Joe's Tango podcast

My guests today are both professional dancers and musicians. One is a violinist, and the other a pianist. They studied music at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria, then immersed themselves in tango dance training in Buenos Aires. In 2013, they won 1st prize and the Viewers' Choice Award at the International Open Tango Salon Championship in Budapest, Hungary. They have toured the world to teach and perform, and at this moment in time, they are the only couple in the world that dances tango and plays tango music professionally. Let's meet Ludmila Srnkova and Pablo Fernandez Gomez... More on Ludmila and Pablo here: Website: pabloyludmila.com Website: universitango.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pabloyludmilatango/ Help support Joe’s Tango podcast – You can make a secure donation here: http://bit.ly/2T4woBP

My guest for this episode is a professional pianist from Buenos Aires. He started his professional tango journey several years ago, when he decided to form a quartet. From there, things started moving pretty quickly. Within a relatively short period of time, he found himself forming a 10 person, full-blown award winning tango orchestra that you might have heard of, called Romantica Milonguera. Let’s meet Tomás Regolo of Romantica Milonguera... More on Romantica Milonguera here: Website: http://bit.ly/2OgXUN5 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/romanticamilonguera/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYpV2hkhnmlVZKtOT9dCbew Help support Joe’s Tango podcast – You can make a secure donation here: http://bit.ly/2T4woBP

My guests for today's short episode are Helena Fernandez and Claudio Villagra, also known as Los Villagra. Helena has been dancing since age three and also has a strong background in classical ballet, jazz, ballroom, samba, and Flamenco. Lucky for us, she has devoted much of her near 30 years of experience to Argentine Tango. She has taught and performed all over the world, in stage productions and on television. An experienced competitor, she made it to semi-final rounds in Tango World Championship events in Greece, Italy, and San Francisco. She also holds a degree in physiotherapy, and specializes in helping patients with neurological disorders. Claudio's tango history begins with his grandfather, Hector Contreras, who mentored him early in his tango career. He has also studied with a number of renown tango masters, and performed in many famous venues, such as the Walter Kerr and Marquis Theaters on Broadway (where he performed for two years), The Olympia Music Hall in Paris, Teatro Colón, Luna Park, Teatro Astral, Teatro Nacional Cervantes in Buenos Aires. and the National Auditorium and Fine Arts Theater in Mexico. In addition to having worked with many famous tango orchestras and experience as a choreographer, Claudio has twice served as a final round judge at the World Tango Championships in Buenos Aires. These two are a formidable team, and currently operate their tango school out of Lisbon, Portugal. Let's meet Los Villagra... More on Claudio & Helena here: Website: https://www.losvillagratangoinfo.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/losvillagra.tangostudio/ Help support Joe’s Tango podcast – You can make a secure donation here: http://bit.ly/2T4woBP

My guest today is well known as a tango teacher, event organizer, historian, and actor. In 2000, he opened Porteño y Bailarin, a very popular tango venue in Buenos Aires and has brought in numerous tango masters and musicians. In September of 2019, he was a juror at the World Tango Championship Festival, and was the first to have the 2017 world champions perform at his milonga. Today's guest was a close friend of the late Carlos Gavito. Some of you may know that Carlos Gavito was the lead performer in the show "Forever Tango," and one of the tango world's most celebrated dancers. A legend in his own right, today's guest is a highly sought-after living encyclopedia of tango history, dance knowledge, and philosophy. Let's meet Carlos Stasi... More on Carlos here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juancarlos.stasi.33 Website: https://stasitango.com/ Help support Joe’s Tango podcast – You can make a secure donation here: http://bit.ly/2T4woBP

My guest today is originally from Uruguay, and discovered tango for the first time in 2002. Ever since then, it's been hard to keep him off the dance floor. He's been teaching since 2004, and has traveled to numerous festivals to teach and learn, and has studied under many world-class instructors. Now based in Miami, his dancing and teaching styles are a creative blend of traditional and new tango. He has worked for several dance companies, productions and shows, including Enamorados del Tango, Miami Contemporary Dance, Brasilian Carnaval, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, the 15th International Tango Festival in Montevideo, Uruguay, and many others. Let's meet Diego Santana... More on Diego here: Website: https://www.diegosantanatango.com Help support Joe’s Tango podcast – You can make a secure donation here: http://bit.ly/2T4woBP

My guest today has been dancing tango for over 30 years. In the 80s, she was one of the first Europeans to study Tango in Buenos Aires. In 1986, she opened one of the first tango studios in Berlin. Famous for being not only a tango dancer and teacher, today's guest is also highly respected for her skills in teacher training. Every year she travels to dozens of cities all over the world to give workshops, and also organizes a variety of intensive tango retreats. Let's meet Brigitta Winkler... More on Brigitta here: Website: http://www.brigittatango.de/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tangomujerretreats/ Help support Joe’s Tango podcast – You can make a secure donation here: http://bit.ly/2T4woBP

Originally from Argentina, today's guest has been living in the US since 1980 and is currently based in New York City. He is a world renown bassist, composer, and music producer. Also Grammy-Award Winner, he is widely recognized as one of the leading authorities on traditional and contemporary tango. He has recorded and performed with a number of other well-known musicians, including Pablo Ziegler, Raul Juarena, Yo-Yo Ma, Shakira, Lalo Schifrin, the New World Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and many others. Today's guest is also an active researcher and educator, producing programs for the Lincoln Center Institute, Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts, and Arts Connection in New York City. On top of that, he has been a guest lecturer at universities such as Yale, Harvard, and UCLA. His contributions to the world of tango have been nothing short of amazing, and it's an honor to have him on the show. Let's meet Pablo Aslan... More on Pablo here: Website: http://www.pabloaslan.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/AvantangoMedia Help support Joe’s Tango podcast – You can make a secure donation here: http://bit.ly/2T4woBP

