacher--you just gotta meet this guy!

DJs

Alexei Tsekoun (Los Angeles, CA)
Bobbi Noyer (San Francisco, CA)
Brick Robbins (San Diego, CA)
Israel Lipinsky (San Francisco, CA)
John Miller (Denver, CO)
Manuel Patino (Atlanta, GA)
Peter Esser (Portland/Buenos Aires)

Price

The fee structure is simple: $45 for a wrist band pass that gets you into everything if paid by Aug 10, 2012.

Click here to Register and Pay.

After Aug 10, price goes up to $65 and you'll have to pay when you arrive. NOTE, you cannot pay separately for classes nor for milongas. IT'S ALL OR NOTHING! The only exception is if you teach a class or DJ a milonga and then it's free. (And if you don't like wrist bands, here's 11 reasons you should refuse to wear one.)

Lunch

A scrumptious salad bar (just $8.95/person) will be available on Sat & Sun from noon-2:00p in the large dining room that adjoins the Ballroom. (Please note that food and drinks cannot be brought into the Ballroom.)

The Weather

August days are hot (average temp around 85) and nighttimes are cool (average around 45). The Ballroom has swamp coolers which I'm told work very well. Rain is very unlikely.

Who's Going?

If you plan on going, want to see who's going or have some special comment or request (e.g., share a room, practice together etc), click on the following:

Lodging

If you would like to connect up with a local McCloud resident for inexpensive lodging, or if you are a local resident and would like to offer lodging, check out:

Local Lodging Connection.

For regular commercial lodging establishments, check out the following:

Dance Country Broadway Ballroom Recommendations
Dunsmuir Chamber of Commerce Lodging List--Only 17 miles away, Dunsmuir is a beautiful mountain village with a population of about 1600 and a couple of the best restaurants anywhere (Cafe Maddalena and Dogwood Diner).
Friday's RV Retreat & McCloud Fly Fishing Ranch--6 miles south of McCloud. Sounds like a neat place!
McCloud Chamber of Commerce Accommodations List
McCloud Dance Country RV Resort--Huge campground with many options and only 0.2 mile from the Ballroom. Check out the "Photos" tab on their web site.
McCloud River Lodge--0.3 miles from the Ballroom. Nice, clean, neat, and reasonable rates (about $100). I stayed on one of my visits and even danced a little tango around the pool table in the tavern.
The McCloud River Mercantile Hotel--Beautifully restored large period rooms. Only 3 block from the Ballroom. Even if you don't stay there, go and check out the rooms. Mention you are attending Burning Tango and get 3 nights for the price of 2.
McCloud B&B Hotel--Another huge 100 year old building only 4 blocks from the Ballroom. Closed in the winter so I haven't been inside yet, but look forward to seeing it.
Mt Shasta Chamber of Commerce Hotel List--Mt Shasta is a much bigger city (population about 3500) and is only 12 miles away.
Weed Chamber of Commerce Hotel List--21 miles away and also has a population of about 3000.

Nearest Airports and Driving Directions

McCloud is located in Northern California just off of I-5. Here's a list of the closest airports:

Medford (MFR), OR (102 miles) - 1 hr 44 min. Driving Directions
Klamath Falls (LMT), OR (92 miles) - 1 hr 48 min. Driving Directions
Redding (RDD ), CA ( 76 miles)- 1 hr 23 min. Driving Directions
Eugene (EUG), OR (275 miles) - 4 hr 44 min. Driving Directions
Portland (PDX), OR (383 miles) - 6 hr 42 min. Driving Directions
Reno (RNO), NV (207 miles) - 3 hr 37 min. Driving Directions
Sacramento (SMF), CA (219 miles south) - 3 hr 41 min. Driving Directions
San Francisco (SFO), CA (294 miles south) - 4 hr 59 min. Driving Directions

Other Activities

Check out McCloud Chamber of Commerce Recreation Information which includes:

Golfing
Hiking
Climbing
Fly fishing
Rafting

Burning Tango Evaluation Form Burning Tango Evaluation Results