Tangolates is an innovative fusion of the Pilates methods with fun and dynamic Tango choreographies. The cardio element found in Tangolates is what differences it from Pilates.

With Tangolates you will learn to control your whole body using a combination of accessories like de T-DiTella, reformers, box, etc, while working in couples. Also, you can acquire flexibility, great balance, good posture, and improve coordination. And of course, you lose weight in an efficient way.

Tangolates is a creation of Tamara Di Tella in 2004, who found her inspiration in Parkinson patients. She noticed that people with neurological disorders do not lose the capacity to move, but how they imagine the movement. She watched an instructor working with patients using reformers, machines used in Pilates. On her own, she added rhythms like Tango, which improved the mood of the patients, and Tangolates was born!

Now Panama dancers have the opportunity to try Tangolates. The studio Tamara Di Tella is located in Costa del Este, and they are open Monday through Saturday. Take a step forward into a better you!

There is a new dance fever hitting the streets of Panama and it is called Passa Passa also known as dance hall. Passa passa is an addictive energetic dance which worked its way to the streets of Colon and various places in the city of Panama. There are even people dancing to this popular Caribbean rhythm in the outskirts of Panama where the smaller towns are located.

Dance hall originally came from Jamaica and started in the late 70s. This dance and music initially came from reggae and like reggae; dance hall brings many different people across the globe together. Although dance hall or passa passa dancing came from Jamaica, it has moved on to different countries like Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and now Panama. Passa passa involves a lot of movement and difficult steps, but it can be learned with practice. Once you got the passa passa riddim you can pretty much learn to dance all the steps. There are very popular parties such as dutty fridaze where many people go to dance passa passa. Usually men like women go to these parties to compete with their rivals. There are many popular dance hall steps like hot wuk, tek weh yuself, willie bounce, dutty wine, and wacky dip that they dance when competing. These dance hall moves are a more decent way of dancing passa passa.
Others dance passa passa in a more sexual way. This usually involves the man and the woman dancing erotically. Not everyone likes this type of dance so a lot of people in the Caribbean and Panama prefer to dance Passa passa in the more decent version. The general attire worn by women dancers for this kind of dancing is more revealing and sometimes even R rated. Others go dressed normally but this doesn’t stop them from busting a move on the dance floor.

Everyday more and more dance steps are being created for dancehall. Some very popular dancers of passa passa are Ding Dong and his crew. They dance passa passa steps like the badman pull up, wacky dip and many more. Ding Dong also makes popular dance hall music which Panama enjoys listening to. You get different themes and tones from this kind of dance and music. A lot of passa passa rhythms’ are influenced by religion, sex, violence, social issues, and issues like women’s rights.

Panama dancers are catching up with the rest of the Caribbean pretty fast. Soon all of Panama will be dancing the difficult but fun steps to passa passa. Next time you go out, look for your nearest dance hall parties and learn the steps to the most popular dance in the Caribbean. In passa passa for every song there is a dance.

Chitre is one of the most important regions in Panama. A very famous place and well known because of the Spanish heritage and it´s  that popular dances from the Province of Herrera came from the Spanish flamenco in the colonial age, as well as Los Santos, Cocle, Veraguas, Chiriquí and Colon. This colonization brought an endless variety of foods, celebrations, music and ceremonies. Panamanians captured this cultural baggage and adapted all of them and made their own.

Even though we have lots of dances in our country, there is a special magic from a Panamanian dance called Dirty Devils (Diablicos Sucios) that comes from this province and that has a greater importance for all Panama girls that usually practice this discipline.

Panama dancers try to adapt this dance as a special interpretation from the old Spanish priests that remarkably split the two orientations:  “Dirty Devils” and “Clean Devils”.

CLEAN DEVILS

This is the most traditional dance of the festival of Corpus Christi. It is constituted by diverse hierarchies and the devil is the main character. The Devil emphasizes his rank by wearing the most luxurious clothes. Then the Angel comes (in the old plays was Saint Michael, but is no longer like that) dressed as a little boy with a veil that covers the face to him.

Then the Devil Captain appears and has some participation in the central dialogue. Other important character is the Diabla (Lady Devil), the only hilarious character at this dance. There are some other feminine dancers within this dance such as Virgin Mary and some minor devils.

The idea of this dance is to represent the fight between the good and the evil within a soul. The Angel defends Virgin Mary from the Devil´s offenses. And tired of this situation he proposed to the Devil build a gallows/hangman to destroy the soul. But of course that was not the original ideal of the angel, but to build a cross to save it, and that´s how the Devil was cheated by the angel in a “clean fight”.

DIRTY DEVILS

The main difference between this dance and the “clean” one is mainly in the clothes. The Dirty Devils dance uses dark colors and generally dance by pairs and in groups up to 12 dancers. During these executions the Diablico (Dirty Devil) must dance to the rhythm of the guitar, clapping the castanets that take in the hands.

The masks are done of paper, covered and painted by local artists.

Both dances celebrate the good and evil fight between the human souls.

CULTURAL EXPRESSION

Diablitos Sucios (Dirty Devils) dance is a cultural expression of a Panamanian dance that without any doubt girls in Panama like to participate due to the lack of sexual content.

Most Girls in Panama City usually go to a Dancing School in Panama to learn this specific dance and also La  Mejorana, Panamanian Cumbia, Panama Indian dances, Cumbia from Chorrera and some other beautiful dances from the Azuero region.

Once these dances are learned, it is common to see men and women in Panama performing these exotic movements in celebrations like Carnival, Corpus Christi, Holy Week and many others.

Definitively is a remarkable experience to enjoy these dance live, one in a lifetime experience!