Tango Shopping at the Montana Tango Festival!
Vendors
Be ready to shop till you drop!
Tango Clothes, Tango Shoes, Montana goodies, and more!
Shoes by Yolanda
Dance shoes by Yolanda! https://tangosplash.com/
Lela Rae Designs
Lela has been a dancer her whole life. With that has come not only an understanding of movement, but also recognizing the best clothing for facilitating that movement.
Her mother taught her to sew at a young age, and she began making dance clothes, formal wear, and more. She took those skills and further improved them at the University of Montana where she graduated with a degree in Costume Design and Technology in 2010. Lela worked in theater for many years, creating costumes with the integrity and movement required to survive fight choreography and weeks of nightly shows. She also designed and built costumes for a variety of dance forms including ballet, jazz, and contemporary.
In 2013, Lela fell in love with Argentine Tango and the amazing tango community in Montana. She continues to be an eager tango student, as well as teaching regular classes for Butte Tango, the tango community she founded in Butte, Montana in 2021. Now she is taking her love of dance and clothing design and translating it into clothes for tango! You can shop her designs at lelaraedesigns.com and visit her at the Montana Tango Festival in September!
Pretty Horse Woman Designs
Tracy Poole
Pretty Horse Woman Designs
Havre, Montana
I am a native Montanan born and raised in Billings, Montana. I am the youngest of 3 kids and grew up
exploring this beautiful state on the back of a horse. Whether for pleasure or for pay, I enjoyed Montana
and the surrounding states extensively from the best view; “between the ears.”
My father, a Petroleum Geologist, had passions for the great outdoors, history and archeology. Spending
time with him was like having my own personal Google, only better. We fished, hunted, and learned. He
was always explaining rock formations to us, taking us to historical sites, and collecting rock specimens.
In 2019 I met the love of my life, Lyle Heavy Runner, a Blackfeet native. He too had a love for history and
the outdoors, but most of all, his culture. From him I learned a different view of Montana and its history
and it has changed the way I understand things from the stories I learned from in my youth to the way I
look at nature. My name, *Mahtsiinum Ponokaomiitaa Aaki, Pretty Horse Woman, was given to me by
Lyle’s mother and I am honored to be a part of their family.
I started making layered wood art about 3 years ago. I lost Lyle during the pandemic, but his unwavering
support of my art and my love for Montana have been at the heart of every piece I make. I enjoy making
3D scenes from multiple pieces wood that are inspired by all Montana has to offer. I have also developed
a love for making custom pieces specific to a customer’s request. For every piece I make I strive to not
only follow my customer’s wishes, but also offer options that they might not have thought about to
make each piece unique and meaningful.
To this day I still pull over and read the historical markers along our highways, marvel at the majestic
mountains and valleys and though I would love to collect every rock I see, I have come to realize most
are “Leaverites”...leave ‘er right where you found it! With every road trip, horseback ride, or hiking
adventure I take I am inspired and get ideas for new pieces. I am truly blessed to live in The Last Best
Place and be able to express my love of it through art.
*Maht-see-num boon-naa-ka-mita ah-kee