Malta is progressing nicely and catching up with the rest of Europe in its enthusiasm for The Tango. The ebullience and effervescence of nowadays know their beginnings to 1997 when tango was showcased at every opportunity to the la-di-da and the hoi polloi alike.
The story goes like this…Charlotte Stuart returned to Malta after ten years in London and Nice in which time her passion for dance led her to the growing scene of Argentine Tango. If you are heavy in the scene, you will arrive on the doorstep of El Corte, The Tango Institution in The Netherlands. That is what happened to Charlotte and there she met Tango Maestro Eric Jørissen. El Corte was to become a second home and a special place for great friendships and later on romance.
Eric Jørissen was game to come to Malta and give a hand to Charlotte and friend Mario Borg to organise the first workshop in April 1997 at Palazzo Parisio in Naxxar. After his first workshop in November, Aldo Calleja went to El Corte for a week of classes and dance events over Christmas that year, including the New Year Tango Marathon (a 72 hour dance feast) and he didn’t look back.
Isla Del Tango was formalised early 1998 and showcased Argentine Tango and held workshops in Malta with Maestro Eric Jørissen two or three times a year. Other Maestros including Komala Vos, Stefan Wimmer, Henry Geurtsen, Jeusa Vasconselos and Eric Muller, David Lurie, Herve Cousin who have also given workshops and performances.
In July 2001 Charlotte Stuart met the tanguero Sinan Vural at El Corte’s International Week, married and started a family. Isla Del Tango was glad to welcome Sinan, an experienced milonguero from Istanbul. Sinan started giving tango lessons in Malta.
In the meantime, Aldo Calleja ‘enrolled’ as a student of El Corte and spent many years getting private tuition from Eric Jørissen and Komala Vos among others and subsequently followed the Teacher’s courses.
In January 2008 Natalie Debono started her very first tango class. Natalie, also caught by the passion of this dance and a brilliant organiser to add, was a welcome addition to Isla Del Tango. Natalie has since been a regular at El Corte Tango School and always seeks to improve her dancing while enjoying the beauty and connectedness of the dance. Currently Natalie takes care of the organisational aspects of Isla del Tango while Aldo is entrusted with the technical aspects. Together they make a strong team.
Isla Del Tango is proud to be affiliated to Tango El Corte in the Netherlands and is very grateful to Maestro Eric Jørissen. Eric is a constant source of inspiration in the teaching of Argentine Tango and in the demands of an ever growing Tango community in Malta. Appreciation also goes to other brilliant teachers who over the years gave a hand in strenghtening tango in Malta.
Argentine Tango, to be enjoyed with every step, is a social, people’s dance of two persons. It takes a few steps to start ones’ Tango journey and each dancer can decide the pace and distance to be travelled. Isla Del Tango organises events to share knowledge and experience with anyone caught by the magic of the Argentine Tango.
