Sari Lievonen (MFA, MA, Pedagogic Diploma) is a versatile performer/choreographer/dance teacher and visual artist who has worked as a dance professional in theatre and contemporary dance for over 20 years. Her interdisciplinary interests and collaborations with other artists lead her from early on to also explore the field of the visual arts. Currently Sari practices as both a visual artist and dance artist. She is presently Artist in Residence at the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Glasgow funded by the Leverhulme Trust.
Sari was first drawn to Argentine Tango while studying dance in Paris in the late 1980’s. She saw the all important production of Tango Argentino, a tango spectacle created by Claudio Segovia and Hector Orezzoli that launched the success of tango in Europe again now over 20 years ago. She immediately started to take classes and attended the Parisian milongas & practicas of the time. When returning home she collaborated extensively during the 1990’s with Camus Nova, the first Finnish ensemble to play Astor Piazzolla’s music in Finland. At this time no Argentine Tango social scene existed in Finland since the country has a huge and lively tradition of its own tango, The Finnish Tango. Sari has been part of the Glasgow tango scene since 2002. She has been the Creative Director for the Glasgow Tango Festival in 2006, 2007 and 2008. With her dance partner Jeff, Sari has been giving group and private classes organising workshops the Glasgow Practica and running the CCA milonga since 2007.
With her teaching, in addition to her skills in tango and its different styles, Sari uses her extensive knowledge of dance in general and movement analysis to enhance the understanding and learning of tango as a very special movement language between the two dancers.
Sari Lievonen is a Visual Artist, contemporary dancer & choreographer, Tango dancer & maestro below is a sampling from Sari's visual and fine art projects.
| Sacrificial Contours | Blairbeich Plantation Art Project | ArtDoxa |
Jeff Allan has been dancing Tango for over ten years
He is primarily interested in the social tango dance of the milonga, both the Salon style as exemplified by the Villa Urquiza & the Close Embrace 'Milonguero' style.
He has partnered Sari in teaching classes and in performances for the past seven years.
Sari & Jeff have been featured in the Edinburgh Hogmany “The Dancin” Show, the Glasgow Subway Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. They have also participated in the Glasgow International (GI) with their interactive tango performance project.
Jeff has been at the core in developing the Glasgow tango scene.
He is the co-founder of Glasgow’s first weekly milonga. He tarted the weekly Practica in 2005 still the city's most popular regular tango event.
Unlike many teachers who come from a stage performance background Jeff is one of a growing number of Tango teachers interested in the authentic social tango tradition.
In 2006 he put forward the idea of organizing a Tango Festival for Glasgow and has been a core member of Tango in the City making this festival a reality. Since 2006 Jeff and Sari have organized regular workshops and Classes with international visiting tango teachers from Holland, Germany and Argentina.
They continue teaching classes in Glasgow running the practica and social dances at the CCA and elsewhere as the Glasgow Tango Studio.
Glasgow Subway Festival Performance 2009