Testimonials

Thank you to all the wonderful people who have contributed their thoughts here. I encourage feedback of all kinds! - Loisa Donnay

"Am absolutely loving learning this with you!"

Well, more compliments just keep rolling in about you here in Puerto VAllarta. Tonight the local teacher started the lesson with " As Loisa emphasized in her great workshop......" , and several other students told me tonight how the local teachers praised your teaching and professionalism and have been incorporating some of what you taught into their current lessons. Anyhow, just wanted you to know that your work was admired and appreciated here! Go, Loisa!! Abrazos"

"Best teacher in town. I can't understand why anyone would go anywhere else!"

"Thanks again for your wonderful, marvelous, spectacular, humorous and very positive teaching style!!!! I just LOVE tango and still can't believe that I'm actually learning to do it....... I'm finding that learning tango is positively affecting other areas of my life too - who knew?"

"I found last night's class excellent, helpful, and most importantly much less artistically, musically, and culturally naive than other classes I've had. I look forward to more, and do plan on attending this Saturday."

"I cannot find the words to express how much fun I had with you and because of you. I feel that all my dance experience was to enable me to jump into *real* Tango. That Saturday, with three lessons and two dances, was the single most exciting dance day of my life. Let's not forget that everything I know is due to you!!!!"

"When I started tango, I asked six different tango dancers who to take lessons from. Six! All six said, absolutely, go to Loisa Donnay. Thanks for starting me right!"

"No matter that I've danced AT for 7 years ( ) One woman in particular, Loisa, took the breath right out of me -- and I have asthma!!"

"Also thank you for letting me know that ( ) said I am improving quickly. It's the private lessons. You are a phenomenal teacher and I've been really trying to apply all of the things you have been teaching me."

"Tapestry Folkdance Center has a new Swing instructor, and she's totally fabulous. Loisa Donnay is an excellent instructor and will be teaching the Thursday night lessons at Tapestry. Loisa is well-known and well-respected within the Twin Cities dance community. She is friendly, kind and a fabulous dancer and dance teacher. I can't say enough kind words about her."

Thank you for the very upbeat Follower's class yesterday. Thanks for the encouragement. You are a very good instructor.

"Your former students are telling me that you are the best teacher around. Nice, huh?"

"I just wanted to thank you for being my tango teacher. Without you I don't think I would have continued with it, and now tango is taking me to live in different places around the world!"

"You create a sense of community, and you make it fun! I kept coming back because it felt like hanging out with friends, and not just some dance class I was taking." Craig

"Loisa Donnay is an excellent teacher as well as dancer. She has a wonderful grasp of the dance because of her travels to Buenos Aires, and has had the advantage of dancing with the best all over the world - both leading and following. Her students are the best dancers in the community. Plus she's a great communicator, and makes the lessons so much fun!"

"I'm afraid I must complain about last night's class. My face hurt when I got home from smiling so much. Great fun. Even though I didn't completely get the closed leg flick thing, I did get a sense of what it could be like. It's amazing to me how just the possibility can be pleasing. It's times when there is absolutely no feel of the could, that can be a bit discouraging. But, I rarely worry about those any more, and look forward to the ones that make my cheeks hurt." Natalie

Thanks again for all your efforts, Loisa. You are the best teacher (shared opinion!) and we do appreciate all your efforts!"

"I want to tell you that I had the best time last night. It was so cool, it was so, great - it was incredible. This is exactly the kind of instruction and help that I have been looking for. Incredible evening, Just want to pass that on"

"I can't describe how much I value your guidance and instruction in the general art of dance and tango in particular." Scott

"Can I ever say thank you enough for all you've taught me and helped me?! Lisa

"I just wanted to really thank you for helping my dance. It's funny how you just click with one teacher over another, and I feel like I'm just very comfortable with you and the way you get things across to me always really makes sense. I just wanted you to know how much you've impacted my dancing - it's funny too, because I really haven't taken all THAT many lessons from you, but they seem to REALLY have helped me." Rose Marie

"Great class. I left feeling maybe, just maybe it's possible. I need to be careful so the gods of smug do not get me, but I think yesterday for the first time I was not the one moving my feet. So it was great fun for me, especially when I think that even a couple of months ago I couldn't seem to walk to work or around the house without stumbling or tipping over. I left class pondering life not tango, thinking that maybe I should just let life move me, rather than working so darn hard at it. What a teacher- and all your Email claimed you would do was review the moves of your guest from Atlanta!" Natalie

"All the women say - you can always tell a leader who has taken classes from Loisa - he has such a wonderful embrace!"

