Portland TangoFest XI
Thu-Mon, October 18-21, 2007

Evalutations of the Festival

Portland skyline (POVA)Mission:

Spend an intense/passionate/romantic four days together in "tango friendly" Portland with friends and your favorite instructors, DJ's, musicians and tango partners learning, dancing, schmoozing, eating, and hanging out at the unique Portland ballrooms, coffee shops, cafes, and restaurants. Over 600 tangueros attend the Portland TangoFest each year--making it (and Portland ValenTango) two of the most popular and successful tango events in North America. We hope you will join us this year and find out why! For more info about Portland visit City of Portland web site and Portland Oregon Visitor Center (POVA).

Schedule, Prices, Registration, Poster, City Map, etc:

Nick and TaraClasses, Practicas & Milongas:

  • 48 Different classes ranging from absolute beginners to advanced couples.
  • 3 Supervised practicas with instructors available for individual questions.
  • 6 Traditional evening milongas.
  • 3 Afternoon alternative milongas.
  • 1 Matinee Milonga con Maestros with instructors available to dance with studnets.
  • 2 All night milongas.

Instructors:

Conjunto Berretin OrchestraDJs and Orchestra:

Information for First-Time Attendees (what to do first!):

  • Headquarters: Registration along with beginning and intermediate classes are held in Norse Hall, 111 NE 11th Ave.
  • Opening Milonga: If you arrive in Portland by Wednesday Oct 17, come to the Opening Milonga at Norse Hall from 9:00p-2:00p. Admission is $10. If you bought a Full-Milonga Pass, your name will be on the list and you won't have to pay.
  • Registration: Starting Thursday Oct 18 the registration desk at Norse Hall will be open daily from 10:00a-4:00p. Before taking any classes you must obtain an admission badge. If you pre-registered, there will be a pre-registration packet waiting for you at the desk. If you are not pre-registered, fill out a special registration form and present it at the desk along with payment by cash, check, VISA, MasterCard or Diner's.
  • Milongas: If you are not taking classes but just going to milongas, you do not need to register and you can pay at the door of each milonga. However, if you pre-purchased or wish to purchase a full milonga pass for $85, then again you must go to the registration desk in Norse Hall and pick up your Full-Milonga Pass in the form of a wrist band.
  • Maps: Most classes and milongas are within a few blocks walking distance. Maps will be available in your pre-registration packet and in the registration area of Norse Hall.

Hotels, & Car Rental:

The 3 hotels listed below are a few blocks of all workshops and most milongas. Taxi to the remaining milongas $5-$15: City map of hotels, venues, and restaurants.

  • Jupiter Hotel, 800 E Burnside (1-877-800-0004). Map. Exciting, affordable boutique hotel offering cutting edge musical entertainment. The hip Doug Fir Restaurant & Lounge open 21/7, offers room service and fantastic blackberry cosmopolitans. Mana Massage rocks and rolls tired muscles while Ivy Studio provides the latest relaxed fashion statements. Call or check web for reservations
  • ThriftLodge, 949 E Burnside (503-234-8411 or 1-800-525-9055) Map. Special tango rates: $59-$67
  • Executive Lodge, 1415 NE Sandy Boulevard (503-234-0316) Map. Special tango rates: $55-$65
  • Many attendees have gotten great prices ($25-$50) using www.priceline.com for quality hotels in downtown Portland--only a couple of miles away.
  • Additional hotels that are a bit further away
  • Enterprise Car Rental, 611 E Burnside (530-230-1212) Map.

Guest Housing:

  • Limited amount of free guest housing with local Portland tangueros is available. If you are interested, email your name to Jerry Wallach along with dates of attendance and any special information (allergies, level of dancer, will or will not have a car, etc).
  • Portland tangueros, if you have an extra bed, room, floor, etc, please contact Jerry and let him know.

Venues--address and parking information:

  • PDF map of local venues.
  • Ankeny Street Studio, SE corner of 9th and Ankeny. Map. Free street parking. Parking lot on the south side of building becomes a tow-away zone after 6:00 PM and on weekends.
  • Imago Theatre, 17 SE 8th. Map. Free street parking.
  • Norse Hall, 111 NE 11th. Map. Free street parking and free lot west of building available evenings and weekends.
  • North Star Ballroom, 635 North Killingsworth Court. Map. Free street parking.
  • Oaks Park Pavilion, East end of Sellwood Bridge. Map. Free parking lot.
  • Paradise Ballroom, 826 SE Belmont. Map. Free street parking.
  • PPAA, 618 SE Alder. Map. Free street parking and free US Bank lot at 6th & Alder available on weekends.
  • Tiffany Center, 1410 SW Morrison St. Map. The "U-Park" lot at SW corner of 14th and Alder (1 block N of Tiffany Center) has been reserved exclusively for attendees of the Sat Grande Tango Ball. However, do not leave your care there overnight. Metered street parking (Mon-Sat 8:00 AM-6:00 PM) and various paid lots nearby (weekend rates are flat $5).

Parking for City Center and downtown shops and hotels (Note--all TangoFest venues except Tiffany Center on Sat evening are not located downtown but are clustered a few miles east of City Center): Saturday evening only, free parking lot 1/2 block north of Tiffany Center. Otherwise, on street city parking is limited and metered from 8 am - 7 pm, Monday - Saturday at $1.25 per hour. Sundays and public holidays are free. Off street parking is available in either open air surface lots or multi-storey car parks: rates are $1.50 per hour with a 12 hour maximum of $8 or so. Weekend rates are flat $5. On site hotel parking varies, but can be up to $24 per 24 hour day, with or without in/out privileges.

Private lessons and practice space:

Please coordinate and negociate times, locations, and prices directly with the TangoFest instructors that you would like a lesson with. (Use instructor links above for communication.) The following locations will be available for privates and/or for practicing.

  • Amouress, 4515 SW Corbet, $10/hour. Contact Allene (503) 616-2944 to schedule
  • Ankeny, 9th & Ankeny, $25/hour. Contact Jane (503) 233-4601 to schedule
  • Jupiter, 800 E Burnside, no charge. Ask at front desk to schedule
  • Norse Hall Main Ballroom, 111 NE 11th Ave, no charge. Sun 10-11am only
  • Norse Hall Lodge Room, 111 NE 11th Ave, no charge. Thu-Sun 5-6pm only

Transportation from Airport to City Center:

  • Tri-Met "Red Line" light rail. $2.05 takes you to any stop. (Suggestion: call taxi en route and have them meet you at Convention Center or Rose Garden stop to take you to your hotel.)
  • Cabs @ $40 from airport to center center. (503) 227-1234 or (503) 227-1212
  • Shuttles @ $15.
  • Suggestion: check out Portland Oregon Visitor Center (POVA) and call their contact phone number to get answers about visitng Portland.

Schedule, Prices, Registration, Poster, City Map, etc:

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