Dear Friends and Students,

As you know in the past decade, local tango groups had not been supporting each other because they were busy defending their market. However, this situation has gotten worse to the point that I might not be able to continue my contributions.

Although the groups of tango communities had not supported each other, they had respected other organizations by not robbing their instructors / events. However, an organization started headhunted the instructor whom I have been promoting the past decade. Tango business is not so profitable that everyone needs to maintain the second job. I consider this to be my gift to the local like-minded people rather than my occupation. It is sad to see this type of misuse in future.

The cost to run a workshop / milonga have been more than double in past decade. Due to the rising cost in real estate market, the hall rental fees have been double. Due to high fuel and security fees, airfare has been double. Due to rising popularity in Argentine Tango, thanks to the TV Reality Shows, instructor’s pay expectations are significantly higher. (I have been paying over $6,000 “take-home” to Angel Coria for his 10 day stay but never enough for him. Not many of us are getting this magnitude of pay in Calgary!)

Due to excess number of workshops, there are less students in each workshop in recently years. Some deficits have been subsided by the organizer and the rest has been imposed to the students’ fees. It is hard to find a workshop for $18/class any more. Because less people are attending to each event, they have no Energy and they are quite boring and disappointing. This has been hurting the expansion of local community.

Knowing I would lose my work and that the workshop would hurt Gala’s finance, I needed to cancel my Tango Gala in 2012. Promoting new events / instructors takes hundreds of my hours and dollars. For instance, I am still recovering the loss from Angel Coria’s first year visit. Although he now has been well promoted, hehas been headhunted by others. I will not recover the loss any more.

I cannot create a Contract that prevents the instructor from shopping around. Even if I try, I cannot sue the non-resident in case of violation. I have been trusting and depending on the other organizers’ ethics until now. If my events and instructors were kept being robbed, I would not continue contributing to Calgary any more.

I work hard to keep your financial burden low, but I need your contributions to achieve this. If Calgary establishes the unwritten agreement that it is OK to take other’s work, I must stop my contributions to Calgary.

I now need you to say NO to local headhunting war by not financially contributing Angel Coria’s workshop. The organizer will eventually understand and start cooperating to the other organizers so that we can create a large happy tango community in Calgary.

Thank you for your support,

Leo Sato