20 years ago, Janet Offer with her 3 co-director/teachers, established Tango West www.tangowest.co.uk in Bristol – UK, solely dedicated to Argentine Tango in Bristol – UK and have helped put Argentine Tango on the map in the south and south west of England. For the last 15 years Janet has developed Tango tuition in the Drama Dept for staff and students at Bristol University. Tango West were the second group in the UK to invite an Argentine national to work as resident with them and brought Argentine tango to numerous towns and cities, helping groups set up over the last 19 years.

In 1999 the national newspaper Daily Express sponsored Janet to fulfil her dream to study tango in more depth with CARLOS COPELLO, one of the principal dancers from the cult film, THE TANGO LESSON and also one of the most revered teachers/dancers/milongueros in the world today, EDUARDO ARQUIMBAU, decorated by the Argentine Government for his services over 50 years to tango (photo featured at the bottom of the page) – both dancers encouraged and inspired.

In the first years, Janet studied with Christine Denniston – also Paul Lange from the long-established and highly respected El Once in London and travels every year to Buenos Aires to study with Jorge Firpo, Augusto Balizano, Stella Barba and more recently Juan Pablo Barbutti. Janet visited Europe regularly to study and develop as a teacher, taking personal tuition with a range of Argentine maestros, eg Tete Rusconi…..+ Tobias Bert + many others.

Tango-y-Tu Bristol (now THE TANGO ROOM) meets every Mon night for classes and practices with the highly acclaimed visiting teachers. During 2014/15, Luis Rodriguez, Diomar Giraldo, Graciela Gamba + Diego Converti and Ruth Zimmerman contributed. During 2015, the programme included Giraldo, Mina, Alejandro Hermida and Nayla Vacca, Marcelo Almiron, Graciela Gamba and Diego Converti, Alejandro Beron and Veronica Vasquez visited in late 2014. During 2016/17 The Tango Room will host Andres Cejas and his wife Genoveva….teachers to many highly acclaimed teachers and winners of the Mundial in BA. Graciela and Diego will, of course, return to Bristol once or twice a year. Maybe in the future we can welcome them to Cyprus

Due to lifelong family connections with Cyprus, bringing tango to Cyprus was the aim. Since October 2007 Tango-y-Tu has become established in Larnaca and in 2008 in Nicosia. Stefan and Komala from the El Corte in Nijmegen in Holland have visited twice, as has Diomar Giraldo Escobar in May 2009, Giraldo will visit again in 2010. Luis Rodriguez from BA/London is a regular visitor. Maestro JORGE FIRPO visited in early 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 and is planned to return early April 2017. View clip of MILONGA DEL CENTRO with JORGE FIRPO on Sat 6 April: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk4BmR6MnMU – Augusto Balizano from La Marshall visited in June 2014, also Marcelo Almiron from BA visited in late October. Alejandro Hermida visited in 2016 from 17-21 November to give classes and Dj at the group’s milonga and practica. He is due to return 16-20 November 2017.

You will discover more about this wonderful dance form, the culture, the etiquette, the music and much more, if you come along on Friday 29 Sept from 8-10pm in Larnaca, join the special ONE-OFF CLASS, INTRODUCTION TO TANGO, before you start the FOUNDATION COURSE on Friday 6 October and receive a free CD tango mix. You don’t need a partner or any experience; this is a social dance for all – come along, join us and share the pleasure.