El Firulete

The Tango Argentino Permanent School “El Firulete” is a project developed in Italy during the last three years by teachers Ricardo Labriola and Sarita Goyas. Based in Turin, they present their programme and teaching technique in Berlin, where they work twice a year, in Verona and in Rome, co-operating respectively with the Querido Tango Association in the former and the Carlos Gardel and Tiber Tango Associations in the latter.

The Labriola teaching technique is aimed at transmitting not only the technical instruments pupils need to express themselves in dance, but also to give the possibility to improvise, which is one of the peculiar aspects of the Argentinean Tango, with the basis of various kind of music and styles.

In the various town the Labriola teachers organise week-end workshops developed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Friday, Sarita Goyas gives a women-only lesson teaching the step technique, figures, boleos, walking. During Saturday and Sunday they carry out the most important parts of the workshop dividing the students in two levels: intermediate and advanced.

The lesson consists of tangos, vals and milongas and in various styles: tango orillero, tango canyengue, tango milonguero, tango Labriola.

In Turin, the advanced pupils are also given choreography lessons, to better their group activity and the synchronisation between steps and music.

Ricardo Labriola and Sarita Goyas started to work together during the ‘95 autumn; in the same year they start working on the Tango Argentino Permanent School project in Turin. In summer ‘96 they put on shows in various Buenos Aires dance halls (Cochabamba, la Galeria del Tango, etc.) with a huge success. At the same time they start working with the teacher Gustavo Naveira with whom they begin to co-operate with. In ‘97 they put on various shows in Berlin. In spring ‘98 they take part as professional dancers in the film “Milonga” directed by Emilio Greco, starring Umberto Giannini. In summer ‘98 they put on a show entitled “Cientos Años de Tango” in Buenos Aires.

Gustavo Naveira said about them: “A couple of international professional dancers who succeed in mixing technical perfection and the charm of tradition.”