Luz Castineiras is a tango dancer at heart, a musician, and a music therapist. Aside from dancing tango she plays and teaches piano and has composed several tangos. Her first tango teacher was Rodolfo Dinzel, who taught her how to improvise and create dance, instead of reproducing it. She also finds inspiration in Chico Frumbolli and Gustavo Naveira who brings an intimate understanding of tango music and dance. Her love for the dance has led her outside the realm of tango where she has studied with prominent modern dance teachers as Teresa Duggan, Edgardo Mercado, and Chimenne Pollard.

Luz's dancing is described as swift and dynamic while accenting the music’s vibrancy and texture. In the tango community she is known as a versatile dancer able to assume both leader and follower roles. As a leader Luz excels in her ability to connect and listen to her partner. With a thorough understanding of music, Luz provides an immense repertoire of creative rhythmical patterns to the dance, enabling her to easily weave emotion into movement.

As a teacher she is perceptive, innovative, and empowering. Her supportive teaching approach encourages flexibility and creativity, enabling students to better understand common rhythmical variations in the music and investigate lead and follow communications in the dance.

Glenn Corteza is one of San Francisco's most innovative teachers. He focuses on the essentials of social dancing and promotes mastery of the basics. Students get a broader perspective of the dance and not just memorization of sequences. He promotes creativity and shows students how to improvise on their own on their first class. Glenn's classes are fun! His outrageous comments and humorous visual analogies will have you laughing while learning.

Glenn has been dancing for over 14 years and has studied with many of the Argentine masters. He has performed on stage productions, appeared on commercials, and performed in many public and private events. He is also the bass player for Quinteto del Bailongo.

Lucas DeBuenosAires was taught first by family in Buenos Aires, and then in its milongas. A decade later, the knowledge continues to be passed around, explored, and shared. Since beginning to teach in San Telmo six years ago, Lucas has brought tango to the people of Berlin, Boston, Buenos Aires, Gothenburg, London, New York, Paris, Reykjavik, San Francisco, Seattle and Stockholm.

This versatile dancer has been a guest artist, instructor, and/or performer at the International Queer Tango Festivals of Stockholm, New York, San Francisco, Mexico, Berlin and Buenos Aires (Festival & Marathon). Entranced by the richness of Argentine tango, Lucas continues to explore both in Buenos Aires and through frequent travel, seeking exposure to everything from canyengue to intercambio/fusion.

"A consummate club kid since 13, many dance styles raging from Butoh to Flamenco have fascinated me, but none have shaken me to the core as Tango has. Talk to me through www.ilovetango.com." - Lucas

Walter Perez began dancing in his hometown of Buenos Aires in 1993. Since then, he has dedicated his career to studying Argentine Tango. Walter has trained with renowned Tango instructors such as: Juan Carlos Copes, Graciela Gonzalez and Pupy Castello, Pepito Avellaneda, Efrain Ordonez, Jose, Garofalo, Rodolfo Dinzel, Osvaldo Sotto and Lorena Hermosida, and Jorge Torres. He has performed in Argentina and Uruguay with "Tangou". In 2000, he moved to New York, where he teaches and performs. He was featured in a national commercial for Coldwell Banker and in the Romartis Production of "Tango First Century" and "Spotlight on Tango". He was the founder and artistic director of "manoAmano" Tango dance company.
Leonardo Sardella started dancing professional Tango in his hometown of Buenos Aires in 2000. He has trained with renowned Tango instructors such as Juan Carlos Copes, Rodolfo Dinzel, Osvaldo Sotto and Loren Hermosida, Javier Rodriguez, Angel Coria, Jorge Firpo and Aurora Lubiz, Maria and Carlos Rivarola, Cristina Cortez. He has performed on the best stages in Argentina with several dance companies and participated in tango shows in the most prestigious venues. He was assistant choreographer in the Malena Eternamente Tango musical and choreographer and principal dancer of the show Cacho Castagna. In 2011, he moved to New York, where he teaches and performs at Milongas.
For more than 17 years Astrid Weiske has been dancing Tango Argentino and is well known and respected in tango communities worldwide as an excellent leading woman. She has developed strong sensitivity in leading, great creativity in improvising and playful musicality, that stand out as key elements in her dance. Astrid extended her dancing to the follower role, which expanded her knowledge of the dance.

Since 2005 she has been teaching in Berlin at "PHYNIXtanzt" Studio, traveling as a guest teacher in Germany, UK, Paris and also abroad to San Francisco, New York, Montreal and Buenos Aires. She received invitations to teach and perform on several Festivals like Queertangofestival Copenhagen, Phantastango Festival (Germany) and Queertango Festival Buenos Aires.

Astrid is the founder of the International Queertangofestival in Berlin which had it's very successful and highly respected Tango premiere in 2011, with international renowed teachers and artists. The second festival will take place in July 2012.

Her teaching is based on awareness, analysis of natural movement in combination with her knowledge of technique, structure of the dance and awareness of connection in the couple. Creating a constant dialogue between leaders and followers who share the responsibility of listening and reacting to each other, based on a strong connection to the music.

Her main influence and deep understanding of tango in dancing and teaching were received from her constant studies with renown dancers like: Brigitta Winkler, Gustavo Naveda y Giselle Anne, Cecilia Gonzalez, Chicho Frumboli, Pablo Pugliese y Noel Strazza and Tomas Howlin.

Her exploration of the techniques of tango, from the very classical to the very experimental, leading and following, other dance forms like contact improvisation or modern dance makes her believe that there is no "one" Tango. She believes in creative, liberating variety and connection of ideas, movements and technique by respecting the roots of Argentine Tango. She promotes fusion to reduce borders and to let people find their own expression in the dance.

links: www.tango-astrid.de
www.queertangofestival-berlin.de
Email Astrid
youtu.be/sEfRU1DSI2A
youtu.be/jvxgS-C1iIQ
www.youtube.com/embed/eq1o7Q0FanI

 


 

 


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