The Artists

Cecilia Gonzalez (Buenos Aires) and Donato Juárez (Mar de Plata)

Cecilia is very well-respected by the tango community in Buenos Aires and has taught at numerous festivals around the world, including the Argentine International Tango Congress (CITA) held annually in Buenos Aires. Along the way she has partnered with some of the most famous tangueros of her generation: Osvaldo Zotto, Fabian Salas, and Mariano 'Chicho' Frumboli, to name a few. Her knowledge and passion for tango makes her a very appreciated and requested tango teacher. She has taught in Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Turkey, Greece, Spain, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and US. She has been a member of the teaching faculty of CITA since its inception in 1999.

Donato is one of the most talented tango dancers of his generation. From his hometown of Mar del Plata in Argentina, he tirelessly explored the intricacies of this dance through self-study and under several reknowned teachers. He has taught at international tango festivals in Australia, Europe, Mexico, the US, and Iceland and has performed extensively in Argentina, most notably partnering Cecilia in the 2008 International Argentine Tango Congress (CITA). www.tangomotion.com

Luiza Paes (Buenos Aires) and Nick Jones (Denver)

Luiza Paes, Brazilian-born, music student since age six, worked in musical education and vocal technique for many years. Her very first tango experience was in 1997 in Portland, Oregon where she took a group class with Clay Nelson and was immediately struck by the music and fascinated by the idea of the connection in the couple. Back in Brazil, Luiza met Norberto "Pulpo" Esbrez who became her teacher and then partner for nearly 10 years. Luiza and "Pulpo" traveled the world teaching and performing: Russia, Japan, Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Greece, Spain, Denmark, United States, Canada, Mexico, Uruguay, and Brazil. They taught at numerous tango festivals including CITA in Buenos Aires, Portland, Las Vegas, Boston, Amsterdam, and in Denmark. Luiza is a fun, caring and articulate instructor and teaches technique emphasizing the leader's and follower's roles, improvisation and the ability of adapting. Since February 2008 she started teaching and traveling on her own and her focus has been teaching musicality along with a technique that opens up possibilities for creativity in the dance. Luiza and Nick have been performing and teaching together in 2008 and have been very successful in generating a relaxed and humorous environment for students to enjoy and take the most out of their learning process.

During the last five years, Nick Jones has taught in major cities and at festivals across the United States, Australia and Buenos Aires, including Pulpo's Tango Week, Portland's TangoFest (2005) & Valentango (2006), Tango de los Muertos (2006, Nick w/ Florencia Taccetti), in Washington DC, New York, Montreal, San Francisco and at Yale University (2006). Nick's dancing is effortless, elegant, sophisticated, and musical. Nick also plays the bandoneon, and leads a tango quintet in Denver. In college, Nick majored in poetry, minored in painting, and loved throwing pottery. It was through throwing pottery that he understood for the first time what it really meant to be centered and "on axis" - terms that dance teachers often toss around - and now these concepts are central to his teaching. As a teacher Nick is enthusiastic and has an uncanny ability to explain complex ideas simply and to pinpoint the subtleties of where each student needs to improve. www.naturaltango.com

Kara Wenham and Yanick Wyler (Buenos Aires)

Recognized as an excellent dancer and teacher in Buenos Aires and abroad, Kara's dancing and classes are founded on a modern tango salon that incorporates the techniques and dynamics of a contemporary tango whilst maintaining a strong connection to the roots of the dance. Kara has developed a pedagogy that is designed to empower students by giving them tools that focus on a solid technique, a clear idea of the structure of the dance, connection, lead and follow, musicality, improvisation, and the development of a personal style. Whether the embrace is open or closed, Kara's emphasis is on how to maintain a connection that is sensitive, communicative and sensual between both leader and follower. She currently lives in Buenos Aires, teaching  well-attended classes at Tango Brujo. She also gives workshops and participates in festivals throughout Argentina, Asia, Europe, and the United States, and has recently participated in TangoMagia's 10th Anniversary Festival in Amsterdam and in festivals in Istanbul, Zurich and Siracusa in 2008.

