Double role training camp with Pepa Palazon 2.–4.7.
Fri, Jul 02
|STEP Education, Järvenpää
An intense 3-full-day training camp for double role and queer dancers with a top quality teacher Pepa Palazon from Buenos Aires / Madrid. The focus is on developing our capability of dancing Argentine tango in a musical and creative way. Lots of useful practices and dancing time!
Time & Location
Jul 02, 2027, 10:30 AM – Jul 04, 2027, 11:00 PM
STEP Education, Järvenpää, Järvenpääntie 640, 04400 Järvenpää, Suomi
About the event
This course is aimed for all double role and queer Argentine tango dancers. Participation requires at least basic skills in Argentine tango either as a leader or a follower and some experience in the other role. You might as well be an experienced dancer in both roles or advanced in one role, expanding your skills in the other role. There'll be plenty of learning opportunities for everyone!
Course contents
Our teacher Pepa Palazon is specialized in teaching musicality for dancers for almost a decade. Her method is based on musical audio perception: she teaches you to understand music from perception (listening) and from movement (your body reaction to what you hear). The learning starts from listening different elements in the music and continues for moving your body to what you hear.
Pepa works with the verticality of the music, the different lines (e.g. main rhythmic and melodic elements, instruments etc.) you learn to distinguish when listening to the traditional tango orchestras. The examples are very concrete and will be practiced thoroughly both solo and in couple. Roles and partners will be actively changed at the classes.
During the weekend we'll work with different elements of musicality using selected tangos to find them in the music and to practice. For example: stop time or pulse by Di Sarli, sincopa by Pugliese or Troilo and weak time by Biagi. The body work helps you to integrate the topic into your dance and will help you to improvise and create your own dance in the music, using the elements you already master in tango.
In addition to the classes and practicas, we'll have milongas on all three evenings.
On both mornings we'll have a bodywork session to wake up our bodies. We'll also have time to relax and hang out, have sauna, swim, eat and get to know each other for the whole long weekend.
It's possible to book accommodation at STEP until Monday morning or to head home on Sunday evening.
Teacher
Pepa Palazon is a graduate of Conservatory of Music of Buenos Aires in tango and folklore, specialized in musical training for tango dancers. She is teaching musicality in the whole world in person and online, and for example was selected as the Musicality Teacher at the 2026 Tango World Championship in Buenos Aires.
Additionally, Pepa runs Viva La Pepa! -milonga in Buenos Aires and -festival in Madrid. She also has a YouTube channel where you can find interesting interviews with tango personalities from past to present: Tengo una pregunta a vos! (I Have Question for You!) with English subtitles.
Schedule
Friday 2 July
10.30–11.30 registration, accommodation
11.30–12.30 course start: introducing the concept
12.30–13.30 lunch
13.30–15 class 1
15–15.30 practica
15.30–16 coffee
16–17.30 class 2
17.30–18 practica 18–19 dinner
18–20 lakeside sauna
mixed shift (please bring swimming suit)
20–00 milonga
with DJ Jaana Hänninen
22–23 evening snack
Saturday 3 July
8.30–9.40 breakfast
9.40–10.10. bodywork session
10.15–11.45 class 3
11.45–12.30 practica
12.30–13.30 lunch
14.15–15.45 class 4
15.45–16.15 coffee 16.15–17 practica
17–20 lakeside sauna women 17–18
mixed shift 18–19
men 19–20
18–19 dinner
20–00 milonga
with DJ Pepa Palazon
22–23 evening snack
Sunday 4 July
8.30–9.40 breakfast
9.40–10.10 bodywork session
10.15–11.45 class 5
11.45–12.30 practica
12.30–13.30 lunch
14.15–15.45 class 6 – milonga! 15.45–16.15 coffee
16.15–17.30 course closing, taking videos
17.30–18.30 dinner
18.30–23 milonga
with DJ Heini Soutamo-Kohlrausch
22–23 evening snack
Prices
Early bird price 159 €, until 31.3.
Regular price 179 €, 1.4.–18.6.
The price includes all meals (breakfasts only for those with accommodation), classes, practicas, milongas and lakeside sauna sessions.
The milongas are open only for the camp participants.
If you wish to stay overnight at STEP, you may book accommodation:
+ 40 € in a shared twin room Fri-Sun (price for one person)
+ 60 € in a single room Fri-Sun
Sheets and towels +20 € or bring your own.
Sunday-Monday night is optional:
+ 20 € in a shared twin room (price for one person)
+ 30 € in a single room
Both the course and accommodation are paid when registering. Cancellation for full refund possible until 18.6.
Venue
STEP Education Järvenpää, Järvenpääntie 640, Kaskisali: https://step.fi/kaski-sali/
There is plenty of free parking space and charging stations for e-cars. For caravans and mobile homes there are a few spots with electricity, located close to the road (35€ per night).
Public transport: local R-trains bring you from Helsinki to Ainola train stop or Järvenpää train station. From Ainola it's 1,3 km walk and from Järvenpää it's 6 minutes ride with the local bus 665. The bus runs only once an hour so please check the schedules: https://www.hsl.fi/en (from the stop 'Järvenpään asema' to the bus stop 'Ainola, Ainolankatu 1')
Registration
Registration will open in October/November 2026 and close on Friday 18 June 2027. The early bird price is available until the end of March 2027.
Other
The course needs a certain amount of participants for being organized. There's a limited amount of spots so please register as early as possible!
For those who arrive earlier, there will be Amigos del Tango's milonga in Helsinki on Thursday 1.7. evening. Infos coming up at tango.fi/en closer to the date.
AdT's Double role group will also organise an outdoor dancing event (weather allowing) for Monday 5.7. and perhaps some other activities before/after the weekend, if there is interest. Please let us know if would like to join extra activies: doublerole@tango.fi
More info (registration, accommodation, meals, payments):
STEP Education Co-ordinator
Katja Forsström
+358404877499
In co-operation (course content):
Amigos del Tango Double role group