Summer Tango & Film Festival

Thank you everyone who helped make the festival such a success - it was great seeing all of you at Corazon for the USA Tango Championship Finals, at the Black & White Ball, at Central Park, and at Esmeralda's!

The Championships were a huge success, and drew the support of the entire tango community! I am hoping to get videos of the finals to post on my YouTube channel; the night of the competition I was too busy and forgot! Corazon was packed, with over 200 tangueros coming out to see who won.

Lexa and Kumi made history by being the first same-sex tango couple to be officially recognizd by the Campeonato Mudial in Buenos Aires. They came in 3rd; it was a huge step for women leaders (and male followers) everywhere!

The winners, Eduardo and Cyrena, will be flying to Buenos Aires to compete in the Campeonato there.

Two of the judges of the Tango Championship were renowned milongueros Alejandra Arrue and Serio Natario, veteran judges of the Campionato Mundial in Buenos Aires. They are great performers and amazing teachers - they don't let you get away with anything. I highly recommend them!

Friday was the Black and White Ball, and great performances by all the artists in the Festival. One of my favorites is this milonga by Mariela and Jorge, because it captures the atmosphere of the evening, right down to them asking for audiences votes of what to dance next. The milonga is great, of course - it's Mariela and Jorge, what else would you expect?

First Annual USA Tango Championship Semi-Finalist Videos are Up!

Last night, the First Annual USA Tango Championships held the qualifying round for the Salon division; La Boca was packed with people cheering on their favorite couples!

Each set of 4 couples danced three dances (an instrumental Di Sarli, a D'Arienzo vocal, and a Pugliese). Out of the 16 couples in the semi-finals, 6 were chosen as finalists, and will go on to the Finals being held TONIGHT at Corazon! It's going to be a fantastic night!

I've put videos of all the semifinalists on my YouTube Channel; for a taste of the competition, here's Set 2, dancing their instrumental Di Sarli.

The Celebrate Tango Festival - Teaching, Hosting, and DJing

Celebrate Tango Week is coming!

I will be teaching two classes:

Wednesday, July 18, 7-8pm: FREE INTRO CLASS, Corazon at Studio 101

Sunday, July 22, 10-11:25am: Elegant Paradas, Stepping Out Studios

This week at Corazon, we will be Celebrating Tango!

After an intermediate lesson July 18 at 8pm by Sergio Natario & Alejandra Arrue, Corazon will be hosting the finals of the First USA Tango Championship! Come and cheer on your favorite couples; the winner will be flown to Buenos Aires to represent the USA in the semi-finals of the prestigious V World Tango Dance Championship (V Campeonato Mundial de Baile de Tango.) To check out these beautiful instructors, and to get a feel for the championship, check out the videos below.

After the championships, dance until 1am! (I'll be DJing, obvio.)

I will also be DJing the Black and White Ball on Friday, July 20 at Stepping Out Studios! It's a beautiful


Sergio and Alejandra:






Quarter Finals, Campionato Mundial de Tango:

July 11 at Corazon: Claudio Asprea

First of all, thanks to all the great tangueros who made July 4 such a success! The picnic dinner disappeared, the dance floor filled up, and outside the fireworks lit up the sky. Maria Ybarra taught a beautiful combination with sacada, and Alberto Dassieu performed two beautiful dances, a tnago with Jan LaSalle and a very sweet vals with his wife Paulina. (Check out my YouTube channel for the videos!) It was a wonderful party, and a great milonga.

Now check out this week, as Corazon is delighted to welcome Claudio Asprea as the guest teacher July 11. Claudio has some of the fastest feet in Buenos Aires, and is known for his teaching style, which is engaging and relaxed (just like his dancing!), with attention given to the individual dancer.

Claudio will be arriving fresh from Buenos Aires, so see him first on July 11 at Corazon - a taste of Buenos Aires in New York!

Celebrate the 4th!

It's the 4th of July - and we are OPEN!

Burn off your afternoon barbeque (or just enjoy the air conditioning!) at Corazon this Wednesday. Our intermediate class will be taught b Maria Ybarra, a portena and popular social dancer admired for her great partner connection.

Later in the evening, we'll have a full dinner spread -- just to make sure no one's dancing hungry -- and we're planning a few other surprises to spice up the night.

Our performer will be Alberto Dassieu, a milonguero of the old school known for his precepts about musicality and connection: "To walk, to stop, to know how to dance the pauses and the silences, and the steps to be made must be done with all sobriety and to the beat". It's a beautiful description of the tango as it is meant to be danced socially, and he brings 'a fantastic sense of rhythm to his performances. Check him out in action !