TangoFLOR

TANGO MY PASSION

In 1998, I read an article about Tango in the San Jose Mercury News and since I had nothing else to do due to my separation, I called the instructor to set up private lessons.  I realized, having seen Tango performances in Buenos Aires and the movie, The Tango Lesson, that Tango was a complex dance and that private lessons was the only way to get started.  It did not even occur to me to start with group classes. Because I wanted to start dancing Tango as quickly as possible.

After 8 private lessons, my instructor sent me to a milonga to dance tango.  I was so nervous that the first time I went to the milonga, a place where tango is danced, I sat the entire three hours and just watched.  At my next private lesson, my instructor just laughed and told me to go back and to actually dance Tango.  

The second time, I spent a good deal of time carefully observing the women.  I finally identified a woman who danced with everyone that asked her.  I worked up the nerve, crossed the dance floor with typical male trepidation and angst, to ask her to dance.  She said yes.

Somewhere in the middle of dancing with her, I did something that to this day I do not recall exactly, except that for a few seconds, I moved fluidly without hesitation or thought.  The feeling was exhilarating  That moment was magical!! I was hooked!!!

I quickly became a Tango addict,  taking 3-4 group classes a week, dancing practically every night for a year and traveling up to 1 ½ hours to San Francisco dances and classes.  Even while taking private lessons, I started attending workshops with visiting tango professionals.  For several years, I took workshops at least every other month.  As a result, I’be studied with some of the best professional Tango dancers such as Facundo and Kelly Posadas, keepers of the African Tango tradition, Pablo Veron of The Tango Lesson, Noberto Ezbrez "El Pulpo" whose unique style propelled Tango Nuevo, and many others Tango greats.   Even as an accomplished dancer, I took weekly private lessons and still take private lessons from other visiting professionals because I know that if I am not getting better, I am back sliding.

SHARING MY PASSION THROUGH TEACHING AND PERFORMING

For several years, I did not want to either perform or teach Tango but finally relented after an onslaught of requests from Isabelle Kay.  However, I did not want to teach steps and patterns- the way everyone else was doing because- while steps and patterns allow one to get on the dance floor quickly and do something; steps and patterns, lock up the mind and body and block spontaneity and creativity critical to dancing the true essence of Tango.  I wanted to go deeper and really teach how to dance so that beginners could start improvising sooner rather than later. 

Building on the work Isabelle and Linda Garwood did together developing “Tango Essence” as a course specifically for followers,  Isabelle and I spend countless hours using our broad based dance training and experience to dissect Tango to its core concepts, to the underlying principles of the dance, and to the basic movements that are the foundation of everything else in Tango.  Together, we developed an organic natural and intuitive approach to teaching tango to both leaders and followers that builds on the fundamentals of tango movements to get students dancing without having to memorize patterns or steps.  This approach which we call, Argentine Tango Dance Concepts, TangoConcepts for short, gives students the best foundation for dancing tango with balance, fluidity and confidence allowing them to create their own dance. Since 2002, we have helped hundreds discover the magic, passion and romance of Tango.  

I've performed mostly with Isabelle Kay because we dance  Argentine Tango with ease and grace, weaving various embraces and styles into a fluid and spellbinding performance that is romantic and passionate,

Our tango dancing has been featured several times on television, movies, and local newspapers including the San Diego Tribune.  I have performed at Celebrate Dance Festival, Bravo San Diego, the Del Mar Fair, San Diego Magazine’s “50 People to Watch” event, the Jewish Film Festival, the San Diego Klezmer Festival, and numerous other public as well as corporate and private functions.

I have also performed with dozens of my students at milongas, birthday parties, company events, weddings, street fairs, restaurants, wineries, and homes.

TANGO CAN ENRICH YOUR LIFE AS WELL

I am passionate about Tango as it has brought many wonderful people into my life.  I consider myself first and foremost a social dancer and unlike many Tango instructors, I actually dance with my students.  

Give me an hour and I will have you dancing Tango and feeling the magic that turned me into a Tango addict.  Give me 10 hours and I can turn you into a Tango dancer.  If you already dance tango, I can turn you into a much sought after social dancer.  If you like, I can perform with you for your family or company event. Thinking about getting married, why not dance Tango at your wedding!