About Norma

Norma Gómez Tomasi was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and her inclination toward dance manifested at a very young age. She chose to specialize in Argentine folklore and tango to develop her passion.

 

Norma graduated from the National School of Dance and, almost simultaneously, obtained her degree in Political Economy from the National University of Buenos Aires.

She studied and researched the origins of Argentine dances, as well as the influence that European dances—particularly Spanish dances—have had on Argentine folklore.

 

She studied percussion with maestro Antonio Yepes, Contemporary Dance (Graham technique) with Ana Kamien, and Body Expression with Patricia Stokoe.

 

In her youth, she founded and presided over the association “Gente Folk”, which published a monthly magazine on folklore studies, a complete collection of which is housed at UNESCO.

 

This association also developed teaching programs on dance and folklore science; promoted field research; and maintained a dance troupe (in which Norma participated) that recreated Argentine customs, myths, and legends.

 

At the same time, Norma had been performing as a dancer in various theaters in the city and province of Buenos Aires and was a member of the Juan Carlos Copes Tango Company.

 

As an educator, Norma taught Political Economy in secondary schools; served as an adjunct in the Folklore Studies department at the University of Morón; and organized and taught Native Dances and Argentine Tango at various cultural centers (Fortunato Lacamera, Julián Centeya, Alfonsina Storni, Lino Spilimbergo, Baldomero Fernández Moreno, Juan Carlos Castagnino) under the Cultural Program in the Neighborhoods initiative run by the Buenos Aires city government, where she was a participant from the time it was founded in 1984 until 1991.

 

She aught at the Nelly Moretón School of Dance in the city of La Plata, Buenos Aires province, and to foreign diplomats, including ambassadors and attachés from the embassies of Chile, Spain, France, Italy, Mexico, and Peru accredited in Argentina.

 

Norma taught Candombe at the General San Martín Cultural Center in Buenos Aires.

She was invited to lead a cultural integration project in Villa Gesell (Buenos Aires province), where she taught tango and gave lectures on the subject.

Norma regularly travels to the U.S., Europe, and Latin America to give classes and lectures on Argentine tango.

 

Norma has been cultivating the unique teaching methodology with her partner Ernesto Carmona since 1980. Together, with their own unique method for teaching tango which is registered with the Intellectual Property Registry, they founded their comprehensive school of Argentine dance, “Bohemia, Rincon de Arte” in 1991 in the beautiful city of Buenos Aires, just a few blocks from the National Congress.There, they train professional dancers and tango teachers, and they also teach those who simply want to go to the milongas to share a feeling.

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They regularly welcome foreign students who feel warmly embraced by teachers and classmates. These students can refine their dancing and, if needed, communicate in English, French, or Italian.

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The school offers special courses in milonga, vals, folklore, candombe, rhythm, singing, percussion, zapateo, etc.

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They also implement LABORATORIES in which students research, explore, and discover new forms of expression and develop their creativity, which they can later present in performances. These laboratories are an exclusive creation of Ernesto and Norma, are part of their registered teaching method, and are not found in any other tango class or course not taught by them.

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It is important to highlight that these projects allow amateurs or regular students to engage with stage work and prepare theatrical showcases.

The school includes a MEMORY LIBRARY (Memoteca) where students can study, read, listen to music, or watch videos related to the topics they’re developing in their classes. It also offers a space for students to showcase their other artistic interests in small photography or painting exhibits, etc.

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Norma and Ernesto regularly teach classes abroad. They prepare choreographies for professional dancers, theater companies, film directors, etc., both in Argentina and internationally.The school has been compared to the Bauhaus School and to the principles of Lacanian Theory for its comprehensive treatment of dance.

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Their students are sought after by orchestra conductors, theater and film directors such as Osvaldo Requena, Alan Parker, Saura, and others.

They are the creators of the Tango Dance Contest held in 1987, 1988, and 1989 in San Telmo by the Municipality of Buenos Aires.

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They have participated in numerous tango films, both documentaries and feature films, by Argentine and foreign directors, among whom Mauricio Berú is worth mentioning.

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Collectors of music with more than 3,000 CDs in their possession, they are dedicated to promoting new tango composers and performers in Argentina and abroad, as well as old recordings from the early 20th century. This has enabled many DJs to musicalize milongas in new ways, and has helped many men and women enjoy and understand that Piazzolla can be danced to without acrobatics. It has also helped several Argentine performers become known in Europe, such as Miguel De Caro, Alberto Callas, Horacio Molina, Coco Díaz, and others.