Author: alecoyung

Alex Pacheco, from Mexico City, started dancing social tango in 2006. They have now been teaching for more than 10 years, working in queer tango and transfeminist tango. With their project Tango Disidente, libre y alegre, they organize and teach queer tango in México. They are also a part of El Desborde Tango with whom they started the first queer milonga in México City, in 2024, Quilombo Cuir, now a monthly event. 

Alex has taught classes and workshops, led discussions and practicas in several cities in México and the United States, including the Bay Area, Miami, and NYC. In May, they will teach in the SF Bay Area and Seattle and at the Berlin International Queer Tango Festival in July. 

As a teacher they are centered on making dancing comfortable for the body, freeing it to focus on the dialogue within the couple. As an organizer and facilitator they are interested in tango as a tool to build long lasting communities that can be spaces for social transformation.   

Astrid Weiske is one of the pioneers of open-role dancing and is an internationally respected teacher in many tango communities worldwide, well known as a dynamic female lead and a gifted teacher. She has been dancing Tango Argentino for over 25 years, and since 2005 has been teaching in Berlin and accepting invitations to teach all over Europe and the world. 

She has developed strong sensitivity in leading, great creativity in improvisation, and playful musicality, which stand out as key elements in her dance. Astrid is also recognized for her skills as a follower, which greatly expands her knowledge and understanding of the dance.

In 2011, she founded the first International Queer Tango Festival in Berlin, which has earned a reputation as the world’s largest queer tango festival. 

Her exploration of the many styles of tango, from the classical to the experimental, as well as other dance forms like contact improvisation and modern dance, have led her to believe that there is no “one” Tango. She believes in a creative, liberating variety and connection of ideas, movements and technique, while always referring back to the roots of Argentine Tango. She promotes that fusion to reduce boundaries, allowing people to connect and communicate with each other and find their own expression in the dance.

Diego Lanau and Alejandra Saravia are professional tango teachers that have built a following in the Bay Area over many years. Diego and Alejandra teach simple tango figures as a way of helping students improve their technique. They emphasize good posture, walking, and contrabody disassociation (twisting) to create a smooth, beautiful dance. They are also beautiful to watch!

Diego Lanau is from Argentina and began studying tango in 1997. In 1999, he joined the Mora Godoy group in Club Almagro, where he met his first tango partner, Natalia Arcidiacono, with whom he started teaching in 2001. Diego participated in a variety of tango competitions and was a finalist in the 2004 Tango World Cup. Starting in 2006, Diego traveled to various cities in the USA to teach and perform. In 2009 and 2010, his travels expanded to Europe, where he taught and performed in Italy, Spain and France. He returned to the Bay Area in 2010 and 2011. In April 2013, he performed at ATUSA (Argentine Tango USA Championship and Festival). In March 2015, he was a judge at the local championship in Los Ángeles. In 2017, he performed at Buenos Aires City Hall and Club Atlético Boca Juniors (the most emblematic soccer team in Argentina). In January 2018, he participated in TANGO SALON EXTREMO in Buenos Aires. In March of the same year, he was a judge at ATUSA in San Francisco. Currently, he continues to teach and perform in Buenos Aires as well as the United States.

Alejandra Saravia is originally from Bolivia, and has also lived in Argentina and the United States. She started to dance ballet and practice gymnastics at the age of 4. In 2008, tango became part of her life. The greatest influences on her dancing are three of her favorite teachers, the world-renowned dancers Alejandra Mantinian, Moira Castellano and Pablo Veron. Alejandra performed tango for the first time the same year that she started dancing, and has been teaching and performing in the US since 2008. She has also taught in Bolivia (2018), Italy (2019), and Chile (2019). At the end of 2019, she began her partnership with Diego Lanau, with whom she teaches in San Francisco. Together they have a long and varied experience dancing tango and teaching to students of different levels and cultures. They are both professional tango dancers and milongueros, with a broad spectrum of literacy in the dance in all of its complexity.

Luz Castineiras was born and raised in Buenos Aires and brings a unique perspective to tango. For over five years, she researched tango as a therapy tool to improve social-emotional and cognitive skills in palliative care settings. 

​Luz studied contemporary dance and music therapy in addition to tango. She began dancing tango at Studio Dinzel in Buenos Aires, where she was able to incorporate these two disciplines. In 2011, she moved to the Bay Area and began teaching tango with various partners at la Pista SF, Studio 1924, and Alma del Tango Studio.

Luz is a heart-and-soul tango dancer, and her dance communicates her strength and knowledge of music.​ In her classes, students are encouraged to explore tango and dance techniques, connection and musicality.  She creates a friendly, inviting atmosphere for learning and always looks for active feedback from students.