My guest today has been dancing tango for over a decade. Having spent several years in Buenos Aires, he's studied and analyzed a number of different styles. He's focused on social dancing, and is known for placing a lot of his teaching focus on movement and technique. Currently, he's managing the well-known Oxygen Tango group in Los Angeles... Let's meet Dave Lampson... More on Dave here: Oxygen Tango website: https://www.oxygentango.com/dave Oxygen Tango FB page: https://www.facebook.com/oxygentango/ Help support Joe’s Tango podcast – You can make a secure donation here: http://bit.ly/2T4woBP

My guest today is Martin Enos, a highly accomplished dancer and instructor in the Washington, DC area. He is currently in medical school at Michigan State University. More on Martin here: To contact Martin, go to tangomercurio.com - they'll help you get in touch! Help support Joe’s Tango podcast – You can make a secure donation here: http://bit.ly/2T4woBP

Robert is a dedicated organizer in the LA area, and hosts the popular Tango Mio milonga. We had a fun conversation about his personal tango journey, strategies on running a successful milonga, and his thoughts on community. More on Robert here: His Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Twinkie.Defense His notes on Tango organizing: https://www.facebook.com/notes/robert-le/notes-in-regards-to-tango-organizing/10159277002735297/ Help support Joe’s Tango podcast – You can make a secure donation here: http://bit.ly/2T4woBP

So, do we choose tango or does tango choose us? My guests today certainly feel that tango discovered them. It happened in 2013, and very quickly, they fell in love this dance. Before they knew it, they were deep into studying, and have received guidance from many renown tangueros. They have traveled internationally to hone their craft, and are presently based in Eastern Kansas where they teach and organize events. Let's meet Kirill Miniaev & Sophia Miniaeva... More on Kirill & Sophia here: Website: https://tangomatiz.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tangonuance/ Help support Joe’s Tango podcast – You can make a secure donation here: http://bit.ly/2T4woBP

My guest today has been teaching and performing tango for over 20 years. He has earned a number of international awards and prizes, and has received worldwide recognition for his dedication to developing tango workshops and events outside of Argentina. He has performed at a number of prestigious tango institutions, such as The Argentine Academy of Tango, Cambalache International Tango Festival, Caminito Tango Show, Club Sunderland, and many others. He has given classes, seminars, and performances in multiple countries such as Turkey, Holland, Germany, Italy, and Latvia. In 2013, he relocated to Los Angeles, CA, where he continues to teach and perform. This episode will feature Daniel Arias, who will be joining us with his wife, Laura Mingo. Unfortunately, my Spanish is a little rusty today so I'm very grateful for Laura's assistance in translating. We'll also hear from Laura, who is a very well known tango organizer in the LA area, as well as a tango photographer. More on Daniel here: Website: https://danielariastango.com/ More on Laura here: Laura's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/lauramingo297 La milonguita FB page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1408654296107512/ Mingotography FB page: https://www.facebook.com/MingotographyInc/ Help support Joe’s Tango podcast – You can make a secure donation here: http://bit.ly/2T4woBP

My guest today started dancing at age 3. During her childhood, she took up ballet, modern, jazz, and tap. Her passion for dance continued to evolve, and she would go on to spend several eventful years as a professional ballroom dancer. She won a good number of championships, and retired from competition in 2003 (the same year she earned her PhD). A few years later, she relocated to Seattle, Washington. Although she had experience with Argentine Tango at various moments in her life, it took some time to develop a passion for that dance. When that happened, she found herself making multiple trips to Buenos Aires. While in BA, she not only immersed herself in studying the dance, but also came away with a number of eye-opening experiences. Today, she is a professor in the Department of Dance at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she teaches studio and academic classes. As an educator, she specializes in cross-cultural topics involving dance, and has published numerous articles and books on tango, ballroom, salsa, rumba, and swing. And she has a lot of other exciting ideas in the pipeline... Let's meet Juliet McMains... More on Juliet here: Website: www.julietmcmains.com U of Washington page: https://dance.washington.edu/people/juliet-mcmains Help support Joe’s Tango podcast – You can make a secure donation here: http://bit.ly/2T4woBP

Harmonica virtuoso Joe Powers was back in town, so I thought it'd be a good time to catch up with him and record a spontaneous episode. We discuss some tango topics that we didn't cover last time, such as the additional skill sets necessary to be a successful musician, work ethic, and how to not be a total prick once you become famous. More on Joe Powers here: Website: www.joepowers.com Help support Joe’s Tango podcast – You can make a secure donation here: http://bit.ly/2T4woBP

My guest today is originally from Russia, but is now located in Washington, DC. With a professional background in interior design, she discovered Argentine Tango in 2010 while attending a Weekend Bootcamp program with Tango Mercurio. Soon after that experience, she started assisting with instruction. Eventually, she became a teacher, and today she serves as Tango Mercurio's Executive Director & Events Program Manager. Let's meet Masha Abapolnikova... More on Masha and Tango Mercurio here: Website Help support Joe’s Tango podcast – You can make a secure donation here: http://bit.ly/2T4woBP