Argentine tango, over a 100 year old dance, is cherished by those in STEM fields worldwide, for its intricate patterns and the intellectual challenge it offers, much like solving complex problems. The dance's emphasis on precision, improvisation, and connection mirrors the analytical and creative thinking that STEM professionals thrive on, providing a perfect blend of artistry and structure.

In addition, it offers significant benefits for mental health and wellbeing, serving as a powerful stress reliever and mood booster through the release of endorphins. It also enhances cognitive function, social connection, and emotional expression, fostering a holistic sense of happiness and resilience.

Argentine tango’s presence in the US has close ties to Stanford and MIT alums. Tango found its way in the US owing to the Stanford Tango Weeks in the 90s, and from there it traveled to MIT, enriching its vibrant ballroom dance culture, and spreading nationwide.  

The MIT Club of Northern California, in collaboration with Stanford Peninsula Alumni Club, and the art school, Feeling Flow is organizing a series of tango workshops building upon the previous two workshop series in Palo Alto.

Program Details:

• Date: Six Sundays, June 9th to July 14th
• Location: Oshman Family JCC, Palo Alto
• Time: 12:45pm to 2:00 PM
• Level: All levels welcome. Yes, absolute beginners are welcome! Partner not needed, but we will try our best to gender balance the event series.
• Instructor: Karn Verma, founder and teacher at Feeling Flow has previously taught at the Bechtel International Center at Stanford, Jikoji Zen Center in Los Gatos, and Friday Night Waltz & Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto. He led and taught the first two MIT-CNC workshops, and frequently hosts community tango classes and world class tango artists at Tango Saturdays in Palo Alto. He dances many contemporary and historical dances and has been teaching tango since 2017. In the same year, he traveled to Buenos Aires to study Argentine tango intensely and recently returned from Rome after training with dancer, actor, and teacher, Pablo Verón. Inspired by Richard Powers, his teaching philosophy reflects the ethos of the Stanford Tango Weeks. He balances his work with Feeling Flow with his work in tech. Learn more about him here.
• Space is limited. As we gather the community, we will expand to a larger venue. Please register ASAP to secure your spot.
• Pricing: $120 per person for the  series.
• No previous tango or social dance experience required. Syllabus is here!
• You have requested an opportunity to include your non MIT friends. Well, each MIT alum can sign up 3 non MIT folks. So by all means, bring in your partner/spouse, friends, family members. In the launch series, the 9-year old son of a MIT alum also participated!

Over time, it is our intent to grow the program to include many more dances from Waltz, Foxtrot, Swing, Salsa and more.

With this vision, we have launched the MIT Dancers LinkedIn group which we recommend you join. We would like to dialog with you there and understand your needs and desires vis-a-vis dance (dance forms, level, objective, aspiration, location), whether or not you are attending the launch series. This is also the place to ask questions about the launch series and other future events.

Finally, we are looking for volunteers to build the MITCNC dance program. Please let us know in the MIT Dancers LinkedIn Group if you’re interested in volunteering.