Night of the Champions: An Evening of Tango, Performance and Giving

On 29 August 2026, the Grand Salon of the Epping Club became the setting for an evening dedicated to performance, celebration and an important cause: the Night of the Champions Golden Charity Ball, held in support of Cancer Council Australia. For us, it was a particularly special evening. We were honoured to be invited by Rommel Reyes Olson, International Ballroom Dance Teacher, to be part of the main entertainment for the event, alongside an impressive line-up of dancers, musicians and performers.

What made the evening memorable was that it was not simply a night of entertainment. Behind the glamour, music and dancing was a genuine purpose, raising funds and awareness to support the work of Cancer Council Australia while providing performers with a platform to share their artistry with a live audience. And for us, it became an opportunity to present Argentine Tango in three very different forms.

A Golden Evening for a Worthy Cause

The Golden Charity Ball brought together guests for an evening of dinner, music, dance and live entertainment, with the event beginning at 6:30pm and continuing late into the evening. The dress code was Black Tie and the atmosphere reflected the occasion: elegant, theatrical and celebratory.

Guests arrived to canapés and lounge music before taking their seats for the evening's formal program. The entertainment then unfolded throughout dinner, bringing together ballroom, Bollywood, contemporary dance, live music and Argentine Tango.

A Cancer Council Australia presentation formed an important part of the evening, reminding everyone that beneath the spectacle was a fundraising event supporting a cause that affects countless families and communities.

Behind the Scenes

For the audience, a performance can appear effortless. Behind the scenes, however, there is an entirely different world. Our involvement began well before stepping onto the dance floor. The afternoon was dedicated to rehearsals, technical checks, blocking, sound and lighting. The production team worked through the various performances and transitions, ensuring that the music, microphones, screens, lighting and performers were coordinated for the evening.

Our final rehearsal was part of a much larger technical process involving the other performers and production team. Every entrance, exit, musical cue and lighting transition needed to work together. There is something fascinating about seeing this side of a major event. What the audience eventually experiences as one continuous evening is the result of many people working behind the scenes.

For dancers, it is also a reminder that performing is very different from simply dancing socially. On a social dance floor, we respond to the music and the moment. On stage, we have to combine that freedom with choreography, musical structure, positioning, timing, lighting, stage awareness and communication with the production team. That contrast would become particularly important during our three appearances throughout the night.

The First Tango

Our first performance came during the first part of the main entertainment program. The evening had already established a strong variety of performance styles, with ballroom and other forms of dance taking the audience through the first part of the showcase. Then came Argentine Tango.

For this performance, we wanted the dance to remain recognisably Argentine Tango, driven by the music, connection and interaction between two dancers rather than simply presenting a sequence of predetermined movements. There is a particular character to Argentine Tango that is difficult to reproduce if it becomes purely choreographic. The embrace, the communication between partners, the pauses, the changes of direction and the musical interpretation all contribute to what makes tango different from other stage dance forms. This was our opportunity to bring that atmosphere to the ballroom.

From Social Tango to Stage Tango

Later in the evening, we returned to the floor for something very different. Our second appearance was a choreographed stage Argentine Tango.

Stage Tango allows us to explore another side of the dance. Instead of relying entirely on spontaneous interaction, choreography gives us the ability to deliberately construct moments for an audience: musical accents, dramatic changes, larger movements, visual shapes and transitions that would not necessarily occur in the same way on a social dance floor. It requires a different kind of preparation.

Every movement has to be understood not only by the dancers but also in relation to the stage, the audience, the music and the lighting. The result is still Argentine Tango, but presented through the language of performance. For us, that distinction is important.We love the freedom of social tango, but we also enjoy the opportunity to create something specifically for a stage.

Our Third Dance

Our final piece was a milonga that came during the second entertainment segment of the evening. By this point, the audience had experienced a wide range of performances and the energy in the room had changed as the evening progressed. Returning to the floor for a third time gave us another opportunity to dance and to contribute to the larger theatrical flow of the night.

Three appearances also meant three different opportunities to interpret the music and the environment. Rather than treating the performances as simply repeating the same dance, each appearance became part of the progression of the evening. That is one of the aspects we enjoy most about performing. A dance is never completely isolated from its surroundings. The music, the audience, the venue, the lighting and even the performances that come before and after all influence the experience.

A Night Filled With Performers

We were only one part of a much larger entertainment program. The evening featured performances from Viktoria Selene, Kevin and Jam, Bryx Gonzales, Lembert Tandang, Rommel Reyes Olson, as well as other performers and musicians. There was ballroom dancing, Bollywood dance, contemporary dance, live music and multiple styles of dance throughout the evening.

The program was structured in two major entertainment sections, allowing performances to take place alongside dinner and the formal elements of the charity ball. Later in the night, the event transitioned into a more celebratory party atmosphere, with the dance floor opened to guests and music continuing into the evening. This mixture of formal entertainment and social celebration gave the night a distinctive character. It was a charity event, but it was also a celebration of performance, creativity and the people who came together to make the evening possible.

Raising Funds for Cancer Council Australia

At the heart of the event was its charitable purpose. The Golden Charity Ball was held in support of Cancer Council Australia, helping raise funds and awareness for an organisation whose work touches cancer prevention, support, research and advocacy.

Fundraising goal was $2,000.

The amount raised reached $3,851.

That meant the final amount was $1,851 above our original goal, or approximately 193% of the target.

Thank You, Rommel

We would like to extend a special thank you to Rommel for choosing us to be part of the event. Being invited to contribute to the main entertainment was an honour and we are grateful for the opportunity to share Argentine Tango with everyone attending the Golden Charity Ball. We also want to acknowledge everyone involved in bringing the evening together, the performers, musicians, production crew, technical team, venue staff, organisers, sponsors and everyone who contributed to the fundraising effort. An event of this scale does not happen because of one person. It is the result of many people contributing their time, skills and energy.

A Night We Will Remember

From the afternoon rehearsals and technical checks, through to the first guests arriving, the formal dinner, the performances and the final songs of the night, the Golden Charity Ball was a long and rewarding evening. By the time the event concluded at 11:30pm, the ballroom had travelled a long way from the quiet technical rehearsal of the afternoon. The lights, music, performances and celebrations had all come together.

And somewhere within all of that, Argentine Tango had its place. Three dances. Three different moments. One extraordinary evening. Thank you to everyone who watched, supported, donated, performed, organised and helped make the Night of the Champions Golden Charity Ball possible.

We were honoured to be there.

Dean & Gigi
Primavera Tango