Greeting from the Taunus Mountains in Germany!  
I am here at the Tango Hotel Ta-Taa as special guest teaching Argentine Chacarera during the tango seminar weekend of Horacio "Pebete" Godoy and Maricel Giacomini: a real pleasure and honor!  On Monday, June 2 I'll head to Hannover to DJ for an Open Air Milonga and then fly to the US.  I'll be in South Carolina for two weeks with my family but also teaching tango before heading to California for the first Unit of the new ANAR DANA West Coast 2025/26 project June 21-22.
 
ANAR DANA West Coast has a new repertoire of exciting dances:
1) Wedding Celebration from Fez, Morocco
2) Palestinian Dabke
3) Greek Taverna Rebetiko of the 1930's
4) Zeybek dances of the Aegean region of Turkey
5) Dances of the Bashkir people
6) Urban mid century Kereshme dances of Iran
7) "Tanovar" a semi-classical dance from Uzbekistan
 
We are excited to announce that we will go on tour in June 2026 to participate in the ANAR DANA Germany recitals in Göttingen and Leipzig and then continue on to the Republic of Georgia to participate in an international folk dance festival.  In the fall of 2026 we will have our own recitals in the Bay Area and Seattle.
 
Over the course of the project we will have 7 Cultural Talks, one for each region chosen.  The Cultural Talks are always accessible online and are available to the larger community beyond project members.
Just go to my homepage and register.  There is also a large library of recordings of past cultural talks.
 
We would love to have you come join our amazing global community of women! Remember: ANAR DANA is for everyBODY from amateur to professional, from young to old.  We support beginning dancers and challenge experienced ones. Our community of dancers reflects the dance of real people in real communities, where everyone dances! ANAR DANA is rooted in tradition and blossoming in YOU!
 If you can't join us live, join us ONLINE
 
How can you be involved?
1) Join Unit 1-3  live or Online from anywhere in the world for and learn the basic building blocks that make the styles of each of these dance traditions.
2) Join the whole program and participate in the performances and tours.
3) Join us for our online Cultural Talks where we explore the history, geography, culture, music and dance for each of the dance styles listed above.
4) Support us on Patreon.  Creating a new program each season is a huge undertaking including research, teaching, choreographing, writing and costume construction, administration and more.  As work in the arts becomes increasingly difficult and grant opportunities are drying up YOU can make a big difference by supporting ANAR DANA with a Patreon membership...and gain access to our ever-growing online archives.  Your help makes a difference!
 
 
This summer while I am on the West Coast I will also be DJing at milongas and teaching private lessons before I head back to Buenos Aires in August. 
In Buenos Aires Lucas Belmudes and I are available to help visitors.

 
We can help you to emprove your tango with private lessons that we teach in the studio in my house. We can help you with your visit to Buenos Aires with individual tourism assistance: classes, tours, taxi dancers, transport, shopping, sight-seeing and a room for rent in my house in Villa Crespo.
My unique house is wonderful and I am lucky to have a small dance studio where I regulary teach private students! The house is perfectly located in Villa Crespo (8 blocks from La Viruta) with good public transportation connections to all the best milongas!  Come let us help you explore the world of Tango in Buenos Aires! 
 
Our tango classes focus on close embrace tango as it is danced at our favorite milongas in Buenos Aires. This style is highly improvisational and the partners are in a constant conversation about the music in a delicious and comfortable embrace.  We want to help you make the dance you already have even better!
 
Here is a recent review a student of mine posted:
“I can highly recommend Helene Eriksen for private classes in Buenos Aires; close embrace Argentine tango. She assessed where I am in my tango journey, and worked with me over a series of 1 h units systematically on improving my embrace, posture, walk, circular movement, musicality and stretchiness. She showed me with her body and provided lots of immediate feedback when dancing with her. Helene is tall (can also teach how to dance with a taller/shorter person), follows & leads and speaks English, German, Spanish and French.”
— Peter, Seattle, WA, USA
 
 
 
Awaken Your Dancing Body! continues to inspire me profoundly.  Even though I have been teaching it twice a week since the beginning of the pandemic it still gives me an unending source of inspiration and enthusiasm! People around the world join for this hour of deep exploration of the body.  This is a class for all levels of experience and capability.  In fact we have had people using the class to recover from major injuries and hip replacements. People who attend regularly have seen a big difference in their bodies.
Class is EVERY Wednesday and Saturday at 14:00 AR. (Please use a time converter to find your local time.) You can write to me to join the Whatsapp group for these classes. Come discover new things about how your body moves! 
 

 
Here is what students have to say:
 
"Awaken Your Dancing Body is a wonderful amalgamation of information and practices.  At the end of each session I always feel better than I did when I started, and my understanding and appreciation about how my body works is improved.  I've learned how and why it's important to energize the muscles of my abdomen and lower back to support the upper part of my body.  I've learned how to breathe better.  I've learned about body mechanics that help me move with more power and agility and without injuring myself.  I've learned to experience the energy of the earth moving up through my body and out the top of my head and cascading around me.  While there are some practices we do every session, each session is also completely unique as Helene shares her ever widening understanding of the human body.  This is so much more than an exercise class; it is a rich and unique sharing of a lifetime of learning about.... awakening our dancing bodies!"
R.F. 
 
