A friendly obsession, with Nick Thompson

Through time, space, and changing circumstances, DC native Nick Thompson has made it work with tango - on his own terms. Hear how a hidden obsession, sparked one January evening at Portland State University, transformed into a friendly one over the years.

This episode was produced in partnership with Tango Mercurio.

Producer/Host: Liz Sabatiuk | Music: "Después del Carnaval" by J. A. Amuchastegui Keen, performed by Osvaldo Fresedo y Su Gran Orquesta Argentina with Ricardo Ruiz | Image from C’est la Vie milonga in Xi’an, China (photographer unknown)

Show Notes

• Learn more about the history of Portland tango via The New York Times and/or a founder of its community.
• ValenTango is still going strong! See what’s on the agenda for 2022.
• See what's so different about Argentine Spanish.
• The friendly dancers Nick ran into in Buenos Aires were Rebecca Rorick Smith and Eric Lindgren, some of Nick’s first teachers in Portland. Watch a video of them performing around that time and one from 2019.
• Other Portland dancers Nick mentioned in the interview were Adam Cornett, who visited Xi'an repeatedly as a guest artist, and Alex Krebs. (To close the circle, Alex Krebs is the Portland name I heard back in 2007, when I met a former student and sometimes partner of his, Jennifer Olson, who was DJing at a milonga in Montevideo. Small tango world!)
• Haven’t heard of the Terra Cotta Warriors Nick mentioned? Watch a video or read an article about their fascinating history.

Read a transcript of Nick's episode here.