Argentine Folklore Weekend: Between Tradition and Innovation

Please join us for a special weekend celebrating Argentine Folkloric Dance & Music from Friday, August 21 through Sunday, August 23. The event features Dancer & Performer Nicholas Wallach, as well as Guitarist Alejo de los Reyes and Pianist Emiliano Messiez. The event coincides with International Folklore Day, which is celebrated on Saturday, August 22. **Friday, August 21** Potluck Dinner & Talk by Nicholas Wallach **7-8 pm:** Dinner **8-9 pm**: "Argentinian Culture beyond Buenos Aires: Cosquin and Cultural Diversity," A Talk by Nicholas Wallach **Saturday, August 22** Workshops with Nicholas Wallach, Concert by Alejo de los Reyes & Emiliano Messiez, and Milonga Qilombo with Live Tango Music for Dancing **2-3:15 pm**: **Chacarera Unstructured: Freedom in movement** The chacarera is a dance that invites us to be free, so why do we tend to learn it as a series of rigid structures? Emotion. Connection. Intuition. As a group, we'll experience this dance together from a unique perspective that centers our personal and collective expression. We’ll find new paths to enjoy and understand chacarera more deeply, and we’ll leave with everything needed to dance chacarera socially. **3:30-4:45 pm: Argentinian Folkloric Technique: Zapateo, zarandeo and foundations** Inspired by the works of Ballet Sumampa winners of the Pre Cosquin 2026 What do we need to make our chacarera feel more natural, and how can we incorporate more complex movements seamlessly? Working on these elements of our folklore provides a fantastic opportunity to incorporate techniques useful for all our dance practices; enrich your chacarera with new zapateos and zarandeos and move more confidently as a dancer. In addition to our individual technique, the workshop will include a short group sequence based on the winning works of Ballet Sumampa from this year’s Pre Cosquin (Argentina’s most important folklore competition). **8-9 pm:** **Concert of Argentine Folkloric Music & Tango** \- Guitarist Alejo de los Reyes and Pianist Emiliano Messiez **9:30 pm-2 am:** **LIVE MUSIC Milonga Qilombo** featuring Guitarist Alejo de los Reyes and Pianist Emiliano Messiez with a SHOW by Nicholas Wallach, and DJ Karen Johnson **Sunday, August 23** Workshops with Nicholas Wallach **2-3:15 pm:** **Traditional Zamba in a Contemporary World** Simply put, exploring zamba opens the door to one of Argentina's greatest cultural traditions, danced for over 200 years in the countryside and the city, in social events and on stages, and even with and without gender roles. This workshop covers everything needed to take these first steps, as well as providing more experienced dancers with deeper understanding and variations on basic patterns. Beyond the structures, we'll see traditional techniques for improvisation that are seldomly taught outside of Argentina, and we'll consider the place of traditional dances in our contemporary contexts. **3:45-5 pm: Argentinian "Embraced Dances": Chamamé, Taquirari, and more** Just like tango arose from multicultural encounters and local creation, a diversity of embraced dances is found throughout Argentina, all representing different histories, different influences and even different values. Exploring these dances we'll travel through unique Argentinian folkloric soundscapes, consider regional cultural diversity, and find new perspectives on the embrace and on its form in contemporary and historic tango. **5-6 pm:** Mate Hour - Chat and Q & A with Nick (Free to those who take workshops) **PRICING WITH PRE-REGISTRATION** (Until Thursday, August 20 at midnight) Full Weekend: (4 workshops + Dinner / Talk + Concert + LIVE MUSIC Milonga with SHOW): $210 Concert + Live Music Milonga with SHOW: $65 Live Music Milonga Only: $45 Concert Only: $45 Dinner / Talk: $20 All 4 Workshops: $140 Any 3 Workshops: $111 Any 2 Workshops: $77 Single Workshop: $40 **[REGISTER NOW](https://philadelphiatangoschool.cowtinker.com/om/workshops/workshops-concert-show-and-live-music-milonga-qil