Yanick is part of the new generation of tango dancers investigating in Buenos Aires, expanding the vocabulary of contemporary tango movement. He has developed great creativity and a playful musicality which stand out as key elements in his dance. His teaching is based on his profound knowledge of the technique, the structure of dance, and the connection and communication of the couple. His precise explanations are focused on facilitating an energetic yet sensitive and smooth dialogue between leader and follower. When not travelling the U.S. or Europe, Yanick lives in Buenos Aires where he works as a staff teacher at Tango Brujo. Apart from his dedication to tango, he investigates the movements of the human body as a certified trainer of the Gyrotonic Expansion System®.

Brigitta Winkler (Berlin) and Tomas Howlin (Buenos Aires/Montreal)

Brigitta's dancing and teaching is loved by both traditionalists and innovators in the tango world. Trained in ballet and modern dance, she discovered Argentine tango in 1980. She has traveled to Buenos Aires many times to learn from some of tango's 'greats': Juan Carlos Copes, Antonio Todaro, Pepito, Gustavo Naveira, and Eduardo Arquimbau. She is a founding member of Tango Mujer, an all-women tango group that has performed in New York, Berlin, Theaterhaus Stuttgart, the Colorado Dance Festival (1999) Tango Marathon, and at the prestigious Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. Brigitta is a frequent guest teacher at Dance Manhattan. Her dance studio, Tanzart, has been a pillar of the tango community in Berlin since 1987. With more than 20 years of experience teaching and performing tango around the globe, Brigitta is one of the most inspiring and innovative artists in the tango world today. In class, she has the knack of unlocking her students' creativity and making tango fun at any level. www.brigittatango.de

Tomás was born and raised in Buenos Aires where he studied with some of the most renowned master teachers of all generations, such as Graciela Gonzalez, Gustavo Naveira, Jose Brahemcha, Puppy Castello, Pepe Avellaneda and Vanina Bilous. Tomás is among the few teachers traveling worldwide who have taught regularly in the most well known academies of Buenos Aires, and is a regular instructor at international festivals in Europe and the United States. During the last years Tomás has been performing and teaching in Canada and in the U.S.A. He was instrumental in the filming of the tango film "Macadam Tango". He was chosen to perform before the heads of state of 34 countries, including President George W. Bush and Dr. Fernando de la Rua, President of Argentina at the "Summit of the Americas" in Quebec City. He is a patient and devoted teacher with a unique method and approach. www.tomashowlin.com

Trio Garufa (San Francisco)

Trio Garufa has taught musicality workshops to large groups of enthusiastic dancers in many places such as Baltimore, Victoria BC, and San Francisco. Their instruction displays a profound knowledge and appreciation of the forms and conventions of tango music. But they're not just musicians -- they've also spent countless hours dancing in the milongas of Buenos Aires, Europe and the US. They get such a thrill in sharing their musical knowledge with dancers, knowing that dancers are greatly improved by developing a deeper understanding of the music. Trio Garufa is composed of Sascha Jacobsen on string bass, manager Andrea Fuchilieri, Adrian Jost on bandoneon/bayan, and Guillermo Garcia on guitar. (Listed in the order they appear in the photo at right.) Andrea, an Argentine native, started dancing at age seven and is now a professional dancer, choreographer and instructor as well as Trio Garufa's manager. Over the years she has explored a wide variety of cultural expression through movement, and has co-taught with well-known tango instructors such as Homer Ladas. Trio Garufa will also play live at Tango de los Muertos. Read more about them below or at www.triogarufa.com

Trio Garufa (San Francisco) - Instructors and Performers

Trio Garufa is among the foremost interpreters of Argentine Tango in a generation. Mixing a deep respect for the traditions of Golden Era Tango with the excitement of the modern Nuevo Tango movement, their music is powerful, passionate, and always danceable. Although they're based in San Francisco, they've played to very happy crowds in many of the best milongas in Buenos Aires. Since each member of the group also dances tango as well as playing it, it comes as no surprise that their music is so danceable!

Guitarist Guillermo Garcia was born in Argentina and co-founded Trio Garufa with Adrian Jost. He has been playing Argentine tango and folk music since age ten, and studied tango dance with master instructors in Buenos Aires. Guillermo is also an audio engineer, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D at Stanford University on the restoration of old recordings. Sascha Jacobsen, string bass, was born in California and graduated with Masters in Music from USC in 1998. He has been performing around the world in a wide range of styles as a professional musician for 10 years. Swiss-native Adrian Jost developed his own Tango technique at the Bayan and recently picked up the bandoneon, seduced by its beautiful sound and expressiveness.  Although his musical career started at age six with Tschannen, he is mostly self-taught at the bando, occasionally studying with Marconi and Pane.  He directed, participated, and records in other orchestras and teaches musicality with his group, Trio Garufa. Read more about them above, and at www.triogarufa.com .

