Category: Instructors

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

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.

Photo by Danielle Plourde. (Astrid is in white).

Felipe Martinez and Ayano Yoneda came together in the tango scene of the SF Bay Area, and embody the global nature of tango. They travel full-time throughout North America, Europe, South America, and Asia to teach, DJ, and lecture about tango music. They also spend time annually in Buenos Aires studying and enjoying the dance and its history.

Felipe’s background includes a degree in education and over 20 years of experience in tango. He is widely recognized for his clear teaching strategy, enthusiastic personality, and ability to make real improvements in your dancing. Ayano has been dancing tango since 2005 and is an accomplished and motivated dancer, with excellent movement technique and musicality. She has been teaching with Felipe for the past few years around the country.

Together, their demonstrations are clear and precise, offering students an excellent model of movement. Both Felipe and Ayano lead and follow interchangeably which is invaluable for teaching. Their series at Stanford University and their classes at The Beat in Berkeley are always in high demand.

For more information, see www.felipetango.com

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.

Christopher Nassopoulos is a well-known tango instructor who has taught tango at festivals all over the US and abroad. He favors a close-embrace style and teaches steps that are useful in social dancing. In his classes he asks that everyone take turns leading and following, so that we all practice both roles. Christopher provides extra help during the practica. 

Christopher was first introduced to Argentine tango in 1993, and made numerous trips to Buenos Aires to study and learn the social traditions of the milongas there. Christopher has the incisive ability to analyze movement and help improve a student’s technique on even the most subtle levels. In addition, he leads and follows, giving him further insight into the technique of and relationship between the two roles.

Andrea Fuchilieri, tango instructor from Buenos Aires.

Andrea’s Teaching Philosophy

I believe every human being is a dancer.
Our perfectly designed human bodies are made to joyfully dance through life.

I love to share my knowledge of dance, movement and body awareness techniques. Understanding the pathways for motion with emphasis in finding internal connections to create movement, empowering you to discover an effortless fluent new way of enjoying your dance.

Felipe Martinez and Ayano Yoneda came together in the tango scene of the SF Bay Area, and embody the global nature of tango. They travel full-time throughout North America, Europe, South America, and Asia to teach, DJ, and lecture about tango music. They also spend time annually in Buenos Aires studying and enjoying the dance and its history.

Felipe’s background includes a degree in education and over 20 years of experience in tango. He is widely recognized for his clear teaching strategy, enthusiastic personality, and ability to make real improvements in your dancing. Ayano has been dancing tango since 2005 and is an accomplished and motivated dancer, with excellent movement technique and musicality. She has been teaching with Felipe for the past few years around the country.

Together, their demonstrations are clear and precise, offering students an excellent model of movement. Both Felipe and Ayano lead and follow interchangeably which is invaluable for teaching. Their series at Stanford University and their classes at The Beat in Berkeley are always in high demand.

For more information, see www.felipetango.com

Christopher Nassopoulos is a well-known tango instructor who has taught tango at festivals all over the US and abroad. He favors a close-embrace style and teaches steps that are useful in social dancing. In his classes he asks that everyone take turns leading and following, so that we all practice both roles. Christopher provides extra help during the practica.

Christopher was first introduced to Argentine tango in 1993, and made numerous trips to Buenos Aires to study and learn the social traditions of the milongas there. Christopher has the incisive ability to analyze movement and help improve a student’s technique on even the most subtle levels. In addition, he leads and follows, giving him further insight into the technique of and relationship between the two roles.

Felipe Martinez and Ayano Yoneda came together in the tango scene of the SF Bay Area, and embody the global nature of tango, traveling full-time throughout North America, Europe, South America, and Asia to teach, DJ, and lecture about the music. They also spend time annually in Buenos Aires studying and enjoying the dance and its history.

Felipe’s background includes a degree in education and 20 years of experience in tango. He is widely recognized for his clear teaching strategy, enthusiastic personality, and ability to make real improvements in your dancing. Ayano has been dancing tango since 2005 and is an accomplished and motivated dancer, with excellent movement technique and musicality. She has been teaching with Felipe for the past few years around the country.

Together, their demonstrations are clear and precise, offering students an excellent model of movement. Both Felipe and Ayano lead and follow interchangeably which is invaluable for teaching. Their series at Stanford University and their classes at The Beat in Berkeley are always in high demand.

For more information, see www.felipetango.com.

Christopher was first introduced to Argentine tango in 1993, and made numerous trips to Buenos Aires to study and learn the social traditions of the milongas there. Christopher has the incisive ability to analyze movement and help improve a student’s technique on even the most subtle levels. In addition, he leads and follows, giving him further insight into the technique of and relationship between the two roles. Christopher and his partner Caroline are invited to teach at festivals all over the U.S. and abroad.