Tango Mercurio, Washington

The founders of Tango Mercurio chose their non-profit's name carefully. Mercury symbolizes connection, which is what they hope to foster both between paired dancers and within their local community. The arts education organization believes that tango dancing transcends boundaries of class, ethnicity, and generation, and therefore can facilitate greater cultural understanding and social cohesion. So in addition to group and private lessons, the studio offers outreach programs and supports the all-volunteer Community Tango Orchestra. No matter what type of class a student enrolls in, what level they are studying at, or what outreach program they're lucky enough to access, the Tango Mercurio curriculum covers core principles: body awareness, technical proficiency, expressiveness, and, of course, connection. This connection between partners is important because it is both conducive to improvisation and creative expression, and also allows for larger, collaborative expression as a community, something the founders believe is essential to the overall health and stability of societies.