Korey Ireland (Kansas City)

- Monster Orchestra Leader

Korey Ireland is a professional composer turned tango-addict. He brings a lifetime of musical experience and an unquenchable thirst for tango to his teaching. He has been playing the bandoneon for a number of years and has participated in and led a number of tango orchestras similar to TdlM's Monster Orchestra. He cares deeply about nurturing the nacent tango music scene in the United States, and is a supportive and passionate leader. Originally from Kansas City, Korey has spent the better part of the last five years traveling and teaching tango in England, Holland, Spain, Germany, Russia and Argentina, sharing his passion for tango, music, expression, and connection. In January 2005 he met Mila in El Corte and they are continuing this tango adventure as a duo. (OK, that's really Mila holding the bandoneon in the photo, but Korey's the one peeking over her shoulder!) www.ko-arts.com

Robin Thomas (New York) - DJ

A well-known and respected dancer and DJ, Robin's enthusiasm for Argentine tango can be seen most clearly in his wholehearted dedication to teaching. He believes that it is very important for students to dance simply and musically from the very beginning. Robin's travel schedule is a busy one, reflecting his popularity as a teacher and tango DJ. Recently he has taught in Portland, Denver, Ann Arbor, Washington DC, Seattle, Berlin, Edinburgh, San Diego, Providence, Pittsburgh and at the universities, Yale, Princeton, and Cornell. When he is not traveling, Robin stays busy in his hometown of New York City teaching classes and DJing. On the rare occasion that he is neither teaching or DJing, Robin can always be seen on the dance floor, either working to expand his own understanding of Argentine tango, or simply enjoying the connection he works so hard to share with others. Robin hosts a practica, El Abrazo, each week to help dancers of all levels improve their tango and a popular milonga, Nocturne, once a month. www.robinthomastango.com

Evan Griffiths (New York City) - DJ

Evan knows what he likes to dance to - and luckily for us, what he likes to dance to is the best of the Golden Age tango music. He studied classical piano for 12 years, and has been playing tango piano now for the last 5 years. Evan has been been teaching tango since 2001 and has assisted Susana Miller in classes, and assisted and performed with Luciana Valle, Alex Krebs, and Florencia Taccetti. He has taught in many places, including Eugene, Ashland, NYC, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Ann Arbor and in Berlin, Germany. He is currently on staff at Dance Manhattan in New York City.

Avik Basu (Ann Arbor) - DJ

Avik is driven by the belief that a little dance and music can make the world a better place. And so, he dances tango, DJs, plays bandoneon, organizes workshops, learns Spanish, and will even drink mate despite the fact he otherwise avoids caffeine. Perhaps most of all, he enjoys sharing the beauty of tango with others. His instruction over the past 5 years has helped to develop the Ann Arbor tango community into one of the largest in North America. Influenced primarily by the music and atmosphere of the milongas in Buenos Aires, Avik's purpose as a DJ is to seamlessly weave an evening of music that does justice to the tremendous range of emotions that tango expresses. In doing so, he hopes that the milonga will have something for everyone and that dancers will float home late, very late at night with music still playing in their heads...

www.a2tango.com

Sean Dockery (San Francisco) - DJ

Sean Dockery's enthusiasm for Argentine Tango has driven him to explore the art on its deepest levels, dancing and studying daily for the past 5 years. He first started exploring the dance in order to help him better understand Tango music, which he had begun playing on the guitar. After a few short months, the dancing became his main source of drive and inspiration. To Sean, the tango couple is another member of the Tango orquestra, so naturally, his focus in dancing is rhythm and musicality. Sean also has a passion for DJing Argentine Tango. As a DJ he feels his job is to facilitate the energy and atmosphere of the milonga, provide smooth transitions throughout the evening, manage the delicate balance between predictability and creativity, and most importantly, keep people dancing! Locally, Sean DJs a weekly practica at The Beat, and at the Cellspace Alternative Milonga. He has DJed at the San Francisco Tango Exchange, in Boston, Sacramento, Tuscan, and Montreal. www.open-tango.com

