| Testimonials
"Sonja
Riket is an unusually accomplished, versatile, and gifted teacher, performer,
expert and movement therapist. I have seen her teach, blend and weave
together very skillfully concepts from her training, education, life
experiences and personal passion. Her Tango classes are unusual and
refreshing. They provide a student like me a space to explore movement
in its soulful essence and the art form of an intricate graceful dance.
The reflection of living life in the practice of tango dancing (sourced
in the restorative medium of somatic movement) as taught by Sonja is
unprecedented."
"Sonja's
different approach to Tango, unlike any other teachers, summons the
spirit of mind and body into one. Her warm personality and integrity
in her art, as well as her diverse movement therapy abilities, make
her one of the best teachers available.
The Intimate Embrace Tango experience is one that has enriched my life in more ways than I can count. Sonja's weaving of the dance with one's emotional state has brought me to a new awareness of how movement can touch and heal the body, heart and soul. Sonja's contributions has allowed me and many of my friends who have attended the workshops to know a different way to express and live."
"Sonja's
teaching is sensitive, right to the heart. Her different approach to
Tango, unlike any other teachers, summons the spirit of mind and body
into one. Her warm personality and integrity in her art, as well as
her diverse abilities, make her one of the best teachers available."
"I took
Sonja Riket's Introductory through Intermediate Somatic Tango series
and have to give her rave reviews. Sonja is a hidden talent in the Bay
Area and more people should know about her. In addition to a passionate
understanding of Tango, she is certified in two somatic disciplines,
Feldenkrais® and BodyMind Centering®, and has danced professionally with
the Jose Limon Dance Company and Lar Lubovitch Dance Company.
Dancing Tango has enriched and extended my own skills as an Alexander Technique Teacher. Putting hands on a student and encouraging them to move with ease and poise is similar to dancing in tandem with a partner. They both require that you suspend all expectations and habitual movement/mind patterns, that you move with relaxation and spinal elongation, and that you cultivate the ability to extend awareness to include your own body, your partners body, your mutual breath and the space around you into the music. I highly recommend Sonja's Tango series for other somatic practitioners."
"I took
the Intimate Embrace Tango workshop because I was interested in a safe
environment for learning tango as a beginner. Sonja introduced the Tango
in a way that was non-threatening and employed a pace that benefited
the entire class. Moreover, what I received was well beyond learning
dance. Sonja's knowledge of somatics and deep understanding of what
it means to 'partner' took me to a much deeper level of appreciation
for the Tango and for all dance as an art form as well as a metaphor
for co-existing in the world with others. The classes were instructive,
yet fun: safe, yet challenging in a way that was truly therapeutic."
"Sonja’s
talents and expertise are amazing. She presents a valuable method for
learning this particular dance form, a method like no other that I have
ever experienced in all my years of learning and performing various
ethnic and modern dance styles. She is definitely making a major contribution
to the artistic world by what she presents in the workshops."
I took several
Tango classes with Ms. Sonja Riket in 2002. She is a tremendous instructor
and has a very interesting way of approaching and learning Tango. As
a beginner I felt confident to start dancing and enjoying myself. Ms.
Riket’s classes provide a safe and friendly atmosphere, which helps
students to learn better.
Ms. Riket also offers Tango Forums where one can learn more about the history and culture of Tango and Argentina. I attended some of these gatherings and learned a lot from all the speakers she invited.
I’m in awe
of Sonja's array of skills and how she combines them to perceive and
correct unsconscious patterns that have long blocked me in dancing Tango.
Simple balance had always eluded me, and in just a few weeks my center
of gravity has dropped from my upper back into my pelvis, giving me
more stability. The "extra work" that I did unconsciously -- and which
resulted in tension in my arms, in my frame and in the pressure with
which my right hand met my partners’--has been re-educated out of me.
Sonja's sensitivity in catching my errors and tweaking my awareness has given me something that I’d just about given up hope of achieving and for which I’m deeply grateful. More and more, I’m staying present in my own body, lingering long enough in the moment to feel the nuance in the lead. Out of this new-found centeredness is arising a new tenderness, a new intimacy in my embrace. What a thrill that THIS is becoming my new habitual pattern!
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