◊ FEATURED ARTIST OF THE MONTH ◊
DANCE PHILADELPHIA
Kelly Ray and Lesley Mitchell’s Argentine Tango journey began over 20 years ago with lessons from the cast of the show Tango Argentino, which was on its first world tour. Since there were no teachers and no tango community in Philadelphia at that time, they resolved to travel to learn tango, to teach it to others, and to build a tango community of their own.
Growing up in Southern California, Kelly Ray naturally became interested in Hispanic language and culture. His original training was in ballroom dance, but he felt that Salsa and Tango were more expressive and natural art forms.
Lesley Mitchell became interested in dance when she was seven years old and attended her first summertime dance in a park. Since then she has learned, performed, and taught international folk dance, Polish national dance, swing, vintage dance, and Argentine Tango. Lesley is also a visual artist who frequently employs tango imagery and lyrics in her paintings and artists books.
Kelly and Lesley share a joy of performing improvised dances like the tango and began to teach dance full time in the 1990s. They always place the dances they teach into the cultural context that produced them, providing glimpses into the history, music, and even cuisine of each culture.
If you would like to request a Raíces showcase performance featuring Dance Philadelphia, contact us at 215-425-1390 or info@raicesculturales.org.
