Employees get a break at tango and swing presentations

Jeff Stormberg, Pamela Beranek, Brant and Katy Robinson and Jason and Meredith Efken teach audience members common moves of the tango.

Katy Robinson stands nearby as Meredith Efken shows audience member Mitch Laursen traditional tango steps.

MMI programmer/analysis Hugh Kam kicks his feet to the beat of the music with swing dancer Becky Sobetski.

For more than 65 UNMC employees, the passionate tango and intricate swing dance are now just a few simple steps and twists of the body.

This is so thanks to the dance lessons they received at UNMC Human Relations and the Employee Diversity Network (EDN) event on June 4.

Dancers Brant and Katy Robinson began the presentation with a history of the birth of tango and four of the most popular styles of tango. Two other couples joined the Robinsons in brisk tango demonstrations.

In tango, each nonverbal move looks as though it comes from the inner depths of a dancer’s soul, whether it’s sadness, anger or love. While a dancer’s chests and arms usually hold the same position through the dance, their legs and feet are their own choreographers, creating movements on the spot.

With more than one year of experience, Jeff Stormberg and dancing partner Pamela Beranek, amazed the UNMC audience with emotional dancing. Jason and Meredith Efken have participated in general dance for 15 years and plan to teach in the future.

The four tango styles demonstrated on June 4 included:

• Milonga;
  
• Traditional tango;
  
• Tango vals; and
  
• Tango nuevo.

After each explanation about the different types of tango, the three dance couples would demonstrate each dance.

Juneteenth celebration today Take a break today and come enjoy the final event in this year’s Diversity Lectures and Cultural Arts Series as Omaha civil leader and new city councilman, Ben Gray, discusses the historical importance of the Juneteenth celebration. Gray’s talk will be at noon in the Eppley Science Hall Amphitheater. Free bag lunches will be provided to the first 40 attendees. The Diversity Lectures and Cultural Arts Series is a year-long event designed to provide UNMC employees with educational events and performances related to diversity of thought, culture and celebration. The series is sponsored by UNMC Human Resources and the Employee Diversity Network.

Before the theme changed to swing, the six tango dancers opened the floor for free dance lessons.

The swing dancers picked up the pace as they stepped on the dance floor and performed swift twists with quick feet and bright smiles.

Dan Wondra, a local Jitterbug dancer, jiggled his feet and clapped his hands to the beat of the light jazz, with dancer Abbey Hielscher. Other dancers included Munroe-Meyer Institute programmer/analyst Hugh Kam, Rob Meyer and Sarah Porter.