Tango Leadaz: Traveling & Experiencing Choreographer
“It's what I put into the movement that makes people have a connection to it.”
Los Angeles based creative Tango Leadaz journeys along with the other members of the BdA 2020 Artist Fellowship cohort, exploring the theme “Mi Soon Come.” Tango is a movement instructor, choreographer, and actor who has made a name for himself as one of the leading choreographers of dancehall in LA. Tango shares a little more about himself.
Where are your people from?
My family is from the beautiful island of Jamaica.
Where did you find yourself?
I found myself in dance. Through dance I'm able to truly be free. To explore my inner thoughts, emotions, feelings and express them to a rhythm.
If solely up to you, where would you be and why?
If up to me I wouldn’t just be in one place. I would be all over. My goal is to get to a point where I have homes in many different parts of the world. Traveling and experiencing different places has been very fulfilling for me. I would like to be a global citizen just living anywhere at any given time.
What memory taught you about how you move or the expectations of your movement?
Memories that taught me about how I move would have to be the memories I have of dancing in all caribbean parties. The nights would always end with random people I do not know commenting to me about how my dancing made them feel. The insights from those moments made me realize that the way I move is unique. It's what I put into the movement that makes people have a connection to it.
Who or what inspires your art/creativity?
Life inspires my art/creativity. I get inspiration from so many things. From how good the weather feels outside to an image I seen on TV. Me eating some good food can inspire me to create some awesome choreography just because I'm in a good mood and feel like dancing. Art is life and vise versa.
What hopes/expectations/desires do you have for the impact your work has on audiences/participants/viewers/consumers?
The hope that I have for the impact is that I really just want participants to view it and feel good afterwards. I want them to feel all the vibez and energy that was put into the art. I want them to feel like they were involved.
Tell us about your favorite/preferred mode of transporting yourself around.
My preferred mode of transporting myself around is a car. I was never a public transportation person. The place where I grew up was one that benefited those who had their own vehicle to travel back and forth with. I enjoy being able to come and go as I please so having my own car is without a doubt important for me.
What is one idea/design/innovation that you would implement that would change our experiences of moving about?
One idea that I would implement that would change the experience of moving is teleportation. Being able to instantly travel to a different location would be amazing. No more waiting to get the one can just get there and get to what they want to do there. Save gas, fuel, less pollutants, and less time.
Your dancehall a little rusty? Check out some lessons on Tango’s social media. Then buy your tickets and see what he’s created for BdA.
Tango Leadaz is one of the core artists of Bakanal de Afrique, the premier global festival of Pan-African Urban culture, community and creatives; see their new work premiering Nov 6- Nov 30, 2020, exclusively on www.BakanalDeAfrique.com.