MANIFESTO

“Jewel Lab is a community-run enrichment of our local Tango scene.
We are a conscientious practica with a purposeful culture of dialogue, participation, and role-changing.
We encourage positive attitudes toward all gender/role combinations,
toward dancing to the worldwide heritage of music,
and toward use of all movements from the living history of tango.
We also like to throw great parties!”

What is Jewel Lab all about?

• A real practica for dancers of all levels. We encourage dancers to be analytic and agentic in taking responsibility for their own learning.
• Role-changing. We believe learning both roles is developmentally faster and better. We also want women to be empowered dancers, not waiting hungrily to receive a dance. We want all dancers to feel totally encouraged to try and enjoy their alternate role.
• 50% altertango music.  Why dance to non-traditional music? If you feel you don’t know how to dance to this music, JewelLab is the place to learn.
• No Cortinas: Get lost dancing with your partner and keep at it as long as you both want to without arbitrary interruption. Read more about why.
• Open-minded tango: Dancers are free to try new things, make mistakes, and push their dancing to the edge. Why is this important?
• Rainbow Tango:  We welcome Queer dancers and anyone who wants to experiment with changing the roles. More about Queer Tango.
• A community-run not for profit event: After paying the rent, we save most of  extra money to throw great parties, invite live musicians, and other fun stuff. When possible we make minimal payments to long-term committed staff, but most of the work is done on a volunteer basis. Major decisions are made democratically by a Board of Responsibles. Day-to-day decisions are made democratically at informal meetings before or after the practica. Participants are welcome to join these meetings and share ideas.

JewelLab also hosts occasional parties with 100% alternative tango music.

Sydney

The Jewel Lab is located at the Colombian Hotel, 117 Oxford at Crown and runs from 19:00-23:00 on Tuesday evenings.

The Colombian Hotel is a beautiful venue with a professional DJ sound system, upholstered furniture, bars you can hold on to for solo practice, ice water, air conditioning, and a full bar on premises.

History: JewelLab Sydney was founded by Vio as Rainbow Queer Tango Sydney in 2011 and was re-named The Jewel Lab in 2012. In 2013 we became a milonga and in 2016 we became a community-run practica. We had a really fabulous Party on 16 April 2013, we hosted Flavio Romanelli on 17 December 2013, we had an impromptu memorial service for Graeme Dallow on 21 January 2014, and we danced to Fernando Aragonés Live at JewelLove on 18 February 2014.

London

Jewel Lab London is launching in January 15, 2016, with the same manifesto at a cool location to be announced.