Mira Barakat is a tango teacher, performer, and singer based in Oakland, CA. With a dance background in Modern dance, Contact Improv, Swing and Blues dance, Mira took quickly to tango after attending her first milonga in 2006 and felt especially drawn to the connection and embrace. A few years later, she moved to Buenos Aires to study intensively, dance, sing and soak up tango in its birthplace. She returns to Buenos Aires every year where she co-hosts a tango immersion program, BA. Tango Evolution. She works frequently with the queer tango community, teaching regularly for Abrazo Queer Tango in Berkeley, and she has taught and performed at the Berlin, New York, and Miami Queer Tango festivals. She was a member of the all women’s tango company Tango Con*Fusión from 2016-2019 and toured internationally with the company. She currently offers private classes from her home studio in Oakland as well as group classes around the Bay Area. More info: mirabarakat.com.

Luz Castineiras was born and raised in Buenos Aires and brings a unique perspective to tango. For over five years, she researched tango as a therapy tool to improve social-emotional and cognitive skills in palliative care settings. 

​Luz studied contemporary dance and music therapy in addition to tango. She began dancing tango at Studio Dinzel in Buenos Aires, where she was able to incorporate these two disciplines. In 2011, she moved to the Bay Area and began teaching tango with various partners at la Pista SF, Studio 1924, and Alma del Tango Studio.

Luz is a heart-and-soul tango dancer, and her dance communicates her strength and knowledge of music.​ In her classes, students are encouraged to explore tango and dance techniques, connection and musicality.  She creates a friendly, inviting atmosphere for learning and always looks for active feedback from students.

Elly Fernandez learned both leading and following from the very beginning of her tango life in 2011 and facilitates learning spaces that transform mystery into mastery of both sides of the embrace.

A lover of the line of dance, she brazenly and impishly seeks to turn a space constraint into a co-created feature – as a result, students gain confidence and competence dancing in small spaces. Elly’s teaching practice is shaped by her background as an innovative public school educator focused on “real world learning”, making the learning process meaningful and full of purpose. She brings that fightin’ Philly spirit to issues of advocacy, belonging, and the prevention and reduction of sexual harm.
Connect with her on IG @elly__fernandez, FB Elly Fernandez, or www.ellyfernandez.com

Felipe Martinez and Ayano Yoneda are well known and beloved tango instructors who have taught in the SF Bay Area for many years. They teach regularly on Monday nights at the Beat in Berkeley and they DJ frequently at milongas all over the Bay. They are especially known for organizing the San Francisco Tango Marathon at the most extravagant venue in the Bay Area, for hosting the All-Night Milonga at the Beat in Berkeley, and for their ever-popular classes at Stanford University. Their beginner series, Tango 101, is also recommended by many!

Felipe and Ayano both lead and follow and are beautiful dancers to watch. Their classes emphasize proper technique, to make dancing comfortable and enjoyable for leaders and followers. They focus on movements that are useful and appropriate for social dancing. They use different types of tango embrace depending on the music and mood of the dance. Both have studied extensively in Buenos Aires, and spend many months traveling internationally each year to teach tango. Catch them while they are here in the Bay!

www.felipetango.com

Diego Lanau and Alejandra Saravia are returning to the Bay! Diego and Alejandra teach simple tango figures as a way of helping students improve their technique. They emphasize good posture, walking, and contrabody disassociation (twisting) to create a smooth, beautiful dance. They are also beautiful to watch!

Diego Lanau is from Argentina and began studying tango in 1997. In 1999, he joined the Mora Godoy group in Club Almagro, where he met his first tango partner, Natalia Arcidiacono, with whom he started teaching in 2001. Diego participated in a variety of tango competitions and was a finalist in the 2004 Tango World Cup. Starting in 2006, Diego traveled to various cities in the USA to teach and perform. In 2009 and 2010, his travels expanded to Europe, where he taught and performed in Italy, Spain and France. He returned to the Bay Area in 2010 and 2011. In April 2013, he performed at ATUSA (Argentine Tango USA Championship and Festival). In March 2015, he was a judge at the local championship in Los Ángeles. In 2017, he performed at Buenos Aires City Hall and Club Atlético Boca Juniors (the most emblematic soccer team in Argentina). In January 2018, he participated in TANGO SALON EXTREMO in Buenos Aires. In March of the same year, he was a judge at ATUSA in San Francisco. Currently, he continues to teach and perform in Buenos Aires as well as the United States.

Alejandra Saravia is originally from Bolivia, and has also lived in Argentina and the United States. She started to dance ballet and practice gymnastics at the age of 4. In 2008, tango became part of her life. The greatest influences on her dancing are three of her favorite teachers, the world-renowned dancers Alejandra Mantinian, Moira Castellano and Pablo Veron. Alejandra performed tango for the first time the same year that she started dancing, and has been teaching and performing in the US since 2008. She has also taught in Bolivia (2018), Italy (2019), and Chile (2019). At the end of 2019, she began her partnership with Diego Lanau, with whom she teaches in San Francisco. Together they have a long and varied experience dancing tango and teaching to students of different levels and cultures. They are both professional tango dancers and milongueros, with a broad spectrum of literacy in the dance in all of its complexity.