"I first learned about Lois Donnay's tango lessons from 2 ladies I danced with in a "practica" (practice session) right after I had gone to my very first clumsy "introductory tango" lessons at two other local dance studios here in Minneapolis. You can imagine, with just 1-1/2 hours *total* tango instruction under my belt (in my whole life) I wasn't particularly good! Well, these ladies I was trying to dance with knew I was a beginner. One of them was pretty experienced as a tango dancer (I could tell by the fancy moves she was doing when she danced with the other men). After practicing "walking" with me for about 15 minutes, she told me, "Look, if you want to learn Argentine Tango right; if you want to really learn how to become the kind of dancer that women will love to dance with, go study with Loisa Donnay." (She squeezed my arm and gave me a knowing "motherly" look. I didn't expect that, because I'm 50 years old! Anyway, I was grateful and it got me thinking. After all, isn't my goal to be a dancer ladies will look forward to dancing with?) The second lady I danced with was also a good Tango dancer (I could tell). She simply told me, "Go take classes with Loisa Donnay. Don't try to learn Tango here. Go see Loisa." (She didn't explain why. She just said it.) Was I starting to detect a "trend" here? I didn't think it could be some kind of freak coincidence that here were these 2 different ladies (not together) I'd never met in my life, both obviously accomplished dancers, and they both separately recommended I go see Loisa. Hmmm.
Well, at that point I had gone to 3 tango classes here in town, and the teachers were all quite friendly and did their best to teach me Argentine Tango, given the limitations of big group classes in a "commercial" setting. But while struggling as a beginner it quickly became clear to me that tango isn't a dance you can learn correctly in a "series" of 4 weekly classes (advertised as "beginner level") then maybe 4 more weekly classes ("intermediate"). Especially when you're in the middle of a class with 10 or 20 other people also trying to cram what takes years of study down in Buenas Aries, into an "immediate gratification" 4-lesson class here in Minneapolis.
Anyway, the more I have been studying with Loisa Donnay the more it's become clear to me that learning Tango is a subtle art with lots of nuances. One thing I like about Loisa is that she's a great communicator and speaker. She teaches Tango in the front parlor of her home, which is a very comfortable, relaxed atmosphere to learn Tango. (She's got mirrors up on all the walls so you can keep an eye on your posture. She also got long wooden sticks to practice with; they sort of duplicate the lady's legs.) Loisa gives little informal "talks" (last night it was about the different types of tango music) which are really interesting and make you feel you're learning from a teacher who has "been there" and really has a "Mission" in life -- to teach other people dancing. She really wants to see you dance! No kidding! (You immediately realize she's not just "after your money" like you feel sometimes at some dance studios.) At the classes I'd tried, I also felt a little frustrated because sometimes the teachers would not do such a great job communicating to the class. They'd say things like, "Well, don't talk, just do it." Hmm. That's ok if you're a psychic, I guess. But not much help for someone who is trying to learn to dance. By comparison, Loisa has an uncanny ability to sort of analyze your dance (posture, axis and other ingredients) and they tell you (and show you) how to improve it.
I honestly feel I've learned about 500% (five times) more in my few short Argentine Tango classes with Loisa Donnay, than I ever learned from any other local dance studio. There's just no comparison. My advice to any guy who wants to learn Argentine Tango the way ladies really want you to dance in the "real world", is "Go see Loisa!" After one class you'll see what I mean."
— Jim (Minneapolis, MN)

Wedding Preparation Testimonials

Thank you SO, SO, SO, much! We were a HIT!! We got a standing ovation and compliments ALL NIGHT about how awesome our dance was. It was EXACTLY what we (well I) wanted! And it was SO fun - we were definitely relaxed and looked like we were having fun - it helps when there is a crowd cheering at every dip/lift/twirl! It was great! Thank you again - you really helped make our wedding even more special than it already was!! Thank you!

THANK you again for the wonderful routine you created and help/guidance with our tango. Everyone was so impressed AND several people want to take lessons (too bad none of them live in the Twin Cities area!). But I will continue to send people to your lessons whenever possible! Also several people have said how much they enjoyed the dance lesson. Sounds like there was some serious worry/doubt about the coolness of it at a wedding reception but you were awesome! As always. I would love to send you a little photo of Eric & I to be on your website if you need a new picture.

(From the bride's mother) it was fabulous!!!! They got a STANDING OVATION :-) One of our guests said, "This was Tracy & Amber's gift to us." Another guest told Tracy that he definitely lifted the bar and maybe we could get group rates and have you come teach at Gertens' greenhouse. I would say they were a hit :-)

"Everything went great! We even did the lift TWICE and the crowd loved it! I don't have any pictures yet, but will definitely pass along. Thanks again for helping us. We had such a great time and will continue to pass your name along to friends." — Michelle & Justin

"It went perfect! We did all three spins with impeccable timing! He also threw in twinkles, double spins and twirls. It went very well! In fact, some of my colleagues believe that I have been taking ballroom dancing for some time! (I couldn't bear to disillusion them!) The dance was video taped. I'll see if I can get you some real time footage!" — Candace