Tango Tea

I am not a fashionista.

I know my family and friends have rolled their eyes more than a few times at how I’ve been dressed over the years, but I’ve always kind of danced to my own tune.

Having said that I love clothes, love shoes, and love accessories.  When special exhibits come to town, I’m usually there – the Princess Diana wardrobe, Princess Grace of Monaco exhibit, Christian Dior, even James Bond memorabilia.

Whaaat?! You were expecting something else?

So one day when I was on my way to see blogger Deb from The Widow Badass, I was surprised to see a highway sign for the Fashion History Museum.

Did Deb know about this?

I should mention that Deb owns a heritage building – a former Post Office.  The main floor is a retail rental space and although I’d been there on a couple of occasions, I’d never really noticed the actual tenant.

You guessed it.  Her tenant is the Fashion History Museum.

Well, colour me Stupid.

After Deb and I had a good giggle over my less-than-acute observation skills, she mentioned that the museum was holding a special event called Tango Tea.  It was featuring the time period 1910 to 1919 with costumes, games, dancing … and tea.

Of course I was interested in attending!!

The big venues with their high profile exhibits and large advertising budgets get all the public’s attention, but these small venues and the special events they host are usually a little bit different and a lot more intimate.

… and that was the case with Tango Tea.

It was a lively gathering.  Although the only person I knew was Deb, that certainly did not dampen the cameraderie of the event.

The Price Is Right and Name that Tune type games were played involving products and music from the time period.  Guess what? Deb discovered I was a dismal handicap when it comes to trivia games!  Have you ever heard of a song called I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles from 1919?  Well, me neither!

When I found a more “updated” version of the song, I couldn’t resist including it here – even though it “varies somewhat” from the original ….

However, co-founders of the museum – Jonathan Walford and Kenn Norman – were just warming up the crowd for the fun that was to follow.  Dancing historians, Richard Powers & Kimber Rudo, were on the agenda to demonstrate dances from the time period and involve the audience in the dance steps.

I don’t remember if this was the Turkey Trot or the Grizzly or a combination of the two, however it was fun.

This was an afternoon that was informative, entertaining, and interactive … all the right ingredients for a memorable event.

If you have a small museum in your area that you haven’t visited, I encourage you to do so.  Even better, be a sponsor, be a volunteer, get involved.

You might have more fun than you think.