Brigitta Winkler
btango5@aol.com
Brigitta Winkler lives in New York and Berlin. Trained in ballet and modern dance, she discovered Argentine tango in 1980. Her teachers in Buenos Aires have included Juan Carlos Copes, Antonio Todaro, Pepito, Gustavo Naveira, and Eduardo Arquimbau. She is a founding member of Tango Mujer and has performed in New York, Berlin Podewil (1998), and Colorado Dance Festival (1999) Tango Marathon, Theaterhaus Stuttgart, Tango Vision in Berlin (1994), Tango Mundo in Berlin, and at the prestigious Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. She is a frequent guest teacher at Dance Manhattan. Her 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.
Tomas Howlin
tomas@tomashowlin.com
Tomas Howlin is a professional Argentine tango dancer, performer, and teacher. Each of his movements is deeply inspired by the traditional esthetic that have characterized the style and elegance of this dance for the past 60 years. He is a patient and devoted teacher with a unique method and approach. Tomas was born and grew up 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. His learning and teaching experience is complete and exceptional. He has the honor to have partnered Graciela Gonzalez, Florencia Taccetti, Brigitta Winkler, Luciana Valle, Silvana Grill, and Chantal Dauphinais.
Tomas is among the few teachers traveling worldwide who have taught regularly in the most well known academies of Buenos Aires. Furthermore, he is a regular participant at international festivals in Europe and the United States. He worked for the “National University of Buenos Aires," and for the "Secretary of Culture of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires.”
During the last year, Tomas has been performing and teaching in Canada and in the U.S. He was instrumental in the filming of the tango film “Macadam Tango.” The great highlight was being chosen to dance for the “Summit of the Americas” in Quebec City, with the heads of state of 34 countries present, including President George W. Bush and Dr. Fernando de la Rua, president of Argentina.
Florencia Taccetti
tango@florenciataccetti.com
Florencia brings to the tango community a wealth of experience. She is a tango performer, social dancer, dance teacher, and has done extensive work as a contemporary dance performer. This makes her teaching clear and consistent.
Florencia works to develop the subtle communication between partners because she has found in her own experience that this is the communication that takes the dance to a magical and unforgettable level.
She has a special talent for teaching natural movement and musicality. Her explanation of the tango structure makes the dance easy and interesting, and it helps students to improvise with spontaneity, sensuality, and grace.
Florencia started tango in 1985 while she was a part of the contemporary Dance Ballet at the San Martin City Theater in Buenos Aires. She danced in the movie "Tango Bar." She has performed with Pablo Veron, Gustavo Naveira, Chicho Frumbolli, and the legendary Pepito Avellaneda.
She now partners Tomas Howlin, Jaimes Friedgen, and Somer Surgit in some of her U.S. tours and performances. In July 2006, she worked as a co-choreographer for the "Gerry Girouard and Dancers" company on a theatrical piece that fused tango, acrobatics, and modern dance.
She began teaching tango in 1988 in Europe and Buenos Aires, and since 1996, in many cities in the U.S. Florencia is now based in Minneapolis, MN and has been teaching at Four Seasons Dance Studio since 2000 and at the University of Minnesota Dance Program since 2003.
You can check her Web site for classes and workshops in U.S. at www.florenciataccetti.com.
Alex Krebs
arkrebs@yahoo.com
Alex teaches Argentine tango for the social dance floor, emphasizing the improvisatory side of the dance through a strong communication between the lead and follow and on musicality. He tries to give his students the vocabulary necessary so that each person can find their own unique way of dancing—dancing the tango of their own body.
Alex has taught in Portland, Seattle, Austin, San Francisco, New York City, Dallas, Washington D.C., Phoenix, Toronto, Anchorage, Klamath Falls (OR), Mt. Shasta City (CA), Minneapolis (co-teaching with Florencia Taccetti of Buenos Aires), Munich and Augsburg (Germany), Bologna and Modigliana (Italy), Lund (Sweden), London, Leeds, Totnes, Cambridge, and Edinburgh (UK).
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Reed College (1999, Portland, OR) and has studied and danced in Buenos Aires for more than six months between four visits.
Alex has co-taught and performed with Luciana Valle (BsAs) in Denver, Austin, San Francisco, Boulder, and Aspen and has performed with Luciana in Buenos Aires (Torquato Tasso and Centro Cultural Mora), San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle (at the Benaroya Theater with the New York Tango Trio). Alex has co-taught with Florencia Taccetti (BsAs) in Minneapolis and San Francisco and has performed with her in Minneapolis, Portland, and San Francisco, and he also performed in London (with Biljana Lipic), Amsterdam (with Yvonne Meissner), Antwerpen (with Esther Heitzer), and Munich (with Heidrun Fluk).
Alex has also DJ'ed milongas in Portland, Anchorage, Dallas, Augsburg, Cambridge, Minneapolis, and the all-night milongas in San Francisco and New York City.
Alex has an extensive performance resume. He has performed in the tango show "Tango Nights," at the Alladin Theater, "Danza Tropical" at the Teatro Milagro, choreographed Piazzolla's "Histoire du Tango," and wrote and directed the tango show "Tango al Tiempo" at the Miracle Theater April 16–18, 2003.
He is completely fanatical about the Argentine tango, and shares his passion with his students.
Cecilia González
Well respected by the tango community in Buenos Aires, Cecilia González has taught and danced at numerous festivals around the world, partnering some of the most famous tangueros of her generation, such as Osvaldo Zotto, Fabian Salas, and Mariano 'Chicho' Frumboli.
The technical precision, fluidity, and elegance of her movements and notable capacity of improvisation characterize her dance. Her complete knowledge and her passion for teaching makes her a very appreciated and requested tango teacher, being invited regularly to give workshops in Europe and North America since 1996. She has being teaching in Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Turkey, Iceland, Australia, Canada, and the U.S.
She taught at the 2005 Sydney International Tango Festival and the Lan Airlines International Grand Tango Festival of New Zealand. Danced with Mariano "Chicho" Frumboli at the 1999 Tangostadt in Zurich and Tangomania in Amsterdam and with Osvaldo Zotto in the 1996 and 1997 tango festivals in Ohio. She danced in "Evita" and has been photographed for Versace and Gian Alberto Caporale. In 2002–04, she was in "Artango Bal Concept" with Jean Sebastien Rampizzi and Artango. She appeared in the documentary "Sogni di Tango" by Jesse A. Allaoua.
Since its inception in 1999, she has been a member of the teaching faculty of the Argentine International Tango Congress (CITA) held annually in Buenos Aires. Included in her language studies are Spanish, English, and Italian; and in other studies: yoga, kung fu, pa kua, and contact improvisation.
Donato Juárez
Donato Juárez is one of the most talented tango dancers of his generation. From his hometown of Mar del Plata in Argentina, he has been part of a group of enthusiastic young dancers that has continued to tirelessly explore the intricacies of this dance. He has studied with many reknown teachers who were quick to notice his impressive technical skills. Donato has been invited to international tango festivals in Iceland, Australia, Europe, and Mexico and has performed in many theaters in Mar del Plata. He has been invited to perform, with Cecilia Gonzalez, in both the 2006 and 2007 International Argentine Tango Congress (CITA) in Buenos Aires.