Club Milonga first came together in 1992, opening its doors to eager enthusiasts on October 2 of that year. (That was a Friday. A couple of short location moves eventually led to our settling on Tuesday evenings.)
A few months after we were incorporated as a not-for-profit in 1995, the Club started publishing what was then a bimonthly printed newsletter for sharing plans for upcoming events as well as some interesting thoughts by the members and others in the still-nascent Tango community here in Toronto. Claudette, who had provided much of the drive to get the Club started and then served as our first President, included a piece in the first issue, giving her account of how Club Milonga came to be.
Here is that account:
(One point not mentioned in it came to light a few years ago, when Bob Waugh was at the Club: When Club Milonga first opened, it did not actually have a name yet. Rafael, whose friends knew as "Hugo", came up with the name "Club Milonga" a couple of months later.)
(from Club Milonga News, Vol. 01, 1995)
(Detail from Club Milonga's first logo, as it appeared in that newsletter. Original artwork © 1994 by Alistair Hall)
The luring sound of tango music set the mood for Club Milonga's beginnings during the summer of '92.
Hal Ender, one of the co-founders of Club Milonga, was quietly sipping yerba mate with Rafeal Castro and Claudette Lévesque. They thought, "If we can find two or three couples to share the cost of renting a room, we could dance tango every week." Dreams became a reality on October 2, 1992, when the doors to Club Milonga opened.
Our first meeting was at the Danforth Baptist Church. We moved to several locations and eventually returned to the church where we began and are today.
Tango teaching, at first, was one on one. Luis Luna dabbled with teaching but our gratitude goes to Bob Waugh and Cristina Rey who launched a teaching plan. Bob continued to demonstrate his passion for tango and is currently co-teaching with Patricia Donaldson.
The success of Club Milonga is due to the interest and hard work of many people... Most of the credit goes to the participants who meet every Tuesday night to learn, dance and talk tango with their new and old friends.
Let us continue to enjoy the spirit and romance of the Argentine tango.
Claudette & Rafael