Art on the Walls, Art on the (Dance) Floor: Practica Porteña at Gallery 381 Brings Tango to San Pedro
Practica Porteña at the 381 Gallery has brought a unique combination the San Pedro art scene, with photographer Annie Appel’s love of the visual arts and dancer Silvia Askenazi’s love of dance, creating a venue for art exhibits and the art of the tango.
Askenazi, who is from Buenos Aires, says that she thought of the parallels between the Argentine birthplace of tango and Los Angeles’ own “Port Town” when naming the venue after the Spanish word for “port.” Although she had been a dancer most of her life, she did not learn to tango until arriving in Los Angeles, where she has lived for nine years. She says that people are drawn to the dance because they “love to be embraced and the music is amazing.”
“It’s a great dance to learn because it makes your brain work, and work hard,” she says. “It’s a challenge… it’s a conversation between two people.”
Appel says that the response to Practica Porteña, which opened a year ago, was a happy surprise, both for them and for the dancers, many of them local residents who typically traveled all over Southern California to find places to enjoy tango.
“During the first class, we had 16 people show up, 14 of them from San Pedro,” she says. “People are excited to do something different in San Pedro, they don’t have to leave town for it. I feel like we opened just for them.
“No one would be surprised if there was interest [in tango] in Venice, Santa Monica, or Culver City,” she notes. “But why should we be surprised that people would be interested in San Pedro? Interesting people live everywhere.”
The proximity of visual art to dance is a main theme of Practica Porteña’s success. Askenazi says that the artistic atmosphere helps dancers to be more creative in their movements, whatever their skill level.
“Tango dance is an art, it’s an expression,” she says. “People not only socializing but they express themselves according to the music they are listening to. It’s also an
improvised dance, not choreography, so it’s creative in that sense.”
Practica Portena starts at 8:30 until 11:30 every Tuesday night, with music by Los Angeles-based tango DJ Emmet. Admission is $7. For information about classes call Silvia at 310-902-8503.
Gallery 381 is located at 381 W. 6th Street in San Pedro. For more information, call (310) 902-8503 or visit the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/PRACTICA-PORTENA/113148090782.
- Joanie Harmon
