Denver Close Encounters - 4th Annual.
A Tango weekend blending an Encuentro, a Marathon and the excitement of the Milongas of Buenos Aires. Four days of tango with one group of fellow tango fanatics. The emphasis is on Close-embrace dancing and traditional social codes. Top DJs are selected for their sensitivity to the passion and energy of the dancers and their love of the famous Golden Era orchestras.
This festival is for you if you love traditional Buenos Aires style social dancing, and are good at navigating in a close embrace.
Many of us experienced tango in Buenos Aires in the 1990s and 2000s when the older Milongueros from the 1940s had returned to the dance floor. Encuentros are inspired by the milonguero style of dancing, and Encuentro fans are a bridge between that older generation to the younger generations. The Denver Close Encounters has a goal of building diversity across generations and geography.
2025 Dates May 22 - 24: "4th Denver Close Encounters"
- May 22 - 24, 2025
- Friday, Saturday & Sunday - 5 Milongas
- Denver Turnverein, 1570 N Clarkson
Like a Marathon - Dancing afternoon and evening; With “early” 12:00am endings for recuperation.
Like an Encuentro - Limited to 180 role-balanced participants; single ticket for the weekend.
Traditional Milongas like Buenos Aires - Dance floor with seating for all, Close-embrace, floor craft & lanes, mirada & cabeceo.
Codes, Cabeceo & Assigned Seating
One contribution from the Encuentro tradition is to follow traditional Buenos Aires milonga codes and provide seating for every participant. Many traditional milongas separate the Leaders and Followers into different sections. We prefer groupings of Follower tables alternating with Leader tables. This helps immensely with the cabeceo, & floor access, and minimizes clogs of dancers.
Your Hosts
Tom & Analii Stermitz. Tom organized 35 Tango Festivals from 2000 through 2015. Analii has been a movement professional all her life, and offers her elegant Tango Fashions.
Schedule
DCE Milongas - May 22, 23 & 24 - Denver Turnverein
- Friday Evening 8:00pm - 12:30am: "Milonga Quilombo"
- Saturday Afternoon 12:30pm - 4:30pm "Milonga Romantica"
- Saturday Evening 8:00pm - 12:30am "Milonga Elegante"
- Sunday Afternoon 12:30pm - 4:30pm "Milonga El Yeite"
- Sunday Evening "Tango Colorado's Cheesman Park Milonga"
Early Arrival Events - May 19, 20 & 21
- Tuesday Evening 7:30pm - 10:30pm: "Tango Colorado Practica/Milonga" (Always well attended).
- Wednesday Evening 6:30pm & 8:00pm: "Milonguero Workshops" with Tom & Analii
- Thursday Evening 7:00pm - 11:00pm: "Welcome Milonga open to Locals"
Denver Dancesport NORTH. 6830 North Broadway Unit D, DENVER, CO 80221
Details
Light snacks will be provided at the afternoon milongas, and medium snacks for evenings. The Denver Turnverein has bar service at night, and you cannot bring your own alcohol.
Locations
Most events are at the Denver Turnverein, 1570 N Clarkson St, our beautiful and convenienct dance facility East of Downtown Denver. There is plenty of parking at the venue. For those staying downtown, you could leave your car in the Turnverein parking lot.
Early arrival events on Tuesday & Wednesday are also at the Denver Turnverein.
Thursday, Early Arrival Festival Milonga with locals at the Denver Dancesport NORTH. 6830 Broadway Unit D, DENVER, CO 80221.
Lodging:
Hoels are typically inexpensive in Denver over Memorial Day weekend: $139 or so. Motels close to the Turnverein are not recommended based on previous reports. (Frankly, they are a bit seedy). However there are many AirBnBs nearby, and the Warwick Hotel was a great hit last year, and a short walk to our venue.
Arrival from the Airport.
Downtown Denver is extremely convenient for anyone arriving by airplane. Take the train to downtown Denver, hop on the free “mall” shuttle to an easy 2 block walk to many different hotels.
Parking and Getting to and from the Venues.
Parking is free at the Denver Turnverein. Weekday and Saturday street parking is claimed to be only two hours but I’ve never seen a ticket on the street by the Turnverein. If there is NO concert next door at the Fillmore, there is additional parking in that lot. If there IS a concert at the Fillmore, the street parking becomes very tight, however the Turnverein has an over-flow lot.
Uber/Lyft are reasonable during the day. We’ll have a ride board to find ride-share partners, and we’ll run shuttles late night back to downtown.
Parking at the hotels can be very expensive, but you can leave your car at the Turnverein or park in front of the hotel at meters. In the past, meters have been free after 10:00pm or even earlier, and they are completely free on Sundays and holidays. Last year they were not checking meters on Saturday, either. Parking rules can vary depending on the neighborhood or block. Check with the hotel concierge for more information.
