The city of Portland is well known for encouraging open-minds with humor and wit. We wanted this calendar to be a reflection of that unique Portland mindset that, in turn, makes the tango community so cool and interesting.

Born over drinks, as so many good ideas seem to be, this project began with a flip remark: “Hey, wouldn’t it be fun to do a tango calendar with local dancers dancing tango at work?” That simple idea grew quickly, with photographer/tanguero Claude Laviano enthusiastically joining the creative team the next day.

All that was left was the talent. In the Portland tango community we have artists, scientific researchers, writers, business managers, models and Buddhists. We have no less than three sex therapists. We have countless physical therapists, massage therapists, psychologists, and engineers. Part of the fun for me has been talking to so many people about what they do outside of tango.

This process, from idea to finished product, has been much larger than I originally anticipated. It’s been inspiring, an opportunity to get to know some of the multifaceted and amazing people I see on a regular basis but barely know, and it’s been a huge learning curve, with all of the frustrations and light bulb moments that that entails.

This calendar was created with one idea in mind: To showcase the diversity of the incredible Portland Tango Community.
I think we succeeded, and in the end I believe we accomplished so much more. Thank you to everyone who participated in the creation of Portland’s first Tango Calendar. I’m proud to have been a part of it!

- Carrie Whipple