TANGO HOLIDAY IN THE ARDÈCHE, FRANCE
17 – 23 JULY 2011

After a wonderful and frankly life–enhancing tango vacation in summer 2010 we couldn't resist coming back to this lovely, restful place.

The place:
Les Costes nestles 600 m up in the mountains of Ardèche, surrounded by a forest of chestnut trees. A former hamlet dating back more than 350 years, originally it served as the town hall for the area around. Now the old buildings have been restored to picturesque houses with an outdoor swimming pool and a sauna to enjoy and a small campsite further up the hillside, overlooking the hamlet. It is a wonderful, unspoiled place, yet easily accessible from Lyon and Valence.

Our host Marjorie Schreuder has already lived here 10 years, and she treats her guests with delicious meals, exciting stories and tips for excursions. She has created a beautiful outdoor dancefloor, protected from the sun and rain by a canopy, but otherwise open giving stunning views out to the surrounding countryside. Work is starting this summer to convert the remains of the last unrestored house into a second, indoor dance space...

We look forward to welcoming you!

Your teachers: Michael Lavocah and Siobhan Richards
Our combined tango lives amount to more than 20 years of dancing, teaching and DJ-ing. Together we emphasise the foundations of the dance – body awareness, balance, presence, connection with your dance partner and musicality. We both firmly believe that the more you can relax and enjoy your dancing the better it gets. Michael knows tango music inside out and brings this depth of knowledge with humour, simplicity and clarity into his lessons.

We have taught together since 2009, and we teach regularly at Bramshaw, England, the Tango Mango in Devon, and the Taboe Tango Camp in the Netherlands, amongst other events. We're known for our gentle, humourous, patient approach and we love this type of concentrated teaching where we can help you to develop your dancing in a relaxing, supportive environment. Click here or here to see videos of us dancing a lesson demo together.

The week is designed for intermediate dancers who want to take their dancing to the next level. Talk to us if you have questions about your dance experience – we will do our best to accommodate you.

The details:
We schedule 16 hours tango lessons so you can really immerse yourself in your dancing
Prices include full board with all meals freshly prepared by Marjorie (vegetarian diets can be catered for)
Accommodation is in one of the renovated houses or in a caravan, or bring your tent and camp
Non dancers option possible (so for non–tango dancing partners or adult children who would like to join you on your holiday!)
Maximum 8 dance couples, so plenty of personal attention.

Schedule:
Arrival before dinner Sunday 17 July and departure after breakfast Saturday 23 July 2011
Introductory workshop on Sunday, thereafter three hours of lessons each day from Monday to Friday. We keep the afternoons free if you want to explore the area, and there are plenty of things to do from horse riding to cherry picking.
Nightly salons with the most lovely classic tangos, milongas and walzes

Private lessons are also possible on request.

Prices:
€ 420 – € 685 p.p. all–in incl. lessons, salons, accommodation, all meals, coffee and tea.
The price is dependent on the type of accommodation that you choose: camping, staying in a caravan (for 1 or 2 people), or sharing a house with others. If you choose to bring your own bedlinen you will get a € 10 reduction.

For complete information on booking and accommodation costs please make direct contact with Marjorie at Ferme les Costes. She speaks excellent English, French and Dutch.

For information about the course content please contact Siobhan

How to get there
From the UK
Fly to Lyon from Gatwick or Stanstead with Easy Jet and take the TGV from the airport (Lyon Saint Exupery) to Valence station (30 minutes). From here you can take a bus to either Le Cheylard or Lamastre, and you will be picked up. It is also possible to hire a car at Valence.

From NL
If flying, KLM have scheduled flights from Amsterdam to Lyon, from where you pick up the TGV to Valence. Or take the Thalys direct to Valence from Amsterdam, stopping in Rotterdam, Antwerp and Brussels (does not depart on Sundays).

It is also possible to fly with EasyJet from Schiphol to Geneva and take the train from there to Valence. Please note that there are fewer direct train connections using this route.

Further information:

Ferme Les Costes http://www.ferme-lescostes.eu
For more about Michael Lavocah see http://www.milonga.co.uk/

Travel links:

Rail Europe (travelling from the UK)
HiSpeed (travelling from NL)
KLM
Easyjet

Updated 25 August 2010