Joe Leonardo (Portland) - DJ

Tango de los Muertos is very happy to introduce the DJing talent of Joe Leonardo to dancers outside of the Pacific Northwest! Mainly known in Portland Oregon's much-admired Argentine Tango scene, Joe Leonardo is one of that community's most active dancers, teachers and DJs. Highly sought after and drawing a faithful following of dancers, Joe has DJed on numerous occasions nearly all of the local milongas including the PPAA Milonga, the Norse Hall Alternative Milonga, Corazón de Tango and Milonga Berretín, not to mention DJing his two regular events, Milonga Pa’ la Gente and The “aime comme moi” Milonga. Joe carries an innate intensity and passion for the dance and the music, and he instinctually infuses this into his fellow dancers, always DJing with love and dedication-–even though the magic and alchemy that he and other DJs create in an evening might still be something of a wordless mystery to him. Joe has also DJed at the Ashland Tangofest. www.hardroadtango.com

Robin Thomas (New York)

See Robin's bio above, under DJs. www.robinthomastango.com

Pamela & Steve Slavsky (Boston)

Pamela and Steve Slavsky are not Argentine, though many of her shoes are. They live near Boston, where they have been dancing tango together ever since the new millennium. Having studied tango relentlessly for years with varied instructors both great and inspiring, traditional yet innovative, Argentine and otherwise, they try to enjoy and share its simple charms as a social dance. They have been teaching tango together for about three years and, with friends, organize local tango events such as the Odd Tuesday Milonga. They continue to learn about tango and other things. Steve is a tango DJ and Pamela is studying to become a teacher of the Alexander Technique. They both enjoy long walks with their dog. www.tangodogs.com

Adriana Pinto & Carl Potvin (New England)

Adriana’s passion for tango started in Brazil, her native country, more than ten years ago. Since then, Adriana has been an active tango dancer, both learning and teaching tango. As an event organizer, hosting Tango Paradiso at Springstep, Medford, MA, and Milonga de Mis Amores in Portsmouth, NH, Adriana is well known for her passion for tango music. Her music selection is celebrated in the Boston area, in Manchester, NH, in Portland, ME, and other milongas in New England.
Dancing has been a part of Carl's life ever since he was a child. He discovered tango several years ago and has danced mostly around Boston and New England. Carl is currently working with his partner Adriana to build a tango community in the seacoast New Hampshire area where together they teach and reside. For Carl, tango is a secret without words, best told through the embrace. www.havetotango.com

Hillary Ross (Boston)

Hillary Ross (BA Dance/English, Wesleyan University) originally trained and worked as a modern dance performer, choreographer and teacher. She has danced professionally with notable groups including Martynuk/McAdams Dance, Laura Knott Dance Company and Glendance; has had her choreography commissioned by First Night Boston; and has taught dance at the JP Firehouse Arts Center, MIT, Wellesley College, for the Bank of America Celebrity Series and at the Boston Tango Festival. She has been on the faculty of the Cambridge Center for Adult Education since 1997 as their tango instructor, and is also a member of the dance faculty at Boston University and Springstep. Hillary has traveled to Buenos Aires four times for intensive study and immersion in tango culture. Her classes emphasize proper body mechanics along with music and partner connection while building an Argentine tango vocabulary. The structure of the dance is examined so that students learn how to make the dance their own, and what is learned is placed in the context of moving around the social dance floor. Hillary's students comment on her keen eye for detail, and find her energetic, fun, patient and giving.

www.hillaryross.com

AnaLinda Marcus (Boston)

AnaLinda fell under tango's spell seven years ago. Through Tango she discovered the exacting improvisational connection to partner dance and musical interpretation she had been seeking. Social dance has been the connective tissue of her life since age 12. Her dancing has been described as both sinuous and tensile in quality. AnaLinda has taught classes on social issues for more than 20 years and dance for five years, initially as an assistant to Sharna Fabiano of the Boston Tango School. For the last four years she has led her own group and private classes. She is a member of the faculty at the Dance Complex in Cambridge, MA, and is adjunct faculty at North Shore Community College. She has traveled extensively to pursue her tango passion throughout North America and to Buenos Aires several times. AnaLinda has performed extensively in the region. www.tangoembrace.com

David Reynoso (Boston)

The festival's logo and the look of the website came about primarily because of the serious talent of David Reynoso.