"I have been awakening my dancing body with Helene, ever since we moved our classes to zoom in March 2020. I was absolutely thrilled that she established it as a weekly practise ... I have gained strength and body awareness, which has a great impact on my dancing. Form and stability have definitely improved, giving me freedom to work on expression and other details. Love! love! love it!"
C.G.

"I have been intrigued by the power of Awaken Your Dancing Body!  I started taking the class to increase my strength, flexibility, alignment and control in dancing, but have been delighted to find that the learning stays with me throughout my day.  How I stand washing the dishes, sit down in a chair, find my footing while hiking, even pumping up a hill on my bicycle, all are more supported, free and energized.  I have dubbed this class, 'Awaken Your LIVING Body!'.
H.R.

I look forward to dancing and exploring with you!
Helene
 
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CALENDAR
 
Every Wednesday & Saturday ONLINE
14-15 AR time converter to find your local time.)
Awaken Your Dancing Body!
18 Euros for drop-ins or 60 Euros for 4 classes in one month or 95 Euros for 8 classes in one month. Men & women, old & young are all welcome to join! 
Join the Whatsapp group for easy communication (send me your Whatsapp number!).  Sign up on my webpage or write to me at:
 
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JUNE 2025
 
Sun. 1. June, GERMANY, Schmitten-Oberreifenberg
(bei Frankfurt) 
Chacarera workshop and Peña 
with Live Music by Duo C'est Picó
(part of the seminar weekend with Maricel Giacomini & Horacio Pebete Godoy)
Hotel Ta-Taa
 
Mon. 2 June, Hannover, GERMANY
Open Air Milonga Andreas Hermes Platz
19-22:00 Uhr
Veranstalter: Tango Milieu
www.tango-an-der-Leine.de 
 
Fri. June 6, Charleston, SC/USA
Class and Practica at Gino's House
2017 Wild Flower Lane 
Wed. June 11, Charleston, SC/USA
Class at Park Circle Community Center
6-7:30pm
https://www.facebook.com/groups/141687102929/
 
Tues. June 17, Charleston, SC/USA
Class with Ceasar Bustamante
ARC Take 2 Studio, Citadel Mall, West Ashley
6:45-8:30pm
https://www.facebook.com/groups/141687102929/
 
Sat/Sun. 21-22 June, SF Bay Area, CA/USA
ANAR DANA West Coast Unit 1
You can  join Unit 1-3 without commiting to the whole project.
 
AUGUST 2024
 
Fri. 1 August, Seattle WA/USA & ONLINE
ANAR DANA West Coast
Potluck & Cultural Talk: 
Wedding Celebrations in Fez, Morocco
 
Sat/Sun. 2-3 August, USA/WA, Seattle 
ANAR DANA West Coast Unit 2
Not to late to join 
 
Sat/Sun. 9-10 August, ONLINE
ANAR DANA Germany Unit 6a&b
 
Sat/Sun. 23-24 August, ONLINE
ANAR DANA Germany Unit 6c&d
 
SEPTEMBER 2025
 
Sat/Sun. 6-7 September, ONLINE
ANAR DANA West Coast Unit 3a&b
LAST CHANCE TO JOIN!!!

Sun. 14 September , ONLINE 14:00 AR
ANAR DANA Germany 
Cultural Talk: 
Arab Andalusian Traditions of North Africa
 
Sat/Sun. 20-21 September, ONLINE
ANAR DANA West Coast Unit 3c&d
 
Sat/Sun. 27-28 September, GERMANY, Göttingen
ANAR DANA Germany Unit 7
 
Sa. 27 September, Göttingen, GERMANY
Close Embrace Argentine Tango 
Workshop & Practica
KAZ, eV 20Uhr
 
Dienstags 30 Sept. & 9. Okt.,  GERMANY, Göttingen
Tango Argentino Tanzkurs

OCTOBER 2025
 
Sat/Sun. 11-12 October, GERMANY, Göttingen
ANAR DANA Germany Unit 8
 
Sa. 11 October, Göttingen, GERMANY
Close Embrace Argentine Tango 
Workshop & Practica
KAZ, eV 20Uhr
 
Sun. 19 October, Hannover GERMANY
Close Embrace Tango Workshop 12-15Uhr
Tango Milieu
 
Sun. 19 October, ONLINE 14:00 AR
ANAR DANA Germany 
Cultural Talk: Logari Valley, Afghanistan
 
Sat/Sun. 25-26 October, SF Bay Area, CA/USA
ANAR DANA West Coast Unit 4
 
NOVEMBER 2025
 
Sun. 2 November , Seattle, WA/USA
Tango DJ for Milonga Madera Verde, 1-5 PM
Greenwood Masonic Lodge 
Private lessons on request 
 
Fri. 7 November , Seattle, WA/USA & ONLINE
ANAR DANA West Coast
Potluck & Cultural Talk: Palestine
 
Sat/Sun. 11-12 November, Seattle, WA/USA 
ANAR DANA West Unit 5
 
Mon. 10 November , Seattle, WA/USA
Tango DJ for Tango at the Harbor
 
Sat/Sun. 22-23 November, Göttingen, GERMANY
ANAR DANA Germany Unit 9
 
Sa. 22 November, Göttingen, GERMANY
Close Embrace Argentine Tango 
Workshop & Practica
KAZ, eV 20Uhr
 
Wed. 26 November, Hannover, GERMANY
Tango DJ Milonga Qué Noche!
www.tango-milieu.de 

Sat/Sun. 29-30 November, Hannover, GERMANY
Tango Workshops & Privatunterricht
 
DECEMBER 2025

Dienstags 2 & 9 December,  Göttingen, GERMANY
Tango Argentino Tanzkurs
 
Sat/Sun. 6-7 December, Leipzig, GERMANY
Workshops: tba
 
January 2026

Sun. 11 January, ONLINE 14:00 AR
ANAR DANA West Coast 
Cultural Talk: Turkish Zeybek

Sun. 18 January, ONLINE 14:00 AR
ANAR DANA Germany 
Cultural Talk: Armenian Diaspora 
 
Sat/Sun. 24-25 January, ONLINE
ANAR DANA West Coast Unit 6a&b
 
February 2026
 
Sat/Sun. 7-8 February, ONLINE
ANAR DANA West Coast Unit 6c&d

Sun. 15 February, ONLINE 14:00 AR
ANAR DANA West Coast 
Cultural Talk: Greek Rebetiko
 
Sat/Sun. 21-22 February, Göttingen, GERMANY
ANAR DANA Germany Unit 10 (Hybrid)
 
MARCH 2026
 
Sat/Sun. 7-8 March, SF Bay Area, CA/USA
ANAR DANA West Coast Unit 7
 
Sat/Sun. 21-22 March, USA/WA, Seattle 
ANAR DANA West Coast Unit 8
 
APRIL 2026
 
Sun. 19 April, ONLINE AR 14:00
ANAR DANA West Coast
Cultural Talk: Bashkir Turkic Minority of Russia
 
MAY 2026
 
Sat/Sun. 16-17 May, Göttingen, GERMANY
ANAR DANA Germany Unit 11
 
JUNE 2026

Fri/Sat 5-6 June, Göttingen, GERMANY
ANAR DANA Germany Dress Rehearsals

Sun. 7 June, Göttingen, GERMANY
ANAR DANA Germany Projektschau
Tänze unter dem Sichelmond
Mit Gastttänzerinnen aus ANAR DANA West Coast!
Junges Theater

Sun. 2 June, Leipzig, GERMANY
ANAR DANA Germany
Tänze unter dem Sichelmond
Mit Gastttänzerinnen aus ANAR DANA West Coast!
 
15-22 June, Tbilisi, GEORGIA
Joint tour of ANAR DANA West Coast & Germany
International Folk Dance and Music Festival PERKHULI 2026 
 
JULY 2026
 
Sat/Sun. 4-5 July, SF Bay Area, CA/USA
ANAR DANA West Coast Unit 9
 
Fri. 31 July, Seattle WA/USA & ONLINE
ANAR DANA West Coast 
Potluck & Cultural Talk: 
Iranian Urban Kereshme
 
AUGUST 2026

Sat/Sun. 1-2 August, USA/WA, Seattle 
ANAR DANA West Coast Unit 10
 
Sat/Sun. 22-23 August, ONLINE AR 14:00
ANAR DANA Germany Intro a&b
 
Sun. 30 January, ONLINE AR 14:00
ANAR DANA West Coast
Cultural Talk: Uzbek Tanovar 
 
SEPTEMBER 2026
 
Sat/Sun. 5-6 September, ONLINE AR 14:00
ANAR DANA Germany Intro c&d

Sat/Sun. 12-13 September, USA/WA, Seattle 
ANAR DANA West Coast Unit 11 (Hybrid)
 
Sat/Sun. 26-27 September, Göttingen, GERMANY
ANAR DANA Germany Unit 1
 
Sa. 26 September, Göttingen, GERMANY
Close Embrace Argentine Tango 
Workshop & Practica
KAZ, eV 20Uhr
 
OCTOBER 2026
 
NOVEMBER 2026
 
Sunday, 1 November, San Jose/CA, USA
ANAR DANA West Coast Recital
Dances Under the Crescent Moon 
  
Friday & Saturday 6&7 November, Seattle/WA, USA
ANAR DANA West Coast Recitals
Dances Under the Crescent Moon
 
 
 
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