We miss the old space. It was a great venue and we danced in it from May 2004 to February 2011.
This is an extract from an email Marian wrote to the group about 3 weeks after the 22 February earthquake, 2011.

'Many of you have enquired after Floorspace and most know that it has suffered damage. Nigel and the engineer got into the  building the other day and it is clear that the structure has been significantly damaged by the earthquake. It stands straight enough, most of the walls are still on it, but there are cracks all around the Floorspace end and we believe it looks unlikely that it will be able to be saved. 
   So we need to say goodbye to it.

Nigel and I bought the building at the beginning of 2004 and when I saw that upstairs space I knew it wasn’t an art studio, it was going to be a space for dancing.
   I started teaching Latin dance on Tuesdays and a friend taught Salsa on Thursdays. Then during May the Wednesday tango night, hosted by Robert and Antoinette at the Media Club, needed a new home (a pool tournament was about to elbow tango aside). So the Wednesday Milonga at Floorspace started some time in May, and Robert and Antoinette continued to host it until December when they left for Buenos Aires. 
   We sent them off with the first of many theme milongas – Transport Tango. It was soon followed by the inaugural Midsummer’s Night Tango (the two previous NYEve milongas had been at PaperGraphica) and then the theme parties really got going. There was 007 Tango, Sci-Fi Tango, Making Hay Milonga, The Importance of Being Ernesto Milonga, Over the Rainbow Milonga, Lady Windermere’s Fantango. There were also various Emergency Milongas, milongas for visiting teachers and birthday parties. But Curry Tango – a combination of sit-down-curry-dinner, amateur dramatics, and tango - epitomised the type of hilarious unselfconsciousness that Floorspace somehow encouraged.

Aside from that the room has been used for classes, private lessons and practices. Local tango teachers Rima, Aki, Greg, Lynn, Phil, Maree, Megan, Graham, Gloria and I have all taught there, as have many a visiting teacher including Gaston, Jaimes, Pedro and Sophia, Neville and Ksenja, Joana and Pedro (with Daniel and Mandy), Walter, Eva and Pablo, and Sebastian.
   Hundreds of people have made their first tango steps in Floorspace.

But, for me, the best night of the week has always been Wednesday. Just the solid consistency of it. The way it kept the tango as part of my life. The way I could return to the tango embrace, the music, and let everything else go.
   Travelling tangueros from all corners of the globe would turn up there, having found us on the internet and almost always comment on what a good feeling there was, how welcome they felt. They often also said, ‘I’ve heard about this milonga…’

There were so many times when, standing at the bar, I or someone else would say: ‘We are so lucky to have this place!’ And it was true. Floorspace was a real gift. But somehow I understood it wouldn’t last forever, that the Floorspace Thing would have its time then be over. I thought the needs of the group would change, that the people-energy would shift, and Floorspace would gradually lose its fizz. But it’s the other way around. The space has gone but we are still together. We had that one brilliant night there early in February and it was just as buzzy as it ever had been. I’m glad we had that night.
   Since the earthquake we’ve been catching up little by little and all that feeling is still very apparent in the group. Those small, strong tango connections and real friendships that have been made over the years have proven more solid than bricks and mortar. And we all love to dance.

There is lots of tango happening in Christchurch as we are now a big enough community to support many different teachers and organisers and this is a good thing. Floorspace was by no means Tango Central in Christchurch. But for me it has been. It’s been my tango home and I feel so sad to say goodbye to it. But we will make something else. I suppose I am writing this email because I want to acknowledge what a wonderful time we had in there.

I would also like to thank everyone who has contributed so generously and cheerfully. I won’t name you as I would have to name almost the entire group for contributions that range from DJing, to carrying empty wine bottles down the stairs, to bringing wonderful plates of food to parties, or just dressing up and looking fabulous! Thanks to everyone for the positive energy they’ve brought to our tango community. 
I say this on behalf of all of us.'

Marian, March 2011.

These photos were taken by Stephane Hamel 
on 9 February 2011. Reproduced with permission. 
Thanks Stephane.