49| The Responsibility of a Star Just as our famous jet set celebrities have the responsibility towards their public; we, at Tamara Di Tella Pilates & Tangolates have in our hands this new and revolutionary method that is taking the Pilates world by storm. Tangolates® is the new venue people were looking for it adds the cardio element to an extraordinary set of concentrated, balanced and core-controlled and movements.
47| Our International Celebs Sting; Julio Bocca and Bryan Adams
The internationally renowned singer and author Sting took Tangolates classes in Buenos Aires. He loved it. Conscious of the aerobic element and, of course, of the music, Sting would say: “it adds to traditional Pilates the irresistible attraction of Tango”.
A few months later, Bryan Adams joined the Tangolates family, this time in Paraguay. It was late when the airplane landed at Asuncion International airport. That very same night, around 8pm, Bryan Adams was entering the Tamara Di Tella Studio of Asuncion, Paraguay, for his class.
46| From the Hospital to the Celebs How did we evolve from the hospital to Hollywood? At first, my focus was solely on the use of music and partner exercises. Fist, I did this simply to aid neurological patients to initiate movement. Pretty soon, I realized that I had created something more interesting that went beyond and transcended the frontiers of rehabilitation. Finally, when Sting came to Buenos Aires and I had the opportunity to work with him I realized that I had created a new method that healthy people also enjoyed. Yes, it was a pilates-evolved, state of the art, contemporary and fresh way to work with healthy clients who want, need and deserve the best body they can get.
45| Pilates and Tangolates Contrast In contrast to traditional Pilates, Tangolates adds more flowing movement and is more aerobic. Like traditional Pilates, Tangolates® does not isolate each muscle in training but rather works the entire body as a whole.
44| The Beginning I created the Tamara Di Tella in 2004 to aid in rehabilitation of neurological patients. My main objective then was to design an efficient method of exercises to improve posture, give flexibility, build muscle, aid coordination and help Parkinson patients with a problem the have: they lose balance.
43| From Patients to Celebrities
Tangolates as we know it today, the same one that Tango Pilates celebrities of international prestige perform, took a long time of work and dedication. It did not start with the celebrities. In fact, before the celebrities found it and asked for it, we had worked very hard improving and consolidating it as a valid method. The truth is: famous devotees of Tangolates like Sting, Bryan Adams, Julio Bocca and others just saw the finished product; that is they enjoyed the excellent exercises choreographed to Tango music. The merit, however, remains that of the patients who started everything and who made it all possible.
42| Trial and Error Of course, all this took a lot of time and practice. Trial and error was our best teacher. I am grateful to my Pilates instructors and to the medical staff at the hospital. They were all very helpful. Above all, however, I am grateful to the patients of the Parkinson Program. Without them, none of this would have been possible.
41| Our Origins: The Hospital It all started when my company donated a Rehabilitation Room to a national hospital. We started working with patients with severe disorders of the motor system. With the assistance of exercise physiologists and medical doctors, many of them neurologists, I began to design routines and workouts to help patients initiate movement. I must admit that the use of the music in exercising with patients always intrigued me. Above everything else, I was determined to make the patients at the rehab room more comfortable with their bodies despite the disease. So I designed a system of exercises by which the patients could work in couples --one patient, one instructor-- in the form of a mirror. Partner exercises, together with the music, evolved into what is now Tangolates®, a Pilates based choreographed routines and exercises that helped patients move more comfortably.
