Time to dust off those dancing shoes – professional Argentine tango performers Somer Surgit and Agape Pappas will be at Ohio State on Saturday, offering free lessons to beginners as part of Argentine TangoDAY.
Known professionally as Somer and Agape, the Chicago-based pair have toured the country in recent years, leading workshops and giving performances from San Francisco to Boston.
Argentine TangoDAY is a collaboration between the Ohio Union Activities Board and TangoOSU, the university’s Argentine tango student organization.
Bill Levendusky, OUAB collaborative events chairperson, said Argentine TangoDAY will offer students a chance to meet new people in a unique way.
Event organizer Frank Jenner, a graduate student in mechanical engineering, agreed. “Tango is another way of communicating,” said Jenner. “There is a lot of interaction between partners.”
And he should know – Jenner has been a member of TangoOSU for more than a year.
Originally from Germany, Jenner said he and a group of other international students started dancing with the organization to get involved at OSU.
Jenner said he hopes to see a lot of students come out and experience Argentine TangoDAY.
“The show will be very good,” he said. “It will bring cultural enrichment to campus.”
He added that there is no dress code for the event, so students can feel to come as they are.
Caroline Lehrer, a freshman in Middle Eastern studies, admitted that Argentine tango lessons can make people anxious in the beginning, but she said she is happy she stuck with the dance.
“It was terribly embarrassing the first time,” Lehrer said of her initial TangoOSU meeting during autumn quarter. “But then I came back and I had a lot of fun.”
For more experienced dancers or those who want a bigger challenge, Somer and Agape are offering advanced lessons at 3:15 and 5 p.m. Students can attend these lessons at a cost of $6 each, or $10 for both.
Free beginner lessons begin at 7 p.m., followed by a performance by Somer and Agape at 8:30 p.m.
Students will then be able to tango the night away with music playing from 9 p.m. to midnight. Free food will also be provided.
All events will take place in 213 Pomerene Hall.
Levendusky said OUAB and TangoOSU are excited to provide students with an incredibly rewarding experience.
“We hope through the dance and the evening, they’ll experience a culture outside of their own and broaden their own horizons,” he said.
Kim Setliff can be reached at [email protected].
