Name: An Evening of Tango, Wine & Poetry
Start: 2026-01-26T18:30:00-08:00
End: 2026-01-26T21:00:00-08:00
Location: Candela Dance Studio

Join us for a very special evening featuring visiting author and ballroom instructor Mark Novak!
Mark is passing through Grants Pass as part of his Pacific Northwest book tour for his newest work, "Sonnets for Agnodice." He is a professional ballroom dance instructor in the San Francisco Bay Area.
He will be joining us on Monday, Jan. 26 for a very special evening:
• 6:30 p.m. - Meet-and-greet with Mark
• 7 p.m. - Poetry reading
• 7:15 p.m. - Beginning Argentine Tango lesson
• 8 p.m. - Tango practice & social time
• 8:30 to 9 p.m. - Wind-down with West Coast Swing music
Admission is $40
This event is for ages 21+
Ticketholders will receive a copy of Mark's book and a glass of wine (additional glasses available for purchase). Light snacks will be available.
**** This event may sell out ~ reserve your tickets early! ****
TICKET LINK: https://candela-dance-studio.square.site/

~ ABOUT MARK ~
Mark Novak is a writer who works primarily from the San Francisco/Bay Area. He holds an M.A. in Creative Writing and Poetry from San Francisco State University.
His work has been featured in the Monterey Poetry Review, The Miserere Review, The Lothlorien Journal of Poetry, The Bards West and San Francisco Anthologies and the Cocktales Literary Pages of DearBooze .com as well as ‘Deposed,’ an anthology of working-class poetry. His work, ‘The Vagabond Quothe Shakespeare’ was the 6th place finalist in the Writer’s Digest National Poetry Awards (2017). He is both a voice talent for readings and a contributing writer for the poetry database, Voetica .com.
His chapbook, ‘Sonnets For Agnodice’ was recently picked up by Finishing Line Press in their annual 2025 Open Chapbook Contest, and is due to be published by their publishing house, in May of 2026.

DANCE BACKGROUND:
Mark Novak began teaching dance in 1986 in Fresno, CA. He took his studies north to Southern Oregon, where he graduated with a BA of Theater from SOSU in '93.
From there, a job offer with Dance Arts Studios brought him to the Bay Area, where he began intensive studies under some household names of the dance world, Buddy Schwimmer, Ron Montez, Ray Rivers, Pampa Coryes etc. etc.
In 2002, he and his former partner (Andrea Nelson) won the ProAm Title of Dancesport Superbowl Champions of Latin at the Ohio Star Ball. In the Pro/Pro fields they were awarded Rising Star Titles at both the Colorado and Hawaii Star Balls in 2005.
They opened Bay West Ballroom in Marin County in 2002 and ran that, along with a satellite location in Fresno for 15 years.
Mark's work as an actor-dancer-choreographer has been seen on many stages, television and film. He is highly adept in Latin, Ballroom, West Coast Swing, Salsa and Arg. Tango. He teaches Beg-Professional.