BEN AND MEGAN KAUN

 

We've been pleased to see Ben and Magen progress in their Tango journey, class after class.

As a Tango instructor, it is very encoraging to note that the students are coming back after practicing their craft. That's exactly what Ben and Megan have shown us. Let's hear from their own words:

" Here is our story:

When we first met in 2007 Megan was a social dancer (mostly salsa) and Ben did not dance. We weren't able to connect regularly on the dance floor until after December 2023 when Ben took a solo trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Ben signed up for an AirBnb experience class with tango instructor Manuel Vicente and fell in love with tango. In these classes, Ben wasn't taught steps, he was taught the spirit of the dance and improvisation. When he came back, we played around with dancing together at home and had a lot of fun. We tried to integrate and build on what Ben learned in our local tango scene, which did not work out very well. We didn't know the "right" steps and learning them at these gatherings felt overwhelming.  It also didn't have the same essence that Ben was instilled with in Argentina.

We put dancing mostly on hold until January 2024 when we were able to visit Buenos Aires together to, among other things, learn tango. We studied with Manuel for a week, spending most nights dancing at the clubs, and came home with overflowing enthusiasm, this time with the benefit of a powerful shared experience. We wanted to continue to learn tango at home, but with the same connective and improvisational spirit -  we didn't want to just learn steps and patterns. We wanted to continue to learn and apply a style that dances the invisible laws of the universe. We asked around and had trouble finding a teacher until we saw the Tango Magdalena flyer at the Footloose Dance Studio in Rohnert Park during a Besos Malanga. Megan has a connection with everything "Magdalene" and paid attention to the sign. We felt the blessing of synchronicity when we attended our first dance class with Jean-Pierre and Oshalla. How lucky were we to find the perfect teachers for us not in Argentina or San Francisco but right in our own backyard?!

Our every other week classes with Jean-Pierre and Oshalla have become scheduling priorities for us, and Ben, in particular, plans his frequent work trips around them so that we miss as few as possible. We have gone through some difficult family challenges this year and through it all, tango dancing has become one of the most important touchstones for keeping connection alive in our relationship. When there are no words, there is always tango."

 

 

BRAVO, Ben and Megan!

 

Jean-Pierre &Oshalla