Life is now~
Shall we dance?
Our bodies are the most direct path to self-awareness.
Home of our most primary memories.
Our bodies express what goes through us even if we try to hide it (to say here “non-verbal communication” would be just the tip of the iceberg).
It’s the place of the unconscious. And maybe the only that remains in the “here and now”.
While the mind travels to the past or the future, the body is our bridge to experience the present.
What would your life be like if you listened to your body?
If that listening allows you to understand what you need and how to provide it.
To connect with yourself and others on a true and deeper level.
If you integrate body, mind, soul and emotions. In dancing and in everyday life.
Want to find out?
Get my Newsletter. Spam free and respectful of your privacy.
Sharing and embracing is healthy. Laugh too.
What my students say
(swipe to read more)
Tango Argentino
Tango is about encounter within an embrace. It’s where its magic and power of making people feel good reside.
What does it take to enjoy this magic?
A combination of skills, confidence, trust and open listening go hand by hand in tango dancing.
My work focuses on helping you build a deeper connection with yourself through body-mind awareness, with your dancing partner(s) and with the music. Finding and supporting your own strengths to advance in the journey. Keeping it easy and playful even if you never danced before.
You can learn with me in group lessons and privates. Also online.
Most times, the difficulties that appear in learning a dance, being more expressive or just moving efficiently for daily tasks, have little to do with the dance/movement technique itself and more with the ways we inhabit our bodies.
The practice of yoga and other body-mind integration techniques are of great help to address these topics and to improve physical, mental and emotional health.
Physical demand is not the goal in my approach to movement. I help you to get familiar with your own ways of moving and inhabiting your body. To discover what’s underneath and explore different patterns to enrich your possibilities of movement and expressive skills.
Body awareness is helpful to know yourself better and identify what you need and how to provide it. And this gem is the base for self-care practices, healthy boundaries and more harmonic ways to connect with yourself and others, in dance and daily life.
In my own journey, the path of embodiment and movement analysis was more clarifying for my dancing than many tango technique classes I attended before; more supportive for my self-awareness and rediscovery process than traditional counseling; and definitely powerful to improve the way I relate to myself and others and how I act in the world.
The other source that nurtured my journey was traveling. I combined this life passion of mine with my interest in the connections between body, mind, emotions, identity and culture. First on my own experience and later designing and coordinating transformational retreats and cultural immersion experiences to help others find their own path, using the potential of traveling (literal and metaphorically) for self- and cultural awareness, personal development, wellness and relational intelligence in their everyday life.
Hi! I’m Jessica
I’m a certified instructor of tango argentino, yoga, therapeutic yoga and Kundalini Laia yoga, Dance/Movement Therapy practitioner and social scientist.
My personal experience with tango and my research on sociology of the body and anthropology of the senses led me to dive into the connections between body, mind, emotions, identity and culture –as what we do with our bodies has great power on how we perceive ourselves and relate to others.
That way I got involved with somatic education and the therapeutic uses of movement, arts and dance. And later combined them with my passion for travels by designing and coordinating transformational travels and cultural immersion experiences in Argentina through tango dancing.
My present work focuses on wellness through conscious movement, using the potential of body awareness and dancing to help people gain self-awareness and skills for personal development and relational intelligence for everyday life.
Agenda
You're welcome to join the group classes or to choose the time of your convenience for private lessons.
Our friendly tango prácticas and milongas also await you.
Learning tango or yoga with me from the comfort of your home is possible online too, worldwide.
You can join the classes with or without a dance partner and learn the role(s) of your choice.
Group lessons are on a weekly basis in English and Spanish. Progressively learning Deutsch but still far from fluent. When needed we’ll get translation for you, and you’re welcome to ask your questions in German if you understand English/Spanish but don’t feel comfortable speaking it.
Full program of my tango classes and regular events here.
The new trimester starts on Oct 1. Registration is open!
TANGO GROUP LESSONS
⭕ Beginners course (Sunday 17:00) Join with or without a dance partner if you’re starting your path in tango. The new trimester starts on Oct 1. Details and registration here.
⭕ Improvers course (Sunday 18:15) Open level classes for beginners with previous experience, intermediate and everyone interested in improving their technique or learning both roles. We work in depth on the mechanics of movement, body awareness, communication, social dimension of the dance and the core elements of tango argentino to improve your skills. All details here.
Started to learn already and not sure which course is for you? Here is some advice.
PRIVATE AND SEMI-PRIVATE LESSONS are confirmed case by case. Send me your desired times to check availability.
Subscribe to the Newsletter to stay updated about future courses and events.
EVENTS & TANGO GATHERINGS
⭕ Open Práctica Join us in the most welcoming tango party! It’s a safe space to practice and socialize with other tango enthusiasts. You’re welcome regardless of what previous experience you have (even to learn your first moves from other attendants). It’s a space for co-learning and improving together. New location! All details here.
⭕ Milonga Itinerante Milonga is the name of the social gatherings to dance tango argentino. Their main difference with prácticas is the existence of specific codes that rule the milonga format. Previous knowledge is needed to smoothly join the dance floor. Nevertheless, tango argentino is a very captivating dance that can be entertaining to watch for non dancers too. And if you’re a new dancer no worries about the milonga codes, ask me and I’ll guide you.
Itinerante means our milonga takes place at various locations. Current program here.
SPECIAL GUESTS ❤ SAVE THE DATE!
✨ Oct 4. 19:00 Our dear Milonga Itinerante is back in Amerlinghaus and with Nico Típico playing live! Details and tickets here.
✨ Oct 5. 19:00 to 21:00 Nico will also share with us his secrets to dance milonga in a not-so-typical way and tips for dancing it in close embrace. Mark your calendars and join us in this special Milonga Workshop at Kenyongasse 15 (Seminarraum, upstairs). All details here.
✨ Dec 1-3. New guest teachers share their knowledge with us! Save the dates for a wonderful tango weekend and get ready to learn from Alejandro Berón and Kelly Lettieri.
Join the newsletter to be the first to know all details of these and future events!
[Info en español aquí]
If you’re looking for benefits on physical and mental health with methods suitable for all body conditions and levels of experience (including zero), you’ve come to the right place.
Find the joy of releasing tensions, developing body awareness and stillness of mind.
The perfect complement for your tango path as you gain ease, precision and efficiency in your movements, plus clarity of mind and emotional intelligence that facilitates learning and interacting with others.
I choose and adapt each session’s contents to respect each participant abilities, physical condition and learning needs.
Though it doesn’t consist on spending the class wrapped in a blanket (you can expect some sessions to be more dynamic than others), the goal is far from feats of strength or extreme flexibility in a high-intensity yoga workout.
We will focus on slow, mindful movements and conscious breathing to favor states of full presence, relaxation and meditation.
You don’t need previous experience to join a session. Just openness to give yourself time and attention.
Please register to guarantee a place for you. The studio has its capacity and I like to give personalised attention, which is only possible under a limited number of participants.
If you’ll join online sign up ahead so we have enough time to verify your payment and send you the access info.
There’s room to change clothes in the studio, and yoga mats at your disposal (you can bring yours too).
SCHEDULES
*Previous registration is required.
IN ENGLISH Thursday 18:00 (except Sept 14)
You can join in person or online. Previous registration is required. Register here or send me a message.
Contact me for private lessons (in-person and online).
New schedules on demand are possible with a minimum of 4 participants. Get your friends together and ask me for your desired schedules.
EN ESPAÑOL
*Inscripción previa requerida.
Presencial u Online (hora de Europa Central, Viena)
Lunes/Miércoles 8:00 (a partir de Octubre)
Jueves 19:00 (excepto 14/09)
Info e inscripciones aquí.
Contáctame para solicitar clases particulares (presencial y online).
Nuevos horarios a pedido con un mínimo de 4 participantes. Junta a tus amistades y consúltame el horario que prefieran.
How can I help you?
Fill in your details to receive the agenda by email or to book a lesson.
Have another question? Tell me about it and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Tango Argentino
&
Body-Mind integration
by Jessica Gerdel
contact@jessicagerdel.com
+43 681 10323630
(La web en español está en proceso de actualización. Mis disculpas)
"The class with Jessica went by waaaay too quickly because we had so much fun, and got to work on our dancing a lot. During the class she gave us the tools to go out and social dance at a milonga, which we did the same night! She focused on the connection in the dance couple, and explained how the social dancing works. She made us feel free to experiment and improvise, which is within the spirit of the dance itself. She was great at explaining, and had good answers to all our questions. This is perfect for anyone who wants to learn and gain the confidence to go out social dancing!"
Caroline Oslo, Norway