Özhan Araz & Serkan Gokcesu
The latest addition to the European Tango scene. “Latest”, with the emphasis on something completely new and appetizingly fresh. Özhan Araz and Serkan Gokcesu represent a unique mixture of traditional Argentine Tango meeting the modern urban environment with all its different faces. Their style of dance reaches from the fundamental basics as they are taught in their lessons, to the spectacular figures performed at their shows – figures that result from the strong combination of a man dancing with another man. This combination not only gives them a special position on the tango scene, but as they express it themselves:
| “Being an all male couple also gives us the freedom to dance with all the other master followers, and all the girls at the milongas, without making our partner jealous…!” |
Özhan and Serkan are friends since early childhood. Growing up in Turkey, they have been feed with dance and rhythm from birth. Their excellent ability to elaborate with musicality stem from, among other things, some unique Turkish traditional rhythms like the 9/8 beat. The fact that they as unique individuals also have a natural talent for dance is of course too obvious to even mentioning.
This talent made the dance develop into a more significant part of their life during High School, turning from just having fun into something deliberately creative. They started putting together choreographies as a disco/show dance duo. Later, when they both entered University, couples dances became their new passion. Özhan started with ballroom at his University, and Serkan found Argentine Tango at his. Even though sports and other interests were important to both of them – Serkan playing football and table tennis; and Özhan being a swimmer at national level, a musician, and into visual art and photography – now dance began to take a more important part in their lives.
At the end of 2002, they started working as assisting teachers at the Tango dance school Baila Tango in Istanbul. To improve their dancing and teaching skills, they started practicing more and more together. They were shifting roles to help understanding the different aspects of leader and follower, and to find a suitable approach in how to teach this to the students. Also, they discovered similarities in their body language, and when combined, this gave their creative expression a special strength. As a result, Özhan and Serkan came up with the idea of forming an all male tango couple. Obviously realising the opportunity of performing figures unique for this constellation.
At the 5th Annual Tango Tour Istanbul 2004, the new constellation performed officially for the first time. The year 2005 became their first year as professional teachers and performers, teaching all over Turkey – Bursa, Ankara, Izmir, Eskisehir, Antalya. Serkan went alone to Buenos Aires during summer time, Özhan unfortunately having to cancel due to suddenly getting ill.
2006 they were invited as Special Guests to Tangocamp. They had met with Pino and Natalie already the year 2003, at Baila Tango in Istanbul. The Tangocamp experience was their tango highlight so far. The winter 2006/2007 continues with performances and workshops in London, Moscow, Greece. A longer stay in Buenos Aires is also part of their tight schedule.
The teaching is of great importance to Özhan and Serkan. They are trying to teach different dancers, at every level and every age. To make this possible you need a very social and comfortable technique:
| “We try to adapt to the class. Where they are from, for example, Americans dance as for sports, Mediterranean have easier to dance closer, with more heat. These are generalisations, of course. The point is that most important is to have fun; they need to be entertained. Dance should be fun and relaxing.” |
Actually, their main inspiration comes from the students in the class, and secondly from their own improvisations when practising. Of course, other performances can be inspiring, but they try not to compare themselves with other masters, but rely on their own creative capacities:
| “We show all the possibilities of tango, not only Nuevo, not only Classic, we are trying to be expressive in every nuance of Argentine Tango. Sometimes mixing genres, sometimes trying to isolate certain features. In performance we try to find the suitable aesthetic for two men, using element that a female follower cannot. Because of her high heels for example. We always create new things without stopping; always ready to lead or to follow – this offers double creativity in the interpretation.” |
Apart from being teachers and performers, Özhan and Serkan have made choreographies for TV and cinema. The dance competition programme Let’s Dance being one example. Their constellation has also been renowned through interviews in several TV-programmes.
