A Night Of Tango At Aquila’s Nest
On Tuesday, November 18, dance instructors Alonso Guzman and Dardo Galletto hosted their first ever Argentine Tango event at Aquila’s Nest Vineyards, 56 Pole Bridge Road.
Galletto has been a dance instructor for many years and first opened a studio in New York City in 2010. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he had to close his studio doors and decided to move to Connecticut. Here, he had to start all over again and find new students and new places to teach. Galletto currently teaches in Southbury, Ridgefield, Washington, and Fairfield.
“I love [what] I’m building in Connecticut,” Galletto said.
The evening began with students, many first timers and many seasoned dancers, all pouring through the doors of Aquila’s Nest’s inside hall with snacks to share with each other. As students took their seats around the piano, Galletto and Guzman played music softly. The two then embraced, and began to dance Argentine tango around the room. Many attendees clapped and cheered them on as Guzman flicked his legs artfully to the music and Galletto expertly paraded him around the room.
Following their dance, Galletto and Guzman introduced themselves to the crowd and welcomed everyone in.
“I’m here to inspire you to try [tango],” Galletto said. “[You will] move in a way you have never moved before … Maybe your life will be different.” As he said these words, he asked the crowd to gather around in a circle holding hands. He took a step forward and instructed the crowd to do the same. Then he took a step back, and again, instructed the crowd to do the same.
“It’s just like walking,” Galletto said of tango. He then taught the students how to do the “box” step in tango. The “box” is a step to the left with the left foot, a step forward with the right and then the left foot, a step to the right with the right foot, and a step back with the left then the right foot. This step does not allow dancers to travel and is the first basic step in tango.
Following the brief instruction, Galletto tasked students to pair up with someone they did not know and to dance the box step. After a few minutes of practice, everyone rejoined the circle. Galletto then taught the “half box.” The “half box” is a similar move, but this allows dancers to travel across the floor.
Galletto explained to the students that “the feet move the body,” the body does not move the feet. In tango, dancers have to be “very, very dedicated to where [they] put [their] feet.” Galletto and Guzman demonstrated this by dancing tango on top of the piano bench.
Students were then able to practice the half box and box steps with other students for a few minutes.
After the practice, Galletto said, “We all were loose when we were babies … go back to that!” He then joked with the crowd, “Do you know how stiff I was when I danced salsa with Alonso for the first time?”
Guzman covered his smile with his hand and stifled a laugh. He nodded in agreement.
Galletto urged the students to “stay here and discover” themselves. He called on a student in his class, Roman Godzich, to talk a little bit about how tango has changed his life.
Godzich said, “I walk differently than I used to … at 67 years old, I finally learned how to walk.”
The class ended and the floor opened up for social dancing. Many students joined the floor and began dancing to the tango music, while others talked amongst themselves. New students even tried their hand at dancing with more experienced dancers during the social hour.
Reflecting, Building Opportunities
Galletto and Guzman were both very pleased with how the evening went.
“I’m very happy,” Guzman said. “I think it went beautiful … I love how people from other towns can communicate with each other with simple steps. That is the point of Argentine tango.”
Guzman expanded his thoughts by saying that it is “not about the tricks,” “everyone can do it.”
Some students took a moment to share their experiences in Galletto and Guzman’s classes.
Barbara Deysson said that she has taken ballet classes for a long time. She saw an advertisement for Galletto’s classes, so she tried them. Galletto asked Deysson to take one of his Argentine tango classes, but she was not sold on the idea. She decided to take the class anyway just to try it.
“I danced with him for honestly two minutes, it was [so] different,” Deysson said. She added that Galletto has an “intuitive approach” to teaching tango, which allowed her to “shut [her] brain off.” She said that the private classes with Galletto are “the best thing” she does for her mind.
Godzich elaborated on his earlier points. He explained that he read an article from Smithsonian Magazine that said that tango dancers’ brains, on average, were seven years younger than other participants in a study that focused on how creative hobbies slow brain aging.
“Argentine tango makes you aware of how to move your body again,” Godzich said. “Dardo is so different … he’s a philosopher.”
To learn more about Galletto and Guzman, including classes and special events, visit ggtango.com.
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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.