Tango Center to Close

The Tango Center in Eugene will be closing June 30 after a six-year run, according to its founder Greg Bryant, who announced the closing in a letter to the editor sent in too late for this week's Eugene Weekly.

“It’s no secret,” he said today (Thursday), “but I haven’t contacted the (other) press yet.”

The Tango Center is North America's largest Tango facility, he said, “and the first new downtown partner dance hall in Eugene in 50 years.” The building housing the dance studio on Broadway was recently sold to the Lord Leebrick Theatre, and Bryant said he’s happy the building will remain dedicated to the arts.

In his letter, Bryant said “Our primary goal was to repair downtown. My wife, Olga Volchkova, and I knew that urban repair only happens when people actually fill a space with public activity. We picked the worst stretch of downtown, the spot that needed the most help. We also wanted to offer something different: a place where people could do something, and learn to do something — not simply a place to watch and listen.”

The farewell events at the Tango Center will be Saturday, June 27, for the last big Saturday dance, or Milonga, with an introduction lesson at 8 pm. The last big Bailonga, an all-night affair, starts at 8 pm Tuesday, June 30. See www.tangocenter